Real Viewpoints – Our Q2 Highlights

FEATURED ARTICLE

The Cost-Cutters: The Drug Companies Attacking the Opportunity in Lowering Specialty Drug Costs

The drug industry is all about scientific innovation, not solving the increasing payer and patient challenge of specialty drug costs. But a few pharmas are embracing that challenge as an opportunity – the biosimilar players and branded cost-cutters, like EQRx. Their business challenges are huge but they – and their investors – are raising fundamental questions every pharma and biotech will need to address. Read here

RE SPOTLIGHT

Solving the Medicare Co-Pay Dilemma

Manufacturers think CMS bars them from helping Medicare patients afford their medicines. Wrong. RE Assist can help connect eligible patients to the financial assistance they need. Read here

If you would like to learn more about RE Assist and Real Endpoints’ email Susan Raiola

Diversity in Patient Access

Healthcare has a diversity problem – and it’s particularly acute when it comes to access. Pharma is doing some things right – but can dramatically improve its performance in removing reimbursement and access barriers for underserved populations. One key point: people of color, for various reasons, are not taking advantage of Hubs to the same degree whites are. Patients are losing out. So is biopharma. Read here

Breaking out of the Bubble

It’s rare when one executive has run major parts of huge companies – each in a different segment of healthcare. Our CEO Jeff Berkowitz talks to Life Science Leader about lessons learned as he transitioned from running global market access and pricing at Schering-Plough and Merck, to the executive committee at Walgreens, to running United’s Optum International and strategy for its gigantic PBM. Read here

Oncology’s coming market-access challenges

Oncology has largely been immune to the reimbursement pressures that challenge virtually every other drug category. But that’s changing, and fast, noted RE’s Chairman Roger Longman in a speech at the recent Sachs Oncology Innovation Forum. Oncology is beginning to face new pricing hurdles – from biosimilars, from discount-focused competitors, and even from pharma analysts at major investment banks! You can view Roger’s presentation here.

If you would like to learn more about our work in oncology reimbursement, value-based contracting or oncology biosimilars, email Roger Longman

World Orphan Drug Congress USA 2021

Dr Jane Barlow, Chief Clinical Officer, moderated a panel of industry experts on the evolution of value-based reimbursement models.

If you would like to learn more email Jane Barlow

A First: Published Results of a Groundbreaking Value-Based Contract in Genomics

How do you convince a payer to cover an expensive but valuable new technology that won’t increase costs? Illumina and Harvard Pilgrim – with RE’s help – created an innovative risk-sharing agreement, that made a revolutionary prenatal screening test available to all pregnant women, promising to publish the results. Third-party academics at Univ of Colorado (and our Chief Clinical Officer, Jane Barlow) just did, showing the new program barely increased costs while significantly improving patient care. Read here

If you would like to learn more email Jane Barlow

RE MARKETPLACE

Midsized health plans need value-based contracts for rare disease therapies. But they can’t get, or manage, them. Until now.

Regional and small to midsized health plans cover more lives than United or Aetna. But individually, they’re far more vulnerable to the sometimes existential financial threats of the new rare-disease therapeutics – and they can’t get, or manage, the kinds of outcomes-based deals their larger compatriots use to mitigate their risk. The RE Marketplace addresses this challenge by aggregating plans (it’s now got more than 7 million commercial lives) and making it easy for biotechs to sign VBAs with them.

If you would like to learn more email Rob O’Brien

Value-Based Contracting in the Real World: Lessons Learned

We’ve now had a decade of experience with risk-sharing deals. Payers are more interested than ever – and choosier about what they want. Our CCO, Jane Barlow, and our VP Specialty Rob O’Brien gave a webinar about what works and what doesn’t in VBAs (particularly the ones in which RE has been involved) – as well as new opportunities in real-world evidence. To hear the recording, click here.

If you would like to learn more about Real Endpoints’ work in value-based contracting email Rob O’Brien

Market Access News in Review

In case you missed it, here are some of RE’s top LinkedIn posts

Emerging market solutions for financing and reimbursement of durable cell and gene therapies

Real Endpoints Marketplace for addressing high cost orphan medical benefit drugs is included in MIT’s white paper on emerging market solutions to address coverage and reimbursement challenges faced by durable cell and gene therapies

Five Keys to Realizing Health Equity in US Health Plans / Health Affairs

An important piece from the inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer at Humana, Nwando Olayiwola, M. D., on the need for health equity in US health plans. Dr. Olayiwola outlines five key priorities for successfully integrating health equity into US health plans

Health Trends Report 2021

CVSHealth recently released their Health Trends Report 2021 highlighting the opportunities that continue to arise from the challenges of 2020

ICER: Strengthening the Accelerated Approval Pathway

The FDA’s accelerated approval process drives tremendous upside benefits for manufacturers but comes with downsides for the health system, payers, and patients. ICER and experts at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s drug pricing lab review the process, challenges, and potential reforms

June is ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS MONTH!

RE wants to acknowledge all caregivers & loved ones as we come together on June 21st #TheLongestDay #ENDALZ

FDA approval of Aduhelm put the debate about sustainable, affordable access to innovation front and center. We surveyed our followers for their opinion on how payers are most likely to respond to the landmark approval.