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Christopoulos P, Schlenk R, Kazdal D, Blasi M, Lennerz J, Shah R, Budczies J, Malek N, Fröhling S, Rosenquist R, Schirmacher P, Bozorgmehr F, Kuon J, Reck M, Thomas M, Stenzinger A. Real-world data for precision cancer medicine-A European perspective. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2023. [PMID: 36852573 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.23135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Leveraging real-world data (RWD) for drug access is necessary to overcome a key challenge of modern precision oncology: tackling numerous low-prevalence oncogenic mutations across cancers. Withholding a potentially active medication in patients with rare mutations for the sake of control chemotherapy or "best" supportive care is neither practicable nor ethically justifiable anymore, particularly as RWD could meanwhile be used instead, according to scientific principles outlined by the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and other stakeholders. However, practical implementation varies, with occasionally opposite recommendations based on the same evidence in different countries. In the face of growing need for precision drugs, more transparency of evaluation, a priori availability of guidance for the academia and industry, as well as a harmonized framework for health technology assessment across the European Union (EU) are imperative. These could in turn trigger infrastructural changes in national and pan-European registries, cancer management guidelines (e.g., frequency of routine radiologic restaging, inclusion of patient-reported outcomes), and the health data space, to ensure conformity with declared standards and facilitate extraction of RWD sets (including patient-level data) suitable for approval and pricing with minimal effort. For an EU-wide unification of precision cancer medicine, collective negotiation of drug supply contracts and funding solidarity would additionally be required to handle the financial burden. According to experience from pivotal European programs, off-label use could potentially also be harmonized across EU-states to accelerate availability of novel drugs, streamline collection of valuable RWD, and mitigate related costs through wider partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petros Christopoulos
- Department of Oncology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany.,Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM), Germany
| | - Richard Schlenk
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,NCT Trial Center, National Center of Tumor Diseases, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine V, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Kazdal
- German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany.,Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Blasi
- Department of Oncology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jochen Lennerz
- Machachussets General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, USA
| | - Rajiv Shah
- Department of Oncology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany
| | - Jan Budczies
- Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM), Germany.,Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nisar Malek
- Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM), Germany.,Department of Gastroenterology, Tübingen University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Fröhling
- Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM), Germany.,Department of Translational Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Germany
| | - Richard Rosenquist
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Schirmacher
- Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM), Germany.,Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Germany
| | - Farastuk Bozorgmehr
- Department of Oncology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany
| | - Jonas Kuon
- Department of Oncology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany.,Department of Oncology, Lungenklinik Löwenstein, Löwenstein, Germany
| | - Martin Reck
- German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany.,Department of Thoracic Oncology, Lungenclinic Großhansdorf, Großhansdorf, Germany
| | - Michael Thomas
- Department of Oncology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany
| | - Albrecht Stenzinger
- German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany.,Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM), Germany.,Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Germany
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Robinson JC. Germany's Use Of Reference Pricing For Biologics: Lessons For The US. Health Aff (Millwood) 2022; 41:1821-1826. [PMID: 36469828 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A redesign of consumer cost sharing in the United States is important to accelerate the adoption of biosimilars and price reductions for biologics. This article analyzes therapeutic reference pricing for anti-inflammatory biosimilars in Germany and its implications for the United States. The German experience demonstrates that a redesign of consumer cost sharing can achieve savings for payers without creating onerous financial barriers for patients. In contrast, the dominant coinsurance structure of cost sharing in the US creates strong incentives for patients to abandon treatment, especially for serious illnesses treated by complex biologics, and only weak incentives to compare prices among therapeutically equivalent products. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has advocated that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adopt a variant of reference prices for biologics, their related biosimilars, and therapeutically similar branded alternatives by assigning them the same billing code or by paying a similar rate for all the products. The German experience demonstrates that the proposed MedPAC approach is technically feasible and would generate savings for payers without imposing access obstacles on patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Robinson
- James C. Robinson , University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California
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Rand LZ, Kesselheim AS. Getting the Price Right: Lessons for Medicare Price Negotiation from Peer Countries. Pharmacoeconomics 2022; 40:1131-1142. [PMID: 36348153 DOI: 10.1007/s40273-022-01195-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The USA pays more for brand-name prescription drugs than any other country and new legislation from August 2022 gives Medicare the authority to directly negotiate certain drug prices with manufacturers starting in 2026-something the federal insurer had been prohibited from doing for its prior history. As the USA prepares for negotiations, we therefore surveyed how comparable industrialized countries use statutory requirements and procedures to negotiate brand-name drug prices. Guidance documents, regulations, government and academic publications were reviewed to identify the process of negotiating drug prices in peer countries that have been cited as potential examples for US payment reform: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK. Processes for arriving at a final price for a drug generally fall under three approaches: statutory rebates, setting a maximum price, and arbitration between national (public) insurers and manufacturers. Each approach to price negotiation could be adopted by Medicare and reduce spending even if Medicare does not adopt an exclusionary or closed formulary. Much remains to be determined about how the new price negotiation authority in the USA will be implemented, and policymakers can learn from comparator countries' statutory and regulatory strategies for price negotiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Z Rand
- The Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1620 Tremont St., Suite 3030, Boston, MA, 02120, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Aaron S Kesselheim
- The Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1620 Tremont St., Suite 3030, Boston, MA, 02120, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, Boston, MA, USA
