7 Therapeutic Game-Changers in 2019

March 1, 2019

Managed Healthcare Executive asked top experts their predictions for the top game-changing therapies. Here’s what they said.

Despite claims of stagnation in the healthcare industry, innovations are rapidly altering patient care.

From gene therapies to advances in medication management, new therapies are shaping healthcare for patients, providers, and payers. Managed Healthcare Executive asked top experts their predictions for the top game-changing therapies that will shape 2019 and beyond. Here’s their top seven.

1.Gene therapy

“LentiGlobin, the one-time gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia, is a game changer clinically and in value-based pricing. LentiGlobin is a clinical game changer by targeting two rare high-risk orphan conditions for which patients and physicians today lack treatment options. Bluebird Bio, LentiGlobin’s maker, is also offering a thoughtful value-based pricing model, with five-year installment payments tied to patient benefits, capping price increases to inflation, and a transparent approach to assessing outcomes.”

-Kip Piper, MA, FACHE, president, Health Results Group, LLC and CEO, Medonomics, Inc.

2. CAR T-cell therapy

“Initially used with great success on pediatric and young adult patients with leukemia, CAR T-cell therapy’s application is being expanded to include some breast, lung, and prostate carcinomas. Pressure on the oncology industry to increase CAR T-cell therapies even further and to lower the price for the treatment could be a huge game-changer.”

-Don Hall, MPH, partner DeltaSigma Healthcare Consulting

3. Genetic testing and companion diagnostics

“This will be a game-changer because there needs to be new tools to improve the use of specialty pharmaceuticals.”

-Perry Cohen, chief executive officer, The Pharmacy Group

4. Precision medicine with immuno-oncology

“Improved biotherapeutics, minimized side effects, and improved outcomes make this one a game-changer. That being said, the extraordinary cost associated with these new therapies, often in combination, will be an economic game-changer representing the tip of the iceberg as other medical conditions have similar precision medicine products gain FDA approval for marketing.”

-F. Randy Vogenberg, PhD, principal, Institute for Integrated Healthcare and board chairperson, Employer Provider Interface Council of HQF

5. Disease modifying Alzheimer’streatments

“Aducanumbab appears to be a promising candidate to establish itself as the first disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s. To date, the currently marketed drugs only provide symptomatic support and do not slow disease progression. However, phase 1 trial results for aducanumab showed a dose-dependent reduction in amyloid plaques, a primary marker of disease activity. Aducanumab is currently in phase 3 clinical trials and its road to FDA approval is not a smooth one. Analysts will track its progress closely as two phase 3 trials for a competitor drug-crenezumab-were discontinued due to disappointing results.”

- Andrew Cournoyer, RPh, MBA, VP, director – Access Experience Team, Precision for Value

6. Liquid biopsy technologies

“The breadth of such applicability is yet to be fully defined. However, even in glioblastoma, a tumor usually totally enclosed within the cranium, has significant and measurable circulating glioblastoma cells assayable for genomics, surface markers, and other liquid biopsy assays. The ‘game changer’ that we see is the full understanding of the extent of metastatic tumor exiting cell masses and circulating along with shed genes and proteins and using these technologies in all the appropriate patient settings.”

- Gerry Messerschmidt, MD, FACP, chief medical officer, Precision for Medicine, Oncology and Rare Disease

7. Medication management

“Comprehensive medication management of the appropriate therapy for each individual member is the game-changer. This is especially true for the high-risk members who have multiple chronic diseases, are on multiple medications, and are among the most-costly for health plans. These members have complex daily medication routines, [and] are often challenged by taking their medications as prescribed … In addition, these members also have a greater likelihood of hospital admissions, readmissions, emergency room visits, and other healthcare problems. This results from lack of adherence, which only serves to increase the overall cost of care while decreasing positive health outcomes.”

-Marty Hauser, vice president, business development, ExactCare