PERTH, Australia - Oncology drug prices in Australia were roughly 30 percent lower than in the U.S. over the past decade, thanks to comparative effectiveness policies imposed by Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, according to a recent study conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development

The evidence-based approach adopted by Australia has led to lower prices, improving the affordability of those medications considered cost-effective for payers and patients by the reimbursement authority, the report says.

Pink Sheet reporters and editors consider the fallout from Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.’s negative US FDA advisory committee decision on its ALS drug, the impact of a government shutdown on the agency, and a study showing only a limited possibility for significant savings in the first round of Medicare price negotiations.