Formulary Watch |

Aetna, Cigna, Humana, United Healthcare — some of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans — have released updates to prescription drug programs.

The recent study also found that Jardiance for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction could be cost-effective if discounted by 29%.

Exxua is approved to treat adults with major depressive disorder, but its labeling does not contain warnings about sexual function or weight gain.

ICER adds a more formal process to evaluate the diversity of clinical trials and an assessment of a product’s impact on patient and caregiver productivity. ICER also plans to evaluate how newer methods — which would consider the change of a drug’s price over time and disease severity — can be applied to its value assessment.

Developing novel drugs to treat cancer remains a strong focus for drug developers. Several first-in-class therapies have become available over the last few months.

Non-White patients who used copay cards were significantly more likely to encounter copay adjustment programs, such copay accumulators and maximizers, compared with their White counterparts.

An analysis from 3 Axis has found that PBMs control how much pharmacies are reimbursed. This can vary significantly depending on the PBM contracts with insurers, creating a system with large inconsistencies in the prices that consumers pay for both generics and branded products.

The FDA has requested an additional study. ARS Pharmaceuticals plans to appeal the decision.

Even though committee members voted in support of Onpattro for patients with cardiomyopathy related to transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis, there were questions about whether it provided a clinically meaningful benefit. The FDA set an action date of Oct. 8, 2023.

CMS has included an additional 34 drugs on the list on products subject to rebates if their price increases are higher than inflation.

This simulation study also showed that semaglutide was the most effective for weight loss, and researchers said, long-term, savings associated with potential lifelong health improvements may shift the balance of cost-effectiveness.