CER Daily Newsfeed

Comparing General-Purpose and Domain-Specific AI in Confounder Identification for HTA Submissions

(5/29, Florian Woeste, The Evidence Base) reports “...The study, ‘General-purpose versus domain-specific AI for systematic confounder identification in multiple sclerosis: A comparative methodological study using IQWiG assessments as ground truth,’ presented at ISPOR 2026, examines the performance of general-purpose large language models compared with a domain-specific retrieval-augmented system. In this interview, Florian Woeste, Co-Founder and Managing Director of PHAROS Labs GmbH, explores this, asking one of the most pressing methodological questions in HTA: how can AI be used to improve the efficiency of systematic confounder identification without compromising transparency and evidentiary rigor?” Full

The Interaction Between The Manufacturer Discount Program And Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

(5/29, Yunjoo Karris Jeon, Kristi Martin, Sean D. Sullivan, Health Affairs Forefront) comments “...Like most Medicare policies, these reforms are complex and do not operate in isolation. Congress sought to manage this interaction by specifying that drugs selected for the Negotiation Program would be exempt from the new MDP during the time the maximum fair price is in effect. In a sense, Medicare negotiates a discount through the Negotiation Program, and manufacturers therefore owe no additional discounts under the MDP for the selected drugs. This exemption assumes a ‘trade-off’ that negotiation will achieve greater savings than the foregone MDP discounts. Our recent research shows that while the Negotiation Program reduces aggregate spending, its exemption from the MDP may forgo greater savings for certain high-cost drugs.” Full

UK: GSK’s Nucala Secures NICE COPD Endorsement

(5/29, Annabel Kartal Allen, Pharmaceutical Technology) reports “...In draft guidance debuted by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the health agency endorsed Nucala’s use in adult patients with uncontrolled COPD characterised by raised blood eosinophils. This means that patients using the NHS will have access to the IL-5 blocker as an add-on maintenance option alongside standard of care (SoC) triple inhaled therapy.” Full

Spain’s First Ever HTA Framework Ensures No JCA Duplication Of Efforts

(5/29, Francesca Bruce, Pink Sheet) reports “...A new regulation on health technology assessments in Spain will bring more predictability for pharmaceutical companies.” Subscription Required