CER Daily Newsfeed

Value Viewpoint: June 6, 2025

(6/6, Kimberly Westrich, LinkedIn) comments “This week, my NPC colleagues and I published a new primer on medication utilization management (UM) in Health Affairs Forefront. The primer recounts the evolution of UM strategies over time, their impact on patient care, and the broader policy implications. From the primer’s conclusion: ‘The UM landscape has evolved significantly over the past four decades, and medication UM strategies are now a nearly ubiquitous component of health care benefit design. While UM can serve as a tool to protect patient safety and promote cost-efficient care, it is increasingly used as a blunt instrument to contain costs and restrict access to many treatments. Over-reliance on UM can disrupt care continuity, delay access to necessary treatments, and potentially increase overall health care costs by shifting care toward less efficient pathways.’” Full

Long Term Care Voices in Research: What We Are Doing and Why

(6/10, Provider Magazine) comments “...How is AHCA/NCAL supporting effectiveness research in LTC? Some examples: LTC Data Cooperative. Funded by NIA, the LTC Data Cooperative is a provider-led initiative that assembles electronic health record (EHR) data from the major LTC EHR vendors on behalf of provider organizations that choose to participate. This resource is developed with minimal burden to providers. The Research Review Committee, with a majority of providers as members, reviews proposals from researchers to use these data for two approved uses: observational, comparative effectiveness research or clinical trials. Data may be linked with Medicare and Medicaid claims for research purposes.” Full

Real-World Use of GLP-1s Yields Less Weight Loss Than Clinical Trials

(6/10, Hayden E. Klein, The American Journal of Managed Care) reports “...‘Our study shows that patients treated for obesity with semaglutide or trizepatide lost less weight on average in a regular clinical setting compared to what is observed in randomized clinical trials,’ Hamlet Gasoyan, PhD, lead study author and researcher at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Value-Based Care Research, said in a news release. ‘According to our data, this could be explained by higher rates of discontinuation and lower maintenance dosages used in clinical practice, compared to randomized clinical trial settings.’” Full

From Raw Records to Real-Time Insights: Climbing Pharma’s Real-World Data Maturity Curve

(6/10, Viraj Narayanan, HIT Consultant) comments “...Becoming a leader in RWD is as much about culture and organizational buy-in as it is about technology. Executives who prioritize RWD create cross-functional teams that blend clinical, regulatory, IT, and commercial expertise. They invest in ongoing education, helping the workforce develop the analytic capabilities and critical thinking needed to turn RWD into actionable insights.” Full

Understanding Provider Perspectives and Real-World Implications of Clinical Trial Data: The DREAMM-7 Trial Results in Multiple Myeloma

(6/10, The Evidence Base) reports “...In this Peek Behind the Poster, we speak with Sarah Lucht (Senior Scientist – Real-World Evidence & Insights, Cardinal Health) about the poster, entitled ‘Provider perspectives on the DREAMM-7 Trial Results and Belantamab Mafodotin (belamaf) in Combination with Bortezomib and Dexamethasone (B-Vd) as a Potential Treatment for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma (R/R MM)’ presented at ISPOR 2025. The discussion highlights why provider insights are critical for translating clinical breakthroughs into real-world patient access.” Full

‘Brainless’ US MFN Policy Could Drive Pharma Investment To Europe

(6/10, Francesca Bruce, Pink Sheet) reports “...European health systems already pay far too much for new medicines and payers will not accept higher prices to compensate for lower US prices, according to Anja Schiel, from NOMA, the Norwegian health technology assessment body.” Subscription Required