Michael S. Broder, MD, MSHS, president at PHAR, wrote a post on healtheconomics.com about how health economics and outcomes researchers can help defeat COVID-19. He pointed out the important role that HEOR professionals have in not being silent about facts related to COVID-19 and in helping lay people find reliable data sources instead of wading through misinformation. He stressed that health economics and outcomes researchers can help stop the pandemic and save lives by simply stopping misinformation from spreading and sharing facts instead. The post can be found here.
News
PHAR’s Interactive Bibliography Book Now Available
Since its establishment in 2004, PHAR has collaborated with many partners in academia and industry on a numerous number of studies. These studies have resulted in over 750 publications, covering nearly 100 different products, 90 health conditions, and more than 30 data sources, and appearing in more than 200 different journals and conferences. PHAR has compiled the publications into an interactive bibliography book titled, Health Services Research Insights. The bibliography book is organized thematically, with each of four main sections devoted to a different broad area of HEOR, then further broken down by type and clinical specialty. The book is available for download now here.
PHAR Presents Multiple Studies on the Pre-Diagnosis Patterns of Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis
Results from a study done in partnership with Akcea Pharmaceuticals and focusing on the patient journey of patients newly diagnosed with hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis have been presented at multiple virtual conferences this year, including the XVII International Symposium on Amyloidosis, the European Society of Cardiology’s HFA Discoveries platform, and the Heart Failure Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting. This is the first real-world study to examine pre-diagnostic characteristics and healthcare utilization in this population of patients. Using commercial claims data, PHAR and Akcea found that patients with ATTRv amyloidosis experience substantial comorbidity, testing, and hospitalization prior to diagnosis. These patients also face considerable cardiovascular burden in the 5 years preceding diagnosis. These posters can be found on the PHAR publications page. A manuscript further detailing this study is currently planned for publication in a peer-reviewed journal later this year.
PHAR Studies Presented at MDS Virtual Congress 2020
Two secondary data analysis studies conducted by PHAR, in partnership with Genentech, Inc, were presented at MDS Virtual Congress 2020. The first study investigated healthcare utilization and costs in Medicare beneficiaries with Huntington’s disease at the end-of-life. This study showed most beneficiaries at the end-of-life had late-stage disease and healthcare utilization and costs were greater in the last three months of life compared to the three months prior. The second study investigated the epidemiology of Huntington’s disease among Medicaid beneficiaries. This study showed that the prevalence of Huntington’s disease in the Medicaid population is higher than previously reported in other populations. The posters for these studies can be found on the PHAR publications page.
PHAR Presents Various Abstracts and Posters at Virtual ISPOR
Many studies conducted by PHAR were presented at Virtual ISPOR 2020 HEOR: Advancing Evidence to Action and in the journal Value in Health. The topics covered a variety of range, including breast cancer, arthritis, COPD, and many more. One of the studies presented at ISPOR was a secondary data analysis done in partnership with Genentech, Inc., which investigated the healthcare utilization and costs by disease stage in Medicare beneficiaries with Huntington’s disease. This study showed that beneficiaries with late-stage disease had significantly higher healthcare utilization and cost burden compared to those with early- or middle-stage disease. The poster on healthcare utilization and costs as well as the abstracts published in Value in Health can be found on the PHAR publications page.
Multiple Studies Presented at AMCP Nexus 2019
PHAR research was well represented at AMCP Nexus 2019, with 7 posters from the secondary data analysis and health economics teams presented. The secondary data analysis study topics covered a wide variety of conditions and used multiple data sources, including using insurance claims to examine asthma-related health service use, treatment patterns in narcolepsy, and the epidemiology of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis; as well as using hospital data to estimate costs associated with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. The health economics studies were based on the budget impact of perampanel on pediatric and adult patients with partial onset seizures. The posters and related manuscripts can be accessed on the PHAR website.
PHAR Estimates that Hospitals Retain Substantial Profits From Physician-Administered Medicines
A study conducted by researchers at PHAR found that hospitals collect substantial profits from administering injectable and infused drugs. The share of profits retained by hospitals is far greater than than the amount retained by physicians who administer the same drugs in an office setting. Hospital profits also exceed the amount that goes to the manufacturer of these products. While pharmaceutical manufacturers are often the focus of criticism regarding drug pricing, the role of others in the supply chain, including hospitals, should be considered. A summary of the findings can be found here, and the full report here.
PHAR Director Gives Economics Talk at ASPC
Jesse Ortendahl, Director of Health Economics at PHAR, recently spoke at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Preventive Cardiology in San Antonio, TX. At the meeting, Jesse joined Dr. Seth J. Baum, MD, FACC, FACPM, FAHA, FNLA, FASPC, in presenting the symposium “Economics 101- What Every Clinician Needs to Know”. This symposium was designed to provide clinicians with essential information to allow them to better understand, critique, and utilize economic evaluations.
PHAR Projects Cost Savings from Hepatitis C Cures
Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a common infectious disease that affects 2.4 million people in the United States. The clinical and economic impact of HCV on the US healthcare system is significant. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments have been shown to provide a cure for HCV in most individuals, however there has been debate over the price. Building upon a recently published analysis, PHAR investigated the costs of using DAAs to treat individuals with HCV, and found there were substantial savings associated with decreased consequences of the disease, far exceeding the costs of the treatments themselves. A report summarizing these findings can be found here.
PHAR LLC announces the appointment of Mallik Greene, BPharm, PhD, DBA to the position of Vice President, Health Economics and Outcomes Research
Los Angeles, CA and Boston, MA – July 18, 2019 – PHAR LLC (Los Angeles, CA and Boston, MA), a boutique health care consultancy dedicated to the practice of health economics and outcomes research, announces the appointment of Mallik Greene, BPharm, PhD, DBA to the position of Vice President for Health Economics and Outcomes Research ([email protected]).
Dr. Greene has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly two decades, conducting hundreds of health economic and outcomes research studies using a wide variety of innovative research methods and study designs. Working at such globally recognized pharmaceutical companies as Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai, Otsuka, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Greene developed and implemented successful strategies to improve brand differentiation and demonstrate value to payers, physicians and patients. His work has resulted in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in dozens of journals and conferences, spanning a wide variety of therapeutic areas. Dr. Greene’s experience and training—including a degree in pharmacy, a PhD in health economics and outcomes research, post-doctoral fellowship in health economics and outcomes research and a doctorate in business administration—make him uniquely suited to help PHAR’s clients to achieve their goals.
PHAR’s highly trained staff has been providing health economics and outcomes research services to the life science industry for more than 15 years. PHAR’s unique business model brings clinical and methodologic expertise to every engagement by including a pharmacist, a physician, a doctoral level researcher, and a statistician on every project team. By bringing this unparalleled level of strategic insight and methodologic rigor to every project, PHAR has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and garnered numerous awards for its work in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics industries.
Rising costs, expensive new products, and heightened scrutiny of pharmaceutical industry practices combine to increase the challenge HEOR professionals face in developing a clear value proposition. This challenge makes PHAR LLC’s hiring of Mallik Greene as VP, HEOR particularly timely. “Dr. Greene’s training and experience will make him a unique asset to researchers and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry as they work to differentiate and demonstrate the value proposition of their brand,” commented Michael Broder, MD, MSHS, President of PHAR LLC.