CER Daily Newsfeed

Value Viewpoint: February 6, 2026

(2/6, Kimberly Westrich, LinkedIn) comments “A new report published by the IQVIA Institute examines how post-launch innovation, including subsequent indications, has historically helped address unmet need. The study assesses the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the effective time horizon for manufacturers to undertake additional development. The report finds that late-life indications are common and often aligned with higher unmet need. The report estimates that if negotiation-related incentives had reduced late-life development of the products analyzed, more than 10 million patients might not have received treatments. They conclude that late-life expansion is a meaningful, system-level source of clinical and population value that policymakers should weigh alongside savings objectives.” Full

Real-World Evidence Validates Broad Mortality Benefits for Empagliflozin Beyond Clinical Trials

(2/10, Ashley Gallagher, MA, Drug Topics) reports “...‘The mortality benefit of empagliflozin, originally seen in the EMPA-REG RCT [randomized controlled trial], is also observed in real-world settings, among a broader, more clinically relevant population of people with T2DM,’ the study authors said. ‘Although most individuals prescribed empagliflozin in routine care would not have qualified for the RCT, our findings demonstrate a consistent mortality benefit across both RCT-eligible and RCT-ineligible people.’” Full

Why Misaligned Evidence Strategies Delay Patient Access to Medicines

(2/10, Katie McCool, The Evidence Base) reports “At ISPOR Europe 2025, a panel moderated by Cristina Masseria (Aesara), with Marieke Heisen (European Patient Advocacy Institute), Rossella Di Bidino (Gemelli Teaching Hospital), and Patricia Dorling (Merck & Co. Inc.), examined how evidence strategies focused on regulatory approval can delay patient access, and why earlier alignment with payer and patient definitions of value is needed.” Full

UK: AstraZeneca Bladder Cancer Therapy Wins NICE Backing

(2/10, John Pinching, PharmaTimes) reports “AstraZeneca has received a positive recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for durvalumab, marking the first time a perioperative immune oncology treatment has been approved for cisplatin eligible patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.” Full