Podcasts

"Not So Different": What's Next for Drug Pricing After Withdrawal of the Rebate Rule?

August 18th 2019

In July, the Trump administration withdrew its proposal to block rebates and discounts given by drug makers to pharmacy benefit managers, Part D plans, and Medicaid managed care organizations. Withdrawal of the rule was a discouraging development for many physicians who hoped that the proposal could give relief to their patients at the pharmacy counter. This week on the podcast, we’re speaking to one such physician, Madelaine Feldman, MD.

"Not So Different": The Biosimilars Council Says Patent Abuses Are Costing Biosimilar Savings

August 4th 2019

Podcast

The Biosimilars Council, a part of the Association for Accessible Medicines, recently issued a white paper in which it condemns abuses of the patent system that delay biosimilar competition. The group estimates that the financial impact of these delays has cost the US healthcare system $7.5 billion in lost savings since 2015. This week on the podcast, we’re speaking with Christine Simmon, executive director of the Biosimilars Council.

"Not So Different": What Did the First Half of 2019 Hold for Biosimilars?

July 21st 2019

Podcast

At the beginning of this year, we spoke with Laura Joszt, associate editorial director and the host of The American Journal of Managed Care’s podcast, Managed Care Cast, about where biosimilars stood at the end of 2018. Now, halfway through the year, we’re continuing that conversation with a look at how biosimilars have fared so far in 2019.

"Not So Different": The Biosimilars Forum Wants to Save the Healthcare System Billions

July 7th 2019

Podcast

Industry group the Biosimilars Forum recently put forth 3 policy proposals that it says could save the US healthcare system billions of dollars. This week on the podcast, we’ve invited the forum to tell us more about its proposals and other policy issues related to biosimilars.

"Not So Different": What's Holding Back Biosimilars? It May Not Be Pay-for-Delay Deals

June 23rd 2019

Podcast

While pay-for-delay issues have been big news on Capitol Hill recently, some experts have questions about whether these kinds of settlements are really at the heart of delayed biosimilar competition, and they offer alternative ways to think about—and to fix—the problem. This week on the podcast, we’re speaking with 2 such experts, Imron Aly, JD, and Joel Wallace, JD. Both are partners at Schiff Hardin LLP and have extensive experience with Hatch-Waxman and biosimilars intellectual property issues.

"Not So Different:" A Regulatory Attorney Shares His Take on Interchangeability

June 9th 2019

Podcast

This week on the podcast, we're speaking with regulatory attorney James Shehan, JD, chair of regulatory practice at Lowenstein Sandler, LLP. In a prior role, Shehan had a hand in crafting the language that became the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act, which set forth the legal standard for interchangeability. Shehan discusses what the newly released guidance means for developers, what he thinks about the upcoming transition of insulins to regulation as biologics, and his view on the potential for interchangeable insulin biosimilars.

"Not So Different": A Look Ahead to Biosimilar Insulin

May 26th 2019

Podcast

Amid growing concern about the skyrocketing cost of insulin in the United States, the FDA held a public hearing this month about biosimilar insulins. This week on the podcast, we catch up with one of the experts who testified at the hearing: Steven Lucio, PharmD, BCPS, associate vice president of clinical solutions and pharmacy program development at Vizient. He shares his thoughts with us on biosimilar insulins, interchangeability, biosimilar suffixes, and what milestones lie ahead as the United States approaches its 2020 transition of insulins to regulation as biologics.

"Not So Different": A Look at Biosimilar Education Among European Oncologists

May 12th 2019

Podcast

The cost of cancer care is on the rise worldwide, and biosimilars present one option for bringing down costs. However, those savings depend on adoption and use of biosimilars, and hesitancy to use these agents on the part of prescribers has been well documented in the literature. One newly published study reported on a survey conducted among European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) members and attendees of the 2017 ESMO Congress in Madrid, Spain, concerning biosimilars. This week, we’re speaking with the study’s lead author, Rosa Giuliani, MD.

"Not So Different": Is It Time to Give Up on Biosimilars?

April 28th 2019

Podcast

It’s no secret that the biosimilars market in the United States has been off to a sluggish start. In fact, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, went so far as to call the market anemic. While many stakeholders have called for steps like more education or greater regulatory clarity, a new option has been raised in recent weeks, and that’s doing away with the US biosimilars market altogether.

"Not So Different": Drug Pricing in the United States: a Conversation with Robin Feldman

April 14th 2019

Podcast

Recent months have seen a variety of proposals to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, but will any of them have staying power? This week, senior editor Allison Inserro speaks with Robin Feldman, professor at the University of California, Hastings, College of the Law, and author of the new book Drugs, Money, and Secret Handshakes: The Unstoppable Growth of Prescription Drug Prices.