CER Daily Newsfeed

Reduce Drug Spending by Drastically Simplifying Monopolies on Drugs

(4/1, Alfred Engelberg, STAT) comments “...Congress must also repeal all current laws requiring government insurance programs to cover every new drug approved by the FDA. The ability of an insurer to refuse to cover a drug or to limit the circumstances in which it can be prescribed is the only leverage available that could induce a drug monopolist to lower its price voluntarily. To use that leverage to serve the interests of patients, the FDA and other experts must review the clinical data supporting new drug approvals and provide prescribers and insurers with objective evidence of the comparative effectiveness of the new drug compared to existing alternative treatments.” Full

New PCORnet® Data Report Provides Insights on Patient Populations Receiving Gene Therapy

(3/31, PCORnet Blog) comments “...The Gene Therapy Data Report demonstrates that the PCORnet® infrastructure has the capacity to support national-scale studies on gene therapy. The report describes the characteristics of patient populations who received gene therapy for different health conditions between January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2024, including distinct cohorts for cancer patients and noncancer patients. Data from 72 sites participating in PCORnet are included in this report, reflecting the experience of more than 53,000 patients. These data are standardized from healthcare settings using the PCORnet® Common Data Model, meaning they are ready for researcher analysis.” Full

England’s NICE Wants Industry Involvement In HTA Sandbox Projects

(4/1, Eliza Slawther, Pink Sheet) reports “...Industry participation in an HTA sandbox run by England’s health technology assessment (HTA) institute, NICE, is ‘really crucial’ to ensure that the tool is ‘asking the right questions and testing the right methods.’” Subscription Required