CER Daily Newsfeed

Inflation Reduction Act ‘Ripple Effect' Imperils Medicare Drug Access

(8/19, Gina Shaw, Specialty Pharmacy Continuum) reports “...Between 2024 and 2025, 81.3% of identified drugs in those classes experienced a decline in formulary coverage, and 47.9% of them had reduced access affecting more than 2 million beneficiaries, noted Julie Patterson, PharmD, PhD, the senior director of research and director of the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) Enterprise Lab. This trend ‘supports our broad concerns around the Inflation Reduction Act’s impact on patient access.’ As for why this trend has occurred, one likely cause is payor concerns over liability, Dr. Patterson noted.” Full

Comparative Real-World Effectiveness of Rituximab vs Cladribine in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

(8/20, Danielle Valletti, Pharmacy Times) reports “...Rituximab demonstrated superior efficacy over cladribine in controlling disease activity and improving disability outcomes in RRMS over 4.5 years.

The study showed a significant reduction in new MRI disease activity and relapse rates with rituximab compared to cladribine.” Full

A Tale Of Three Decisions: Courts Continue To Reject Challenges To Medicare Negotiation

(8/20, Andrew Twinamatsiko, Health Affairs Forefront) comments “...The crux of the courts’ decisions has been the voluntary nature of Medicare participation. These decisions fall in a long line of cases challenging the constitutionality of conditions placed on parties that choose to participate in governmental programs, including Medicare. As we explained two years ago when litigation against the program began, such conditions have been upheld under the 340B program, Medicaid reimbursements, Medicare reimbursements for providers, and many other programs, based on the same reasoning. So decisions upholding the negotiation program are precedented and therefore not surprising.” Full

England Prioritizes SGLT-2s & GLP-1s In Diabetes Market Access ‘Shake Up’

(8/20, Neena Brizmohun, Pink Sheet) reports “...Recommendations from the health technology assessment institute, NICE, reflect a strategic shift from treating type 2 diabetes to proactively preventing future complications of the condition.” Subscription Required

Germany: IQWiG Finds No Added Benefit for Columvi in Late-Line Lymphoma

(8/19, The Pharma Letter) reports “Germany’s Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care concluded that Columvi (glofitamab) monotherapy shows no added benefit for adults with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated from third line. IQWiG said the manufacturer submitted no suitable comparative evidence against the therapies defined by Germany’s benefit framework.” Subscription Required