Studies from University of Maryland Have Provided New Information about Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy (Impact of Manufacturer-initiated List Price Reduction On Patient Out-of-pocket Costs For <i> Pcsk9 </i> Inhibitors): Drugs and Therapies – Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy

2024 NOV 14 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx Drug Daily -- Data detailed on Drugs and Therapies - Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy have been presented. According to news originating from Baltimore, Maryland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Because of concerns of cost-effectiveness and low utilization, in 2018, manufacturers initiated a 60% price reduction for PCSK9 inhibitors, reducing the list price from more than $14,000 to $5,850. The goal of the reduction was to increase access and lower patient cost sharing for PCSK9 inhibitors.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Maryland, “To determine whether list price reductions resulted in a statistically significant decrease in patient cost sharing for PCSK9 inhibitors. The secondary objective is to quantify the change in monthly out-of-pocket (OOP) cost in the years following the price reduction policies. This analysis uses a cross-sectional quasi-experimental design, with 2 time periods, to estimate the change in monthly OOP cost. A 2-stage cost model was used to quantify the difference in mean monthly OOP cost between the preprice and postprice reduction periods. This analysis was completed using IQVIA PharMetrics Plus for Academics health plan claims for PSCK9 inhibitors between January 2016 and December 2021 for commercially insured individuals in the United States. The primary exposure of interest is a manufacturer- initiated list price reduction in October 2018. The primary outcome of interest is the difference in the predicted monthly OOP cost between the prereduction and postreduction periods. There was a 50% decrease in the predicted monthly OOP cost, from $235.22 (SD = $241) in the prereduction period to $116.75 (SD = $152) in the postreduction period. This claims level analysis used robust statistical modeling techniques to quantify the effect of manufacturer-initiated price reductions on monthly OOP cost. This unique manufacturer decision resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the monthly OOP cost for beneficiaries using PCSK9 inhibitors. Manufacturer-initiated price reductions could be a strategy to reduce the cost for other therapies with access and cost concerns.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Further research is needed on the downstream patient-level effects of cost reductions, particularly among individuals who experience multiple barriers to care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Impact of Manufacturer-initiated List Price Reduction On Patient Out-of-pocket Costs For Pcsk9 Inhibitors. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 2024;30(10):1078-1086. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy can be contacted at: Acad Managed Care Pharmacy, 100 N Pitt St, 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-3134, USA.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Dominique Seo, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, Dept Practice Sci & Hlth Outcomes Res, Baltimore, MD 20742, United States. Additional authors for this research include John G. Rizk, Eberechukwu Onukwugha and T. Joseph Mattingly II.

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