News from Thursday, May 28, 2026
Articles
John Gore on Radical Cystectomy vs Bladder-Sparing Treatment for Recurrent Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
(5/28, Kristin Jenkins, Medpage Today) reports “Researchers reported ‘counterintuitive’ findings about the benefits of bladder-sparing therapy compared with radical cystectomy in a prospective observational cohort study of patients with recurrent, high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The analysis of 12-month data from the CISTO (Comparison of Intravesical Therapy and Surgery as Treatment Options) trial showed no significant difference in physical function, including urinary activity, between the 199 patients who underwent radical cystectomy and the 371 who had bladder-sparing therapy.” Full
Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds: Overvaluing Innovation, Undervaluing Health
(5/28, Leah Z. Rand, Mike Paulden, Adam J. N. Raymakers, Health Affairs Forefront) comments “...In this article, we discuss cost-effectiveness analysis, how it works, and why it matters. We explain how current cost-effectiveness thresholds already exceed the marginal cost of a unit of health, thus countering claims that such thresholds necessarily undercut incentives for innovation. We conclude with a call for not abandoning cost-effectiveness thresholds but instead more rigorously determining their appropriate levels and recognizing that the current system incentivizes innovation.” Full
When Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds Drift: Global HTA, MFN Pricing, And The Need For A Coherent Framework
(5/28, William V. Padula, Health Affairs Forefront) comments “...Cost-effectiveness thresholds are already rising. The question is whether this evolution will remain informal and reactive or be grounded in a coherent framework that reflects both societal values and global market dynamics. In a world of interconnected pricing, HTA decisions are no longer local. They shape, and are shaped by, policies beyond their borders. Absent a shift from drift to design, HTA systems will continue to operate in tension with the markets they seek to govern. A more coordinated approach, grounded in transparent methods and adaptive thresholds, offers a path toward greater alignment, stability, and better decision making.” Full
Oxford Honors Russell Rothman with Prestigious Professorship
(5/28, Bill Snyder, Vanderbilt Health News) reports “Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, a leader in patient-centered, comparative clinical effectiveness research at Vanderbilt Health, has been honored with the 2026-2027 George Eastman Visiting Professorship at Oxford University...Rothman has held key leadership positions in the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), an independent, nonprofit organization that funds comparative effectiveness research, and he currently chairs the PCORnet Executive Steering Committee, which oversees a national research network representing more than 75 health systems.” Full
Spain Approves National HTA Framework Aligned with EU HTAR under New Royal Decree
(5/27, Joanne Walker, The Evidence Base) reports “...Spain has approved its first comprehensive national HTA framework covering medicines, medical devices, diagnostics, digital therapeutics, and clinical procedures. The framework aligns with the EU HTAR and formally separates scientific evaluation from pricing and reimbursement decision-making. The regulation places greater emphasis on real-world evidence (RWE), patient participation, transparency, and defined assessment timelines.” Full
Press Releases
ISPOR Task Force Addresses Critical Gap in Surrogate Endpoint Guidance
(5/28, ISPOR Press Release) “...‘Approximately 60% of new drugs and biologics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the last 2 decades are based on surrogate endpoints,’ said Oriana Ciani, PhD, Center for Research on Health and Social Care Management, SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy and one of the 4 task force co-chairs. ‘However, recent studies found that most surrogate endpoints used to support FDA approval of drugs lacked high-level evidence of validation.’ This lack of validation increases uncertainty in the decision-making process of regulatory bodies, HTA agencies, and payers, said task force co-chair, Bart Heeg, PhD, Senior Advisor Zorginstituut Nederland, Diemen, The Netherlands.” Full
Large-Scale Clinical Trial Provides Long-Sought Answers for Treating Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia
(5/27, VCU Health News Release) “...In the first randomized controlled clinical trial for this condition conducted in the United States, a multi-center research team compared two surgical approaches most commonly used for treating this condition. According to the results, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, the approaches showed no difference in complication rates and clinical outcomes, however, patients who underwent the more invasive procedure were less likely to need a second surgery and appeared to have greater improvement in their syringomyelia.” Full
Journals
Decompression with or without Duraplasty for Chiari I and Syringomyelia
David D. Limbrick, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., et al.
May 27, 2026, The New England Journal of Medicine
Interlaminar Versus Sublaminar Lumbar Decompression: A Retrospective Study on Patient Satisfaction as Measured by PROMIS Outcomes
Joseph P. Cavataio, et al.
May 27, 2026, Journal of Spine Surgery
The Comparative Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Methadone Versus Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder on Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Lindsay A Wilson, et al.
May 27, 2026, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Comparative Safety of B/F/TAF Versus Other Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens for Treatment-Experienced People with HIV-1: A Systematic Literature Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Tristan Curteis, et al.
May 28, 2026, Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research
Reports
Prices for Top Brand Name Drugs Increase After Entering the US Market but Fall in Other High-Income Countries
May 2026