Real-World Evidence, Transparency, Cost-Sharing and Formularies, Davos – and more.

January 16, 2024

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NPC Highlights

Innovation Needed: Coming out of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, NPC President and CEO Dr. John M. O’Brien was quoted in a Jessica Merrill piece for Scrip calling for reimbursement systems to get as innovative as pharmaceutical companies in the golden age of medical innovation we are experiencing.

ISPOR and NPC: In a biennial report about top trends in health economics and outcomes research, ISPOR listed real-world evidence as the #1 trend. Their report?cited NPC’s work with the organization and others on the Real World Evidence Transparency Initiative.

Industry News

340B: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could use the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to force additional transparency into the 340B program, neurosurgeon and medical school professor Anthony DiGregorio, along with two conservative-leaning policy experts, wrote in Health Affairs.

HIV Drugs: The higher a patient’s cost sharing, the greater chance they would avoid picking up a prescription for an HIV PrEP drug, according to a new study in Health Affairs. The University of Pennsylvania’s medical school, where some of the researchers work, summarized the study’s findings.?

Formularies and Drug Access: The growth in the use of formularies to exclude drugs from insurance coverage may be peaking, Adam Fein of Drug Channels wrote in an analysis of formularies from the largest pharmacy benefit managers.

Real-World Evidence: The Evidence Base has an interesting infographic about the Food and Drug Administration’s activities related to real-world evidence.

Davos: Pharmaceutical company executives are among those attending the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, and major global health issues are often important topics of discussion. The McKinsey Health Institute is releasing a report on closing the gap in women’s health alongside other programming at this year’s WEF.

ICYMI

Out-of-Pocket Costs: The Wall Street Journal did an overview of what the new caps on out-of-pocket costs mean for people in Medicare Part D.

Price Transparency: More than 9 out of 10 American adults believe hospitals, insurers and doctors should be required to disclose their prices, according to a Marist College survey done for Patient Rights Advocate, The Hill reported.

FDA’s Future: To make the FDA more innovative and health care more effective, authors of a Health Affairs Forefront piece suggest, among others: letting pharmacists get more involved in diabetes treatment and greater efforts to boost generic drug competition. Two of three authors previously worked at the FDA.

PDAB: New Jersey created a new prescription drug affordability board law, but still hasn’t put anyone on the board, Politico reported.

Mark Your Calendar

NPC Joins Fierce Panel on the Future of PBMs?

As part of Fierce JPM Week Virtual 2024, Dr. O’Brien joins a panel of prominent leaders to discuss the evolving landscape of pharmacy benefit managers, exploring the issues, changes, and challenges reshaping the role and influence of PBMs. Other participants include Mostafa Kamal (President and CEO, Prime Therapeutics), Adam Kautzner, PharmD (President, Express Scripts), Anthony J. Loiacono (Chief Executive Officer, Capital Rx), and Paige Minemyer (Senior Editor, Fierce Healthcare). This panel discussion will air on January 18 from 10:40 am – 11:30 am ET.?