October/November 2009
Features
Cover Story
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The pitch is as American as Mom and apple pie, and some biotechs and pharmaceutical companies are using it — or something similar — in their contracts with payers. Although more common in Europe, these so-called ‘risk-sharing contracts’ are attracting renewed interest in the United States.
Risk sharing is an old idea that has taken many forms in the era of managed care. But with the emergence of high-cost biopharmaceuticals, payers and purchasers are keen on a new twist: putting the onus on manufacturers to prove that their products are as good as advertised. Popular in Europe, risk-sharing contracts are gaining traction in the United States.
Bob Carlson, MHA
DIGITAL |
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Clinical
A Crash Course
Researchers raced to fight the H1N1 pandemic, but translating knowledge to practice has proven to be difficult. Manufacturing capabilities have been hindered, distribution strategies have to be clarified, and public misconceptions need to be dispelled.
John Carroll
DIGITAL |
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Influenza Vaccination: Financial Burden Or Public Health Solution?
Influenza drives up both direct and indirect costs for employers. Vaccinating employees can help with prevention, but the answer to keeping costs down may be herd immunity.
Influenza drives up employers’ costs. Herd protection may justify the cost of a vaccine.
Marina V. Zeltser, BA
DIGITAL |
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Regulation
FTC Versus Congress: The Biosimilars Debate
A Federal Trade Commission report dismissed the need for a period of market exclusivity for brand-name biologics that may face follow-on competition. The authors argue that the FTC’s conclusion — that patent protection alone will fuel biotech R&D after passage of follow-on legislation — is shaky.
Two patent lawyers challenge the FTC’s stance that biologics need no market exclusivity.
Kathleen Carr and Thomas Wintner
DIGITAL |
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Specialty Pharmacy
Specialty Drugs: A Rich Pipeline that Needs to be Managed
Health plans will experience increasing demands as specialty drugs are used for more common conditions. The author discusses ways to manage the ever-changing terrain.
Keith Bradbury
DIGITAL |
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Benefit Design
Value-Based Insurance Design
As the healthcare debate waged on, many argued that VBID should be an essential component of reform. Payers and purchasers are looking to understand how VBID fits into the way services are chosen and paid for, maximizing the care given for the money spent.
Lola Butcher
DIGITAL |
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Departments
Openers
Does Healthcare Warrant a Warranty?
Some things left out of healthcare reform.
Michael D. Dalzell
DIGITAL |
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Editorial
In Time for Nanotech
David B. Nash, MD, MBA
DIGITAL |
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Personalized Medicine
Gene Patents on the Line
Bob Carlson, MHA
DIGITAL |
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Drug Track
Research, Conferences, and FDA Actions
Amy Rossi
DIGITAL |
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Specialty Pharmacy
Proper Patient Identification: The First Step to Healthcare Reform?
How patient selection might dovetail with a key aspect of healthcare reform efforts.
Amy Rossi
DIGITAL |
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Biologics and Benefits
Are Employers Ready for the Oncology Pipeline?
John Carroll
DIGITAL |
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Trends
Can Higher PMPY Costs Be a Good Thing?
Amy Rossi
DIGITAL |
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