News from Thursday, December 5, 2024
Articles
Eli Lilly's Zepbound Beats Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in First Head-to-Head Study
(12/4, Peter Loftus, The Wall Street Journal) reports “...People taking Zepbound lost 20.2% of their body weight on average after 72 weeks of treatment in the Lilly-sponsored study, compared with a 13.7% loss for Wegovy patients, Lilly said Wednesday. That translated into an average 50-pound loss for people who took Zepbound, while Wegovy users lost 33 pounds.” Sub. Req’d
Britain Drug-Cost Watchdog Says it Will Recommend Lilly Obesity Drug
(12/4, Maggie Fick, Reuters) reports “Britain's drugs cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE said on Thursday it will recommend Eli Lilly's obesity drug Mounjaro be made available to around 220,000 people in the country via the state health system over the next three years...NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is recommending Mounjaro, alongside diet and exercise changes, for people with at least one weight-related condition, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes, and body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight, of more than 35.” Full
CMS Enters Agreement With Vertex, Bluebird to Improve Access to Gene Therapies
(12/4, Reuters) reports “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Wednesday it had entered into agreements with Vertex Pharmaceuticals and bluebird bio to help increase patient access to their gene therapies. The so-called ‘outcomes-based agreements’ will tie payments to whether the therapy improves health outcomes for patients who receive these drugs and are enrolled in government-backed Medicaid insurance plans.” Full
Together, Medicaid Capitation Withholds And Value-Based Payments Can Improve Care For Dually Eligible Managed Care Enrollees
(12/5, Ryan Stringer, Michaella Morzuch, Erin Weir Lakhmani, and Jessica Nysenbaum, Health Affairs) reports “...Pairing capitation withholds with [value-based payment (VBP) state directed payments (SDP)] is a powerful and achievable combination for states with Medicaid managed care programs. By aligning incentives for both managed care plans and health care providers, states may be able to achieve greater progress in improving health care outcomes for dually eligible individuals than what might be achieved by either payment strategy alone.” Full
Press Releases
PCORI Opens Its 2025 Research Funding Cycle With More Than $500 Million in Opportunities
(12/5, PCORI Press Release) “...‘These first funding opportunities of 2025 demonstrate PCORI’s commitment as the nation’s leading funder of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research,’ said PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, M.D., MPH. ‘The research funded through these opportunities will generate valuable insights to help people make better informed healthcare decisions and improve healthcare delivery for a range of conditions.’ PCORI has committed up to $200 million for patient-centered CER focused on two of the organization's Research Project Agenda Topic Themes addressing critical health challenges affecting millions of people living in the United States.” Full