In response to a recent American Hospital Association report stating that significant increases in expenses related to drugs create financial challenges for hospitals and health system, PHAR, in collaboration with PhRMA, conducted an analysis of 2015-2020 National Health Expenditure data to determine the increase in hospital expenditures and what percentage is attributable to prescription drug spending. PHAR’s analysis found that national hospital expenditures increased by $280 billion, and that only 1.1% ($3.1 billion) of that increase was attributable to spending on drugs. Not only that, but the share of total hospital spending attributable to medicines has actually decreased from 3.7% to 3.1% over the past 5 years. Read the infographic or the full brief for more details.
Archives for 2023
PHAR Analysis Finds Low Adherence to Treatment-Based Guidelines in CSU
PHAR investigators, in partnership with Genentech, Inc., conducted an insurance claims analysis to examine how real-world treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) among commercially insured and Medicaid patients aligns with current global treatment guidelines. PHAR’s Sheila Reddy, PhD, MSc, RPh, Eunice Chang, PhD, and Marian Tarbox, MPP found that adherence to treatment-based guidelines for CSU was generally low in both populations of patients, and described treatment patterns at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The poster can be viewed here, and the abstract was published in the February supplement issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
PHAR Publishes Brief Report on Expert Consensus on the Use of On-Demand Treatments for OFF Episodes in Parkinson’s Disease
PHAR, in collaboration with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, used the RAND/UCLA modified Delphi panel method, convening a 12-member international panel, to develop expert consensus on the use of on-demand treatments for OFF episodes in Parkinson’s. Cynthia Campos, MPH, Sarah N. Gibbs, MPH, and Michael S Broder, MD, MSHS developed a 432-item rating form where panelists rated the appropriateness of prescribing on-demand therapies (i.e., inhaled levodopa, apomorphine subcutaneous injections, apomorphine sublingual film) in different clinical scenarios. Panelists agreed that on-demand treatment is appropriate for many patients with OFF episodes. The greater the functional impact of OFF episodes and interference with basic daily activities, the more likely experts agreed that on-demand treatment was appropriate to prescribe. This report can be read on the PHAR publications page or ahead of print in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice.