Radar on Specialty Pharmacy
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News Briefs: Cancer Replaced Musculoskeletal Conditions as Biggest Driver of Large Companies’ Health Care Costs
Cancer replaced musculoskeletal conditions as the biggest driver of large companies’ health care costs, according to the Business Group on Health’s 2023 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey. A survey found that “13% of employers said they have seen more late-stage cancers and another 44% anticipate seeing such an increase in the future, likely due to pandemic-related delays in care.” Between May 31, 2022, and July 13, 2022, the organization polled 135 large employers in various sectors that cover more than 18 million people in the U.S. The survey also found that 99% of respondents said that they are concerned about prescription drug trend. Last year, prescription drugs were responsible for a median of 21% of the companies’ health care costs, and specialty drugs accounted for more than half of pharmacy spend.
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Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Is Poised to Become Reality
It appears that for the first time, HHS will be able to negotiate prices of some prescription drugs in Medicare. The pharma industry has long resisted such efforts, and it remains to be seen what the impact of the legislation, if passed, will be on manufacturers’ drug discounts and rebates.
On Aug. 7, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) 51-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote. The House is expected to vote on the bill Friday. If it passes as anticipated, President Joe Biden is projected to sign it into law shortly thereafter.
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Industry Expert Maintains That Specialty Pharmacy Market Has Reached ‘Inflection Point’
Multiple trends are occurring within the specialty pharmacy industry that could have a huge impact on the space, maintained longtime industry expert Adam J. Fein, Ph.D., CEO of Drug Channels Institute, during a recent webinar. Those include greater competition among specialty products, a slowing of payer spending on specialty drugs and more vertical integration among both payers and providers. “We’re at kind of an inflection point in the specialty market,” he contended during the July 29 webinar, titled Specialty Drugs Update: Trends, Controversies, and Outlook.
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Payers, Dermatologists Say They Are Interested in New Psoriasis Topicals Vtama, Zoryve
Two new drugs to treat plaque psoriasis are adding to the topical options available to treat the condition. Both payers and dermatologists have expressed interest in the agents, according to Zitter Insights, and the class remains a high priority for payer management.
On May 23, the FDA approved Roivant Sciences subsidiary Dermavant Sciences, Inc.’s Vtama (tapinarof) cream for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults, regardless of disease severity. The company said the agent is the first and only FDA-approved steroid-free topical medication in its class. Dosing of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist is once daily on affected areas, and the drug has no restrictions on length of use. The price for one tube of the drug is $1,325.
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Researchers Examine CF, UC/Crohn’s Adherence, Say Specialty Pharmacies ‘Could Help Reduce Medical Burden’
Two recent studies of specialty-drug treated conditions examined the impact of adherence on hospitalizations and medical costs. Findings of the studies — one on cystic fibrosis (CF) and the other on ulcerative colitis (UC)/Crohn’s disease — from AllianceRx Walgreens Prime (which changed its name to AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy in late June) demonstrate the importance of specialty pharmacy interventions in helping keep patients adherent to therapy.
The study posters were presented at the recent International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 2022 Conference held in Washington, D.C.
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