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Cutting Edge Information Analyzes How Drug Makers Embrace Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER)
| Source: Cutting Edge Information
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - October 20, 2009) - A higher percentage of companies
are using Comparative Effectiveness Research to help with pricing and
reimbursement decisions, according to new research from Cutting Edge
Information.
Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo's new anti-clotting drug, Effient, will be
priced at an 18% premium to the current standard of care, Bristol-Myer
Squibb's Plavix, according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires. The
decision to price Effient higher than Plavix came after the results of a
head-to-head trial named TRITON that pitted two drugs against one another.
The TRITON study, conducted at 707 trial sites in 30 different countries,
included 13,608 patients. Among some of Effient's positive results was a
13% reduction in overall adverse events, which included all-cause death,
heart attack, stroke and major bleeding. Statistics like these allow Lilly
and Sankyo to present insurers with better scenarios when seeking formulary
status equal to or greater than Plavix.
Not all of the study's findings were positive for Effient, however. The
TRITON study revealed an increased risk of bleeding for those taking
Effient in some patient populations based on age, weight and stroke
history.
"The decision is in the hands of the payer organizations now," said Jason
Richardson, president of Cutting Edge Information. "Payers will take a
close look at the TRITON data when determining Effient's reimbursement
status compared to Plavix. The data create a complex decision-making
process. This is not as clear-cut as, say, Pfizer's early strategy with
Lipitor."
Thanks in large part to the two comparison studies named CURVES and
CHALLENGE, Pfizer was able to show that Lipitor was more effective in many
patient populations than the other statins on the market at the time.
Those results, combined with a lower price, helped Lipitor grab 18% of the
statin market within its first 18 months.
Reimbursement is always an important topic for pharmaceutical companies.
Comparative Effectiveness Research studies are one way to gain a leg up on
the competition. To learn other ways to build stronger relationships with
payer organizations, download a complimentary report brochure at
http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/market-access/.