CER Daily Newsfeed

Video: Teclistamab-Daratumumab Outperforms Standard of Care for R/R Multiple Myeloma

(1/15, Krina Patel, MD, MSc, The American Journal of Managed Care) “...Late-breaking data presented at ASH 2025 demonstrated that the combination of teclistamab plus daratumumab for multiple myeloma produced some of the most impressive hazard ratios seen in this patient population to date, outperforming standard-of-care regimens such as DPd (daratumumab, pomalidomide, dexamethasone) or PVd (pomalidomide, bortezomib, dexamethasone).” View Video

FDA Issues Draft Guidance to Advance Bayesian Methods in Clinical Trials

(1/14, Andy Studna, Applied Clinical Trials) reports “...The guidance outlines a range of use cases where Bayesian methods may be incorporated into clinical trials, including determining futility or success earlier in adaptive trials, informing dose selection for subsequent studies, and supporting subgroup analyses. Bayesian approaches may also incorporate external data sources such as prior clinical studies, real-world evidence (RWE), or external or nonconcurrent controls when scientifically justified. While the guidance places emphasis on the use of Bayesian methods to support primary inference, it acknowledges their broader role in trial design optimization.” Full

Trump Asks Congress to Codify ‘Most Favored Nation’ Deals

(1/15, Max Bayer, Endpoints News) reports “...In a video statement released Thursday, Trump called for a broad set of healthcare reforms that include codifying MFN pricing. He said he wanted Congress to ‘complete the work that we’ve started’ and reiterated that he wants Americans to pay the lowest drug prices in the world...A White House official told reporters that there’s bipartisan appetite in Congress to pass Trump’s plan. But so far, efforts to pass MFN-like bills have stalled.” Subscription Required

US Healthcare Spending Soars to Over $5 Trillion in 2024

(1/14, Amina Niasse, Reuters) reports “...CMS said healthcare spending accounted for 18% of U.S. gross domestic product in 2024, up from 17.7% in 2023 and outpacing U.S. economic growth...Spending on government administration including services involving Medicaid and Medicare, had the biggest increase, rising 14.7% in 2024 from a 7.8% increase a year earlier...CMS said hospital pricing also contributed to elevated spending in 2024, increasing 3.4%, the highest rate since 2007.” Full

Growth In National Health Expenditures: It’s Not The Prices, Stupid

(1/15, Michael E. Chernew, Health Affairs Forefront) comments “...There was virtually no excess medical inflation (medical inflation above general inflation) for 2023 or 2024. In fact, prices for retail drugs (net of rebates) rose at a rate below inflation. There will certainly be cases of rising prices driving spending, but on average, price growth is not the problem. This does not mean high-priced products and services are not an important component of spending growth, but instead it implies that their contribution to spending growth on average stems from their greater use, not rising prices.” Full