Spotlight on Vaccines: 2023’s RSV Immunization Approvals
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can impact anyone, but infants and older adults are most at risk of illness. With multiple new immunizing agents gaining FDA approval in 2023—and more in the pipeline—manufacturers and payers have a role to play in educating patients and providers about the importance of immunizations to
How to Leverage Real-World Data in Your Commercial Strategy
In the past few years, real-world data (RWD) has become an increasingly important element of a successful market access strategy. By blending claims and lab data with clinical pathway and payer coverage data, pharma companies can get full visibility into what’s happening in the market. But how, exactly? What can
Case Study: Using Real-Time Market Access Data to Build a Strong Commercialization Strategy
Developing the first and only FDA-approved treatment for a particular indication is no longer a guarantee of market access. Before the launch of its first commercial product, one small biotech company was concerned about restrictive utilization management policies. How would its sales team combat barriers to patient access? The company
Market Access 101: Formulary and Medical Exceptions
Beginning with the basics, our Market Access 101 blog series has addressed how manufacturers can improve formulary placement for pharmacy benefit drugs, secure coverage and assess the need for contracting for medical benefit therapies. In this final post, we’ll explore what it means to request a formulary exception or medical
Market Access 101: Key Factors in Medical Benefit Contracting
Welcome back to our Market Access 101 blog series, which began with the basics of market access and covered how to improve formulary placement and secure coverage under the medical benefit. In this post, we’ll dive deeper into the medical benefit, explaining how payer/PBM contracting works—and why it’s increasingly necessary.
Spotlight on Vaccines: The Inflation Reduction Act’s Impact on Coverage
While the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may best be known for mandating Medicare drug price negotiation, the act did much more than that. Among its other accomplishments are the elimination of cost sharing for vaccines under Medicare Part D, as well as improved access to adult vaccines for Medicaid and
Key Trends in Medical Benefit Contracting
The rising cost of specialty pharmaceuticals has motivated payers to implement tighter restrictions and seek both traditional and value-based contracts. As manufacturers are already contracting with GPOs, distribution networks and medical practices, most would prefer to avoid contracting with payers and PBMs for their medical benefit products. Yet the data
Weighing the Benefits: Are Payers Likely to Cover Weight Loss Drugs in 2023?
In 2021, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) gained FDA approval for chronic weight management in overweight or obese adults, hitting the market in June 2022 at a list price of $1,349 per 28-day supply. In clinical trials, patients achieved an astounding mean weight loss of nearly 15% after 68 weeks of
Unintended Consequences of the IRA: Will the CPI Penalty Increase the Price of Drugs?
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law in August 2022, was intended in part to lower healthcare costs for families and small businesses. The IRA contains several provisions aimed at prescription drug costs which will roll out over the next few years, with the earliest taking effect this year.
Staying Competitive in an Expanding Medicare Advantage Market
Over the past year, the health plan landscape has seen significant enrollment shifts, especially within government-sponsored plans. According to MMIT’s Directory of Health Plans, the top 10 Medicare Advantage insurers accounted for 77.2% of the national market at the close of 2022. Nine of the top 10 organizations reported year-over-year