The University of Washington School of Pharmacy (UWSOP) and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) have formed a partnership to leverage UWSOP’s expertise in economic modeling of pharmaceutical interventions to support ICER’s growing body of work in new drug assessments. UWSOP’s Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program (PORPP) will provide health economic consulting support to ICER for use in ICER’s reports for its drug assessment program. PORPP is internationally renowned for its excellence in pharmacoeconomics and cost-effectiveness modeling, and ICER is a leader in producing reports that address the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and potential budgetary impact of high-profile interventions. As part of the agreement, UWSOP’s researchers will develop cost-effectiveness models for several drugs that are soon-to-be or recently approved by the FDA, leveraging evidence synthesis work performed by ICER and publicly-available data.
“This partnership allows us to broaden the impact of our technical and scientific expertise within the UWSOP to increase information about the clinical and economic impact of new medications in the U.S. health system,” said Anirban Basu, Ph.D., Professor and Director of PORPP.
“When producing our reports, we are always striving to utilize the most up-to-date methodology possible to produce actionable information that can provide guidance regarding the comparative effectiveness and value of new prescription drugs,” Daniel A. Ollendorf, PhD, ICER’s Chief Scientific Officer noted. “UWSOP’s esteemed faculty has a wealth of experience across multiple clinical areas, and we are thrilled to cement this partnership.”
ICER’s reports include a full analysis of a drug’s comparative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and potential budget impact. ICER uses transparent methods to calculate for each new drug a value-based price benchmark anchored to the real benefits the drug brings to patients. UWSOP will employ robust and commonly used health economics methods to estimate the comparative impact of select new medications in terms of their incremental costs per outcomes achieved. These findings will be incorporated into ICER’s larger reports. UWSOP will be providing expertise on the cost-effectiveness analyses, while ICER will ultimately be responsible for calculating the value-based price benchmark.
The initial project will focus on treatments for “relapsed” or “refractory” multiple myeloma (i.e., disease that is unresponsive to initial therapy or progressing after treatment). The specific scope for the report, including a complete list of the drugs to be reviewed, will be announced in a draft document scheduled to be released on February 5, 2016.
***
About UWSOP
The University of Washington School of Pharmacy (UWSOP) is a global leader in pharmacy education, research and service, committed to providing a transformative learning experience in a collaborative and diverse environment focused on improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve. UWSOP is comprised of three departments: Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, and Pharmacy, offering Ph.D., M.S., and PharmD degrees, post docs and certificate programs. The Department of Pharmacy leads in pharmacy education, research, professional and outreach initiatives, including the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research & Policy Program (PORPP), which conducts research in pharmaceutical economics, drug safe and pharmaceutical policy. Click for more information about our Graduate Programs in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy and Biomedical Regulatory Affairs.
About ICER
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is an independent non-profit research institute that produces reports analyzing the evidence on the effectiveness and value of drugs and other medical services. ICER’s reports include evidence-based calculations of prices for new drugs that accurately reflect the degree of improvement expected in long-term patient outcomes, while also highlighting price levels that might contribute to unaffordable short-term cost growth for the overall health care system. ICER’s reports incorporate extensive input from all stakeholders and are the subject of public hearings through three core programs: the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF), the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (Midwest CEPAC) and the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). These independent panels review ICER’s reports at public meetings to deliberate on the evidence and develop recommendations for how patients, clinicians, insurers, and policymakers can improve the quality and value of health care. For more information about ICER, please visit ICER’s website.