CER Daily Newsfeed

Value Viewpoint: January 31, 2025

(1/31, Kimberly Westrich, LinkedIn) comments “...In Rare Disease Policy in High-Income Countries: An Overview of Achievements, Challenges, and Solutions, the authors examine the historical access barriers to rare disease treatments faced by patients in high-income countries, including the EU, UK, US, Canada, and Japan. Authors found progress had been made to address rare disease treatment barriers through interventions such as orphan drug development incentives, public-private partnerships, and patient registries to support research and clinical trials. However, many challenges still remain including high therapy costs, limited access to ultra-rare disease innovation, diagnostic delays, and disparities across regions.” Full

Kennedy Rejects Use Of March-In Rights To Lower Drug Prices

(1/31, Jessica Karins, Gabrielle Wanneh, Inside Health Policy) reports "President Donald Trump's nominee to lead HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., does not support using march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act to lower drug prices, he confirmed in a written response to additional questions from senators published Friday." Subscription Required

Optum Study: Accountable Medicare Advantage Models Reduce Admissions, ER Visits

(2/2, Paige Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare) reports “...The study found that value-based patients were also 22% less likely to be admitted to the hospital for concerns related to chronic conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or asthma, including an 18% reduction in admissions related to hypertension. In addition, patients treated in value-based models were 9% less likely to be admitted to the hospital from the emergency room, the study found.” Full

EU HTA: Submission Period For Joint Scientific Consultations Goes Live

(2/3, Francesca Bruce, Pink Sheet) reports “...Companies with products that will undergo an EU-level joint clinical assessment (JCA) can now submit their requests for a joint scientific consultation (JSC), or scientific advice, to help them prepare for the assessments. The window for making submissions in 2025 is limited, running from 3 February to 3 March.” Subscription Required