CER Daily Newsfeed

Methotrexate May Lower Blood Pressure in Rheumatoid Arthritis

(9/4, Hayden E. Klein, The American Journal of Managed Care) reports “...Methotrexate significantly lowers systolic blood pressure in newly diagnosed RA patients compared to sulfasalazine, potentially reducing cardiovascular risk. The study provides prospective comparative evidence of methotrexate's cardiovascular benefits, independent of joint disease activity or arterial stiffness improvements.” Full

FDA Introduces Rare Disease Evidence Principles to Guide Therapy Development

(9/5, Katie McCool, The Evidence Base) reports “...‘Drug developers – and the patients they hope to treat – deserve clear, consistent information from the FDA,’ commented FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH ‘These principles ensure that FDA and sponsors are aligned on a flexible, common-sense approach within our existing authorities, and that we incorporate confirmatory evidence to give sponsors a clear, rigorous path to bring safe and effective treatments to those who need them most.’” Full

The Prior Authorization Companies Ready to Take on Insurers

(9/5, Gabriel Perna, Modern Healthcare) reports “...‘Prior authorization is a) a big enough problem and b) a uniquely challenging problem that general tech isn’t going to solve,’ said Dr. Jeremy Friese, CEO of startup Humata Health. ‘There are pieces of prior authorization you can solve if you’re doing a whole bunch of other things, but solving it from beginning to end takes extreme focus and dedication.’ Venture capital investors, eager to hop on the AI craze, are writing large checks to startups focused on solving providers’ prior authorization problem. Startups have seen traction in the form of health system, academic medical center, medical group, integrated delivery network and virtual care provider customers.” Subscription Required

EU HTA Regulation: Key Gaps Identified In Support For Small Companies And Experts

(9/5, Eliza Slawther, Pink Sheet) reports “...A meeting between the European Commission and industry stakeholders has revealed several areas of importance and lessons learned in relation to the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation, which began to apply to certain medicinal products this year.” Subscription Required