For those of you who made the annual trek to J.P. Morgan, we hope you enjoyed your time. Among the speakers was ICER’s President and CEO, Sarah Emond, who spoke about GLP-1 therapies and the obesity treatment landscape.
Sarah highlighted the potential for novel payment models to make an impact in the obesity management space. Given the clinical effectiveness of these therapies and the many millions of patients that could benefit from treatment, it is critical for the U.S. health system to find new ways to make sure that all eligible patients can access these innovative drugs in a sustainable way. If you’re curious, here’s ICER’s Final Evidence Report on treatments for obesity management. Our 2022 report found that semaglutide used for weight loss would achieve common thresholds for cost-effectiveness if priced between $7,500 – $9,800 per year. Even at a fair price, less than 1% of eligible patients could be treated before creating a significant budget impact problem.
Additionally, Sarah also sat down with Pink Sheet’s Jessica Merrill at J.P. Morgan. They discussed CMS drug pricing negotiations, gene therapies, obesity treatments, and the importance of value-based pricing:
“[ICER] continues to emphasize improved access and affordability for drugs, even as the sector moves into new and increasingly complex areas. ‘We have to shift to what is next,’ Emond said. ‘We need to be able to meet the moment. Right now, I think that is cell and gene therapy.’Determining fair value for new gene therapies with million-dollar-plus price tags and how to smooth access for patients to the ultra-expensive, one-time therapeutics remains a key action item for ICER. Obesity drugs also remain on the agenda, as the organization is continuing to monitor the landscape for the increasingly popular new weight loss medicines and emerging data.”