
How to Predict if a Drug will be Cost-Effective: A Case for Early-Stage Modeling
Written by Jennifer Benner. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a crystal ball that could predict, during the very early stages of drug development, whether a new medication would represent good value for money at its intended launch price? Or which efficacy targets it needed to hit in order to remain cost-effective? Or what an assessment by the[…]

Do Research Groups Align on the Value of an Intervention? A Prelude to our ISPOR Barcelona Presentation
Do Research Groups Align on the Value of an Intervention? A Prelude to our ISPOR Barcelona Presentation By Matthew Sussman

Instant Health Data User Conference Showcases Customer-Driven Applications of Real-World Evidence
BHE held its 2018 Instant Health Data (IHD) User’s Conference on Wednesday, March 14th at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Real-world evidence (RWE) managers and IHD users attended from over a dozen life science companies and payers, representing about one-half of all companies licensing IHD. These researchers regularly use[…]
ICER Versus NICE: Who Cares About Value-Based Pricing Assessments?
This is my last post in an ICER versus NICE series that examines how ICER’s and NICE’s methodologies for implementing cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses differ. My last post explored how differences in the use of a fixed CE threshold and the application of a narrower CE threshold range may lead to different intervention recommendations. In this[…]

Healthcare IT's March Madness: A Recap of HIMSS18
Although the NCAA’s March Madness is just heating up, my own March madness is starting to wind down. For those of us in New England, March’s madness really kicked off with three wild Nor’easters. Fortunately for me, these storms coincided with trips to Las Vegas for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)’s Annual[…]

Do Fixed Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds or CE Threshold Magnitudes Matter?
In my last post, I highlighted three subtle differences between ICER’s and NICE’s methodologies when conducting cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses. These differences, if overlooked, could actually lead to very different recommendations for coverage, reimbursement, and pricing. Two of these important differences revolve around CE thresholds,[…]
ICER vs. NICE: Three Key Differences in Approach and Appraisal
Back in December, I recapped an issues panel titled, “Should ICER be NICE (or Not)?” from ISPOR’s 20th Annual European Congress, which sought to compare the use of ICER’s value assessment framework versus NICE’s guidelines when conducting and interpreting cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses. In that post, I summarized the ideas expressed during the[…]

ICER Versus NICE: The Verdict From Our ISPOR Glasgow Issue Panel
A smashing success! ISPOR hosted its 20th Annual European Congress in Glasgow, Scotland last month, boasting nearly 5,000 attendees and satisfying our deepest sweet tooth cravings thanks to the lunch menu’s endless supply of teacake biscuits, caramel wafers, caramel shortbread, and IRN Bru. In addition, the conference hosted three well-attended[…]
Should ICER Be NICE (or Not)?: A Prelude to Our ISPOR Glasgow Issue Panel
ISPOR’s 20th Annual European Congress in Glasgow is fast approaching, with the first plenary session scheduled for this Monday, November 6th. I will be attending as part of BHE’s team and am looking forward to the plenary sessions discussing the evolution of value in healthcare, including the increase in value-based care initiatives, the future of[…]
Policy Corner: The Mysterious World of Drug Pricing
Almost every day, I see unflattering news stories regarding drug pricing and the cost of pharmaceuticals. Whether it's a supplier raising the costs of essential drugs like the Epi-Pen several-fold or a new CAR-T drug priced at a seemingly exorbitant rate - not unlike a three-bedroom house here in the Boston area - media and government scrutiny is[…]