CAR-T Combos: Potentially the Next Big Thing in Solid Tumors, Yet Pricing ‘Sticker Shock’ is not the Only Hurdle to be Overcome

05 March 2018 Ismail Ismailoglu, PhD, Mark Chalmers, PhD

After years of anticipation, CAR-Ts (chimeric antigen receptor–T-cells) finally made the transition from being promising future therapies, to breakthrough marketed products in 2017. Novartis’s KYMRIAH™ got the FDA nod in late August for pediatric B-ALL (B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia), followed by Kite’s YESCARTA™ in October for NHL (Non-Hodgkin lymphoma) (Figure 1)….

WHO Stands to Benefit the most from the Biosimilars Prequalification Programme?

22 November 2017 Lucia Kempner, Miguel Martín de Bustamante, Cyrus A. Chowdhury

Most companies prioritise launching innovative therapies in high-income countries due to their greater ability and willingness to pay. This greater funding opportunity allows for earlier adoption of innovative, high-value products, which help to fulfil commercial expectations and realise returns on their research and development investment. As a result, these high-income…

STRIMVELIS™ – The Proof Is In The Messaging

06 November 2017 Shuang Shao, PhD, Marsha Zhang, Daksh Gulati, Sandeep Duttagupta, PhD, Mark Chalmers, PhD, Cyrus A. Chowdhury

In an unprecedented move, GBR’s (United Kingdom) NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recently recommended NHS (National Health Services) funding of $GSK’s gene therapy STRIMVELIS™ for an ultra-orphan immunodeficiency disorder ADA-SCID1 – also dubbed the “Bubble Baby Syndrome” – at EUR 594,000 (ex-VAT2 price, about USD 700,000). Importantly,…

Introducing CHIRP: CBPartners Releases Second Version of Revolutionary IRP App

31 October 2017

CBPartners’ holistic international reference pricing (CHIRP) app is updated and available for download! CHIRP is a one-stop, on-the-go reference guide, as well as your source for the latest from CBPartners’ global thought leaders and Global Health Advisory Board – all in the palm of your hand! FEATURES: Updated reference pricing…

Reframing the Opportunity: PDx Hope for Breast Cancer

16 October 2017 Taylor Watson, Cyrus A. Chowdhury

October is breast cancer awareness month, and in light of our recent PDx (PD1 / PD-L1) analysis, our team decided to take a closer look at the potential for these paradigm-shifting therapies to make a difference for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. While no PDx brand has yet achieved marketing authorisation…

PDx: Emerging Secrets to Success (and Failures)

09 October 2017 Monica Martin de Bustamante, Taylor Watson

As a class, manufacturers of PDxs (PD1s / PD-L1) are enjoying great success when it comes to marketing authorisation, with four of the five brands achieving multiple FDA and EMA approvals. These groundbreaking therapies display versatility across tumour types, which gives patients great hope (just ask former President Jimmy Carter)…

Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day Either: GRC Back Again with New Pricing and Reimbursement Policy Reforms

04 October 2017 Elena Subbotina, Cyrus A. Chowdhury, Alexandra Baranowski

In 2015, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was holding strong in his contempt for austerity and desire to flee the euro return to the drachma – going so far as to state that “the bailout choices and reforms imposed upon Greece (GRC) by its creditors have been akin to placing…

Does the Fate of MS Pricing Lie in the Hands of Politicians or Manufacturers?

17 September 2017 Ismail Ismailoglu, PhD, Cyrus A. Chowdhury

Update (04 October 2017): The FDA approves generic drug competitor $MYL for high-dose COPAXONE. Yet another drug pricing debate has started to brew in the USA, with its epicentre right in DC. Two Democratic members of the US House (Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Peter Welch (D-VT)), announced that they are launching an…

The New AIFA Algorithm For Assessing ‘Innovativeness’ Of New Products In Italy: So What?

18 August 2017 Piero Senatore, Mark Chalmers, PhD, Cyrus A. Chowdhury, Daksh Gulati

In April 2017, AIFA (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, Italian Medicines Agency) released a new algorithm to assess and evaluate the level of innovativeness of new drugs aimed to get reimbursement by the SSN (Sistema Sanitario Nazionale, National Health System) through the EUR 1 billion fund made available by the Italian…

ESRX’s New INSIDERX Strategy – PART II: Sure Savings or Just a Show?

12 July 2017 Dominic Akandwanaho, Cyrus A. Chowdhury

NOTE: this post is the second of three assessing $ESRX’s new INSIDERX programme. Be sure to read the first posting in this series. $ESRX’s INSIDERX programme made waves when it was announced as a means for the uninsured to gain similar levels of discounting to those achieved by the PBM…