Pricing & Reimbursement

Everything seemed to be aligned for success, but shares in leading Chinese antibody developer RemeGen recently dropped by nearly 40%, reflecting a range of internal and external likely factors.

The UK major has raised its full-year sales and earnings forecast on strong demand in the second quarter for its cancer, rare disease and cardiovascular medicines.

One Chinese biotech executive is entertaining hopes of China’s domestic market for novel drugs growing to CNY300bn ($41bn). However, the country’s public payer spent just CNY90bn on such products in 2023 and is expected to increase expenditure to more than CNY100bn this year.

Several factors are delaying fulfillment of MASH prescriptions, but payers are not holding out for biopsy disease confirmation. KOLs cited by Leerink also call tirzepatide the clear standout in obesity, though access issues are still an issue.

Akebia said it had set the price for Vafseo at about $15,500 per year, meant to reflect its potential value in dialysis as well as eventually in non-dialysis patients.

The US Federal Trade Commission’s focus on potential anti-competitive behavior by pharmacy benefit managers picks up steam as Chair Lina Khan approaches the end of her term.

The US FDA approved Lilly’s Kisunla (donanemab) for early Alzheimer’s disease and the anti-amyloid antibody will launch into a challenging market primed by Eisai/Biogen’s Leqembi.

Scrip spoke with Amgen’s senior VP of US business operations about the impact of drug pricing and reimbursement pressures coming from government policy changes and commercial payers.

The efficacy of Moderna’s jab appears to fade faster than its rivals, while experts were surprised by an FDA panel’s recommendation to narrow the use of all three RSV vaccines.

As India seeks to build on early gains in CAR-T cell therapy, experts call for ecosystem reform and also the need to demonstrate value to payer models of large economies to potentially back international reimbursements.

Parexel’s chief strategy officer, clinical EVP and India head share thoughts on a winner’s mindset for artificial intelligence, benefits of a “federated approach” to clinical data sharing, support for reimbursement and a cascading impact of obesity treatments, in a two-part interview with Scrip.

Insights from the first day of the international convention in San Diego also includes interviews on Alzheimer’s investments, dealmaking for mid-sized companies and reflections on the virtues of lean thinking.

The companies presented data from CARTITUDE-4 in functional high-risk disease, which has a poorer prognosis, while they are also piloting a program to expand Carvykti’s geographic reach.

A report by ICER and Tufts Medical Center’s NEWDIGS said a single strategy cannot adequately address payment challenges for all payers.

The US presidential election in November could mean IRA expansion from a Biden win, but a Trump victory also brings uncertainty.

US drug launches are underperforming historical metrics across nearly all therapeutic areas, according to IQVIA, which said limiting payer policies are the key factor.