News Briefs: CMS’s Cell and Gene Therapy Model Will First Focus on Sickle Cell Disease
CMS’s Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model’s first focus will be on therapies for sickle cell disease, the agency said Jan. 30. The administration unveiled the model almost one year ago as one of three new models for testing by CMS’s Innovation Center to lower the cost of drugs and increase access to new treatments. The model will implement outcomes-based agreements (OBAs) for cell and gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease beginning in 2025 “and may be expanded to other types of CGTs in the future.” The administration estimates that about half of people with sickle cell disease are enrolled in Medicaid, with health care services costing about $3 billion annually. Through the model, CMS will negotiate OBAs, and states can decide whether to enter into the arrangements. “CMS will negotiate financial and clinical outcome measures with drug manufacturers and then reconcile data, monitor results, and evaluate outcomes. The CGT Access Model will begin in January 2025, and states may choose to begin participation at a time of their choosing between January 2025 and January 2026.”