Author's posts
Dutch Researchers Suggest Women Consider Waiting A Bit After Stopping The Pill Before Getting Pregnant
In a study published last month, Dutch researchers suggest that use of birth control pills near the time of conception may increase certain pregnancy risks. Specifically, use of oral contraceptives is associated with a modest increase in risk of preecl…
Gene Therapies Are Still Hampered By Substantial Delays Between Approval And Launch
Gene therapies are still hampered by substantial delays between their date of approval and the time they launch. And it isn’t simply a matter of not having a payment or reimbursement system in place. Manufacturing and patient preparation delays figure …
ICER’s Positive Cost-Effectiveness Assessment Lends Support For New Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapies
The important takeaway is that these gene therapies can be cost-effective and don’t break the bank. Too often the discussion of a therapeutic’s price is fixated on eye-popping numbers and not value. It’s laudable that ICER has redirected us to the disc…
Dutch Ministry Of Health Will Not Reimburse Gilead’s Breast Cancer Drug, Trodelvy
Last month, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) announced that it will not include the breast cancer drug Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) in the country’s standard package of pharmacy and medical benefits.
Moderna’s CEO Bancel Suggests That Lower Demand For The Covid-19 Vaccine Is A Justification For Quadrupling Of The Price
Last month, during a Senate hearing in which Moderna CEO Bancel testified regarding the quadrupling in list price of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine, he cited lower consumer demand as one of several reasons for the need to raise the price. That’s an ext…
Are German Drug Pricing Regulations Chasing Some Drug Makers Away, Causing Them To Withdraw Products From The Market?
Once a bastion of relatively free market pricing, over time German drug pricing regulations have become increasingly stringent. This appears to be causing some drug manufacturers to drop out of the German market.
Implications Of Judge O’Connor’s Ruling To Invalidate Guarantee Of Free Preventive Services Under The Affordable Care Act
Last week, a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor, reversed an important ACA provision that requires insurers to cover a wide range of preventive care technologies and services, including certain cancer and chronic disease screenings, HIV prevention, …
Throwing The Baby Out With The Bath Water: Congress Considers Banning The QALY
If policymakers are prevented from using incremental cost-per-QALY analyses to inform decisions – or even just the QALY as a metric – then there better be an alternative in mind that’s workable and can be operationalized. Otherwise we’re deluding ourse…
Pharmacy Benefit Managers Are Again In The Crosshairs Of Congress And The FTC: Action To Reform Drug Pricing Increasingly Likely
PBMs are again in the crosshairs of Congress and the FTC. This time, Congress is seeking ways to coordinate with the FTC to enact reforms. It’s becoming increasingly probable that some kind of action will be taken to create a more transparent drug pric…
Availability Of Over-The-Counter Narcan Could Help As A Tool To Combat The Illicit Fentanyl Crisis, But Affordability Remains An Issue
Narcan nasal spray is the first naloxone product to formally be available OTC. While it may take months before Narcan becomes available OTC – and once in pharmacies as an off-the-shelf product its price could keep it out of reach for many – this still…
