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MMIT Reality Check on Psoriasis (Oct 2019)

October 11, 2019

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for psoriasis (PsO) treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for psoriasis (PsO) treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT’s team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.

Payer Coverage: A review of market access for psoriasis treatments shows that under the pharmacy benefit, almost 74% of the lives under commercial formularies are covered with utilization management restrictions.

Trends: In July 2019, the FDA approved Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd.’s Hadlima (adalimumab-bwwd) for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, adult Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Trends That Matter for AML Therapy Class

October 10, 2019

The FDA has approved nearly 10 therapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over the past couple of years. Because most of them target a specific biomarker, it’s critical that people diagnosed with the condition undergo genetic testing to determine whether they fall into a particular patient subgroup, AIS Health reported.

The FDA has approved nearly 10 therapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over the past couple of years. Because most of them target a specific biomarker, it’s critical that people diagnosed with the condition undergo genetic testing to determine whether they fall into a particular patient subgroup, AIS Health reported.

“Prior to two years ago, we had no new drugs for over a decade, and now we have eight new drugs approved in just the last two years, so the whole field has changed,” said Daniel J. DeAngelo, M.D., Ph.D., chief, division of leukemia, institute physician, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, in an interview published on the website obroncology.com.

Many of the newer drugs are oral formulations, which, “in general, are easier to administer,” points out Mesfin Tegenu, R.Ph., president of PerformRx, LLC. “Rather than having to go into a hospital or clinic for treatment, a patient can simply take a medication orally for their condition.”

Payers utilize a variety of management tactics with AML therapies. “Payers often require prior authorization of these therapies due to safety, concern for off-label usage and cost,” says Tegenu. A variety of drugs are used off-label for certain patient populations, he notes.

The graphic below show the current market access to AML drugs across commercial, Health Exchange, Medicare and Medicaid formularies for all payers under the pharmacy benefit:

Radar On Market Access: PhRMA, Conservatives Criticize Pelosi Drug Pricing Legislation

October 10, 2019

Although there is bipartisan support for drug pricing reform and recent bills introduced in the House and the Senate share some concepts, conservatives and pharmaceutical manufacturers have found plenty to dislike about the drug pricing legislation unveiled in September by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), AIS Health reported.

Although there is bipartisan support for drug pricing reform and recent bills introduced in the House and the Senate share some concepts, conservatives and pharmaceutical manufacturers have found plenty to dislike about the drug pricing legislation unveiled in September by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), AIS Health reported.

In addition to restructuring the Part D benefit to include an out-of-pocket cap, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) would allow the HHS secretary to negotiate drug prices for at least 250 drugs where there is no effective competition. Manufacturers would be subject to certain transparency requirements and a “noncompliance fee.” Moreover, the bill would require that the negotiated price should be no more than 1.2 times the weighted average of the price in six other countries.

Speaking at AHIP’s 2019 National Conference on Medicare, held Sept. 23-24 in Washington, D.C., American Action Forum President Douglas Holtz-Eakin called H.R. 3 a “terrible bill” and said the structure of an upper limit and a noncompliance penalty is not negotiation but is “price fixing and extortion.” He also argued that its proposed inflation rebate would only incentivize manufacturers to create high launch prices.

Also speaking at the conference, PhRMA Senior Vice President for Policy and Research Jennifer Bryant said that while Pelosi’s bill is being presented as a “benign and fairly incremental approach,” the proposed structure is “not actually one of negotiation at all and is about tying prices in the U.S. to prices internationally.” Moreover, she challenged AHIP, which released a statement in support of the Pelosi bill, to make a case for an “alternative that reduces costs through competition.”

Meanwhile, Pelosi advisor Wendell Primus made a last-minute appearance at the conference to outline the bill and express the speaker’s confidence that it could come to a Senate vote by the end of October.

Radar On Market Access: CMS Projects Record-High Medicare Advantage Enrollment in 2020

October 8, 2019

2020 is shaping up to be another competitive year for the Medicare Advantage program, which will feature an additional 600 plan choices and a continued decline in the average monthly premium, AIS Health reported. With its annual release of the so-called landscape files for the MA and Part D programs, CMS on Sept. 24 said it expects MA enrollment to reach an all-time high of 24.4 million in 2020, up 10% from the current enrollment of 22.2 million.

2020 is shaping up to be another competitive year for the Medicare Advantage program, which will feature an additional 600 plan choices and a continued decline in the average monthly premium, AIS Health reported. With its annual release of the so-called landscape files for the MA and Part D programs, CMS on Sept. 24 said it expects MA enrollment to reach an all-time high of 24.4 million in 2020, up 10% from the current enrollment of 22.2 million.

For 2020, the average monthly MA plan premium will drop by 14% to an estimated $23, the lowest average monthly premium since 2007. As the Affordable Care Act health insurer fee (HIF) returns in 2020, CMS’s bullish enrollment outlook “indicates most plans are prioritizing stability of benefits and enrollment,” observed securities analyst Michael Newshel in a Sept. 24 research note from Evercore ISI.

According to data released alongside the 2020 MA and Part D landscape files, beneficiaries will have an average number of 39 plan choices per county, CMS estimated. Moreover, CMS said there are about 1,200 more MA plans operating in 2020 than in 2018.

According to estimates from Citi Research, there will also be a substantial rise in the number of plans with a $0 monthly premium, with Centene Corp. showing the greatest increase (56%) in $0 premium offerings.

Meanwhile, the Special Needs Plan (SNP) market will continue to expand. According to estimates from Chicago-based consulting firm Clear View Solutions, LLC, there are 171 net new SNP plan IDs, up from 60 net new plans in 2019. In addition, the number of stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan offerings will rise from 1,369 in 2019 to 1,433 next year.

Medicare beneficiaries may begin perusing their 2020 coverage options on Oct. 1. Open enrollment begins on Oct. 15 and ends on Dec. 7.

MMIT Reality Check on IBS-C (Oct 2019)

October 4, 2019

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT’s team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.

Payer Coverage: A review of market access for IBS-C treatments shows that under the pharmacy benefit, more than 42% of the lives under commercial formularies are covered with utilization management restrictions.

Trends: In September 2019, the FDA approved Ardelyx, Inc.’s Ibsrela (tenapanor) for the treatment of IBS-C in adults.