CER Daily Newsfeed

Zanubrutinib More Effective Than Ibrutinib in Treating Patients With Relapsed/Refractory CLL, SLL

(10/30, Karen Jacobson-Sive, The American Journal of Managed Care) reports “Zanubrutinib showed superior long-term safety and efficacy over ibrutinib in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma, with improved progression-free survival and response rates.” Full

Prednisone Superior to Other Corticosteroids for Patients With COPD, Heart Failure

(10/30, Killian Meara, The American Journal of Managed Care) reports “...Patients with a dual diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure who take prednisone have shorter hospital stays compared to patients given other corticosteroids, according to research data presented at the CHEST 2024 annual meeting...” Full

How to Save the US Health Care System From a Complete Collapse

(10/30, Rajesh Balkrishnan, PhD, The American Journal of Managed Care) comments “...Most other countries have some type of drug price regulation, and many use rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis to inform these decisions. Many countries use independent benchmarks for acceptable prices: (1) The benchmark establishes a maximal price for drugs, and companies can set prices below that, or (2) pricing methods could involve negotiations over a final price. The government need not conduct these negotiations; many countries use nongovernmental organizations to accomplish this.” Full

CMS, ACO Stakeholders Tout Record MSSP Savings

(10/29, Amy Lotven, InsideHealthPolicy) reports “The more than 450 participants in CMS’ largest accountable care demonstration, the Medicare Shared Savings Program, netted $2.1 billion in savings to Medicare in 2023 and earned a total $3.1 billion in performance payments, the highest to date...In addition to saving money, the ACOs made statistically significant improvements on several quality measures...” Subscription Required