On April 30, Rebecca Shepherd, MD, MBA, and Amanda Myers, MD, represented rheumatology in a live town hall on the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). A transcript of the town hall will soon be posted on the CMS website.
In January, the CMS released the names of the 15 drugs included in the second round of negotiations. The prices for these drugs will be released later this year. As such, the CMS organized the town hall to seek insights on the value of these drugs. Specifically, presenters were asked to comment on:
- The clinical benefits of selected drugs compared to therapeutic alternatives;
- How the drugs address unmet patient needs;
- The impact of these drugs on specific populations; and
- Prescribing experiences and clinical considerations for treatment.
Dr. Myers’s presentation focused on Otezla (apremilast) and Dr. Shepherd’s focused on both Ofev (nintedanib) and Otezla. In particular, Dr. Myers highlighted how Otezla has provided tremendous benefits for patients with Behcet’s, plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, due to its oral delivery, lack of negative interactions with biologics and mild side effects.
Dr. Shepherd further highlighted that because Otezla is not a biologic, it does not require costly monitoring of blood counts and liver function tests to ensure patient safety and efficacy. She also discussed how the drug was instrumental in the treatment of a patient with severe psoriasis, allowing him to quickly return to his construction job.
In addition, Dr. Shepherd spoke on the significant evolution in patient care brought on by Ofev, namely for patients with systematic sclerosis, interstitial lung disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. She presented a distinct “before and after Ofev” landscape showing how patients with these diseases who are treated with the drug have experienced slowed loss of lung volume, reduced mortality and significantly lower likelihood of acute flares.
Both Dr. Myers, a former ACR Board of Directors member and current member of the Government Affairs Committee, and Dr. Shepherd, former chair of the ACR’s Insurance Subcommittee and current member of the Government Affairs Committee, expertly represented rheumatology and gave a strong case for the value that these drugs have brought to patient care. The ACR was proud to be represented by them and is always on the lookout for ways in which members can use their knowledge and expertise to advocate for the specialty.
The ACR is also steadfastly committed to ensuring that the voice of rheumatology is well-represented in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, that the drugs selected for negotiation adequately represent what rheumatologists are experiencing in the field and that these drugs are adequately priced.
For further information on the program, email the ACR advocacy team at [email protected] or contact the CMS at [email protected]. The ACR advocacy team will monitor the implementation of the program and other provisions of the IRA and serve as an educational resource for members on its impact on rheumatology.
