News from Friday, September 19, 2025
Articles
Value Viewpoint: September 19, 2025
(9/19, Kimberly Westrich, LinkedIn) comments “...A panelist recently said in a public webinar about GLP-1s, ‘the [ICER] report recently found that these drugs were a good value…and that was true universally when utilization was low. If utilization starts to rise with the large population that may potentially be on these drugs, then we’re just not going to see that long-term value.’ That’s simply not true. Cost-effectiveness findings are not impacted by how many patients use a medicine: the finding would be the same whether 10 patients used the medicine or 10 million used the medicine. In fact, our healthcare system would greatly benefit from thinking creatively about alternative payment and reimbursement to provide a cost-effective treatment to those who would benefit from it.” Full
What’s Holding Back Precision Medicine Outside Oncology?
(9/19, Jonah Comstock, PharmaPhorum) comments “...Fundamentally, however, there are misaligned incentives when it comes to precision medicine in pharma. It’s similar to the incentive problems that plague the rare disease space: what makes a drug profitable isn’t necessarily its effectiveness alone, but rather its effectiveness in a sufficiently large population.” Full
Tariffs: Added Strain On The US Health Care System
(9/18, Ahmad M. Hider, Dawn O'Connell, Nicholas L. Berlin, Health Affairs Forefront) comments "... Although framed as a strategy to bolster US manufacturing, reassert US economic dominance, and project geopolitical strength, these measures risk acute disruption to critical sectors such as health care. Hospitals and health systems-already strained by workforce shortages, inflationary pressures, and pandemic recovery-are deeply dependent on global supply chains for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and raw materials. Abrupt cost increases from tariffs could cascade through the health care system, threatening supply availability, driving consolidation, and shifting financial burdens onto payers and patients." Full
Press Releases
Most Favored Nation Pricing Model Could Fail Patients, New Brief Finds
(9/18, Alliance for Patient Access Press Release) “...According to the analysis, Most Favored Nations may: Trigger new utilization management restrictions, such as tighter formularies, prior authorization or step therapy requirements. Limit future treatment options by discouraging investment in biosimilars and slowing pharmaceutical innovation. Overlook fundamental differences between the U.S. health care system and those abroad, leading to unintended consequences.” Full
Journals
Comparative Effectiveness of Oral Nutritional Supplements in Preventing Respiratory Tract Infections Among Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Zhixin Zhu, et al.
September 2, 2025, eClinical Medicine
Effectiveness of CAR-T Cell Therapies for Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma: An External Control Arm Study
Hee-Jin Seo, et al.
September 17, 2025, Cancer Research and Treatment
AMCP Real-World Evidence Standards: Overcoming Barriers to Using Real-World Evidence in US Payer Decision-Making
Catherine M. Lockhart, PharmD, PhD, et al.
September 18, 2025, Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy
Safety and Efficacy of Robot-Assisted Bile Ductoplasty and Intrapancreatic Bile Duct Resection in Congenital Biliary Dilatation: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort (2013-2024)
Daiki Kato, et al.
September 18, 2025, Journal of Robotic Surgery
Propranolol Versus Endoscopic Variceal Ligation for Primary Prophylaxis of Esophageal Varices in Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Leonardo Corrêa Süffert, et al.
September 19, 2025, Hepatology International
What Costs and Benefits Should Be Counted in Health Technology Assessments and Guidelines? The NICE Perspective
James Koh, PhD, Koonal Shah, PhD
September 19, 2025, Value in Health