WP Creative Group’s Post

Biogen is throwing in the towel on its controversial Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm. Finally. It's a move that makes sense and is unsurprising given they can offer patients a similar, but seemingly better drug, Leqembi. As I wrote nearly two years ago for Bloomberg Opinion, the drug represented a troubling chapter for both the company and the FDA. The regulatory agency went against the unambiguous advice of its advisers to approve Aduhelm, despite thin evidence it worked. Biogen then made the grave error of charging $56,000 for it. It was a perfect storm for insurers to revolt against paying for it--and they did. Medicare led the way (another controversial, but I argued correct call), essentially make the drug nonviable, commercially. People with Alzheimer's needed (and still need!) treatment options--but they also deserve ones that are proven safe and effective. Take a look back at the confluence of bad decisions around Aduhelm that have taken nearly two years to untangle:

In their new Forefront article, Anna Kaltenboeck, Jennifer Chen, and Nancy Yu from ATI Advisory discuss the recent article from John O’Brien and colleagues, arguing that, while it raised alarms about the potential impact of the Medicare price negotiation program on market entry of new drugs and incentives to pursue subsequent indications, their analysis rests on selected details that conform with a narrow view of incentives to conduct clinical studies. "Take their example of the blood thinner rivaroxaban. As the authors note, clinical trials for additional indications of rivaroxaban were sequenced to add larger indications after 2011, when the drug initially launched in the US. In the future, their argument goes, manufacturers might wait to launch more or all of a drug’s indications at the same time, to maximize revenues before a drug becomes eligible for negotiation." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/46BFCe0

Our latest research letter showed beneficiary access to the first 10 selected drugs was high in 2019 and 2023: most of these drugs were on formularies without prior authorization or step therapy requirements. This is important to note before the DPNP prices go into effect as the IRA creates strong perverse incentives for plans to maximize rebates by potentially using utilization management and adverse tiering for the drugs selected.   Read the full analysis below. 

I'm excited to share this work, led by my friend and colleague, Julie Patterson, that sets a benchmark for access to the ten drugs selected by #CMS for the #DPNP in 2023. Our team's latest research was published today in the JAMA Health Forum. The findings support concerns that the unintended consequences of the #IRA may include harm to patient access. See our analysis below! #patientaccess #Medicare 

2026 Prices for Drugs Subject to Negotiations Prices are the maximum Medicare Part D plans and the patient will pay for a one-month supply. 1. Eliquis, for preventing strokes and blood clots, from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, $231 2. Jardiance, for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, $197 3. Xarelto, for preventing strokes and blood clots, from Johnson & Johnson, $197 4. Januvia, for diabetes, from Merck, $113 5. Farxiga, for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, from AstraZeneca $178 6. Entresto, for heart failure, from Novartis, $295 7. Enbrel, for autoimmune conditions, from Amgen, $2,355 8. Imbruvica, for blood cancers, from AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson, $9,319 9. Stelara, for autoimmune conditions, from Johnson & Johnson, $4,695 10. Fiasp and NovoLog insulin products, for diabetes, from Novo Nordisk, $119 https://lnkd.in/ez7Uxy4M

Prescription drug prices cannot be lowered without doing something about all parties, not just pharma. We have to work with and demand change by insurance companies, (upper payment limits, pharmacy benefit managers, etc). And take the politics out of it. So many well meaning politicians don't understand the entire challenge of lowering the cost of prescription drugs -- and to do it while securing science and innovation. Keep on advocating my friends. Politicians need our expertise: BIG TIME. Democratic National Committee Republican National Committee https://lnkd.in/gJmXUWBY

Medicare Drug Price Negotiation process as part of the US Inflation Reduction Act is underway. Our experts Nathan Swilling and Nikhil Pinto are here to help you understand the challenges involved, and how to successfully navigate through them: skp.link/dbs #BetterMarketAccess #Pharma #SimonKucher #Healthcare

NEW in Forbes: 'Humira Biosimilars Not Gaining Traction Epitomizes Dysfunctional U.S. System' Forbes recently highlighted the poor Humira (adalimumab) biosimilar uptake and how this could be detrimental to the future of lower-cost prescriptions in the U.S. Data from the Forum finds that out of 42,000 potential Medicare beneficiary patients, less than 1,000 received a Humira-referenced biosimilar. This is unacceptable. U.S. patients deserve lower-cost treatments for their medicines, but PBMs are blocking access and availability. Read more in the article below: https://lnkd.in/giFGHvmk

Interesting read on this competitive market.

A new heavy-hitting Health Affairs Forefront article titled, ‘The IRA: Reducing Inflation Or Threatening Patient Access?’ by Richard Hughes IV (Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.) and Richard Kane (PhRMA), delves into the implications of the Inflation Reduction Act‘s (IRA) #Medicare Drug Price Negotiation (MDPN) program, raising significant concerns about its impact on #patientaccess to essential medications. Read at The Evidence Base® #marketaccess #pharma #biopharma #hta #healthtechnologyassessment #healthequity #healthpolicy #valueassessment #drugpricing #inflationreductionact