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Blankart K, Naci H, Chandra A. Availability of New Medicines in the US and Germany From 2004 to 2018. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2229231. [PMID: 36040738 PMCID: PMC9428736 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.29231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Germany's unique approach to coverage determination and pricing has ensured that effective medicines remain on the market, often at prices reduced through negotiation. However, less is known about trade-offs of this approach with regard to initial availability of medicines. OBJECTIVE To examine differences in the timing and scope of new medicines available in Germany and the US. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cohort study analyzed initial availability of new medicines approved by regulatory agencies in Germany and the US between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2018, and followed up through December 31, 2019. Data analysis was conducted from January 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022. A total of 599 novel approvals were reviewed. Generic, biosimilar, vaccine, and combination medicines were excluded. EXPOSURES US Food and Drug Administration approvals were reviewed for therapies categorized as new molecular entities or new active ingredients. German approvals were reviewed from secondary administrative data of authorized medicines that determine availability in Germany, including data presented by the European Medicines Agency. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Approvals were analyzed to determine the percentage of medicines approved and available in the US, Germany, or both countries and compare the times to reach the market. RESULTS Analysis of 599 new medicines demonstrated that fewer were available in Germany compared with the US (80% vs 92% of all potential therapies) and that the median difference in time to market was 4 months (95% CI, -44.40 to 44.76 months). Forty-nine medicines were approved in Germany but not in the US, 75% of which were rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration, were withdrawn, or had US equivalent agents. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study, fewer new medicines were available in Germany compared with the US between 2004 and 2018. In addition, drugs entered the German market later than in the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Blankart
- Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Huseyin Naci
- London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amitabh Chandra
- Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Dhruva SS, Darrow JJ, Kesselheim AS, Redberg RF. Strategies to Manage Drugs and Devices Approved Based on Limited Evidence: Results of a Modified Delphi Panel. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2022; 111:1307-1314. [PMID: 35292958 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.2583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Prescription drugs and medical devices are increasingly coming to market through expedited US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pathways that require only limited evidence of safety and efficacy, such as nonrandomized, unblinded trial data in small numbers of patients, or the use of surrogate end points. Reliance on more limited evidence means that there is often greater uncertainty about risks and benefits. Using a modified Delphi process, we sought to identify promising policy approaches that address physician-patient decision-making needs about the use of such drugs and medical devices. We convened 13 national leaders from academia, government, nonprofits, payors, and industry who had expertise in medical product regulation, payor policymaking, bioethics, physician practice, patient advocacy, public health expertise/advocacy, clinical trials, the pharmaceutical and device industry, institutional review board oversight, and real-world evidence. Through multiple rounds of voting and meetings focused on evaluating the feasibility and impact of various interventions, the 13 participants reached the broadest consensus on 4 interventions: strengthening FDA post-approval study requirements to ensure postmarket evidence is generated in a timely manner, better informing patients about the risks and benefits and level of evidence supporting therapies via simplified and patient-centered product information "boxes" modeled on nutrition labels, limiting prices for drugs and medical devices approved based on surrogate end point data until confirmatory clinical evidence is generated, and improving health professional education about FDA regulation to better support clinician use of drugs and devices as well as communication with patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanket S Dhruva
- University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA.,Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jonathan J Darrow
- Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Law and Taxation, Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aaron S Kesselheim
- Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rita F Redberg
- University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA.,Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, San Francisco School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
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Vokinger KN, Hwang TJ, Carl DL, Laube Y, Ludwig W, Naci H, Kesselheim AS. Price changes and within-class competition of cancer drugs in the USA and Europe: a comparative analysis. Lancet Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(22)00073-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Langer-Gould A, Cheng SC, Li BH, Kanter MH. The Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Optimization Program. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2021; 8:2146-2154. [PMID: 34662494 PMCID: PMC8607446 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To design and implement a health system level intervention to reduce escalating multiple sclerosis (MS) disease modifying treatment (DMT) expenditures and improve outcomes. Methods We conducted stakeholder meetings, reviewed pharmacy utilization data, and abstracted information in subsets of persons with MS (pwMS) from the electronic health record to identify gaps in, and barriers to improving, quality, and affordability of MS care in Kaiser Permanente Southern California. These results informed the development and implementation of the MS Treatment Optimization Program (MSTOP). Results The two main gaps identified were under‐prescribing of highly effective DMTs (HET, 4.9%) and the preferred formulary DMT (20.9%) among DMT‐treated pwMS. The main barriers identified were prescribers’ fear of rare but serious HET side effects, lack of MS‐specific and health systems science knowledge, Pharma influence, evidence gaps, formulary decisions‐based solely on costs, and multidirectional mistrust between neurologists, practice leaders, and health plan pharmacists. To overcome these barriers MSTOP developed four strategies: (1) risk‐stratified treatment algorithm to increase use of HETs; (2) an expert‐led ethical, cost‐sensitive, risk‐stratified, preferred formulary; (3) proactive counter‐launch campaigns to minimize uptake of new, low‐value DMTs; and (4) discontinuation of ineffective DMTs in progressive, non‐relapsing MS. The multicomponent MSTOP was implemented through education, training, and expanding access to MS‐trained providers, audit and feedback, and continual evidence reviews. Interpretation The causes of wasteful spending on MS DMTs are complex and require multiple strategies to resolve. We provide herein granular details of how we designed and implemented our health system intervention to facilitate its adaption to other settings and conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Langer-Gould
- Department of Neurology, Los Angeles Medical Center, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Stephen C Cheng
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Drug Use Management, Downey, California, USA
| | - Bonnie H Li
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Michael H Kanter
- Department of Clinical Science, Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, USA
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Hetland ML. Rheumatology: Biosimilars are here to stay. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2021; 61:1312-1313. [PMID: 34559204 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Merete Lund Hetland
- Copenhagen Center for Arthritis Research (COPECARE) and the DANBIO registry, Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Centre of Head and Orthopaedics, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Robinson JC. Sophisticated Purchasing of Pharmaceuticals: Learning From Other Countries. JAMA 2020; 324:1617-1619. [PMID: 32986119 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.15072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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