Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development

About: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Drug development & Clinical trial. The organization has 78 authors who have published 258 publications receiving 16047 citations.

Pharmacy benefit managers and medicare beneficiary access to prescription drugs

Abstract: Despite the fact that prescription drugs are an increasingly important component of modern health care, especially for the elderly and disabled populations suffering from chronic conditions, 35% of Medicare beneficiaries lack any form of prescription drug insurance. Congress is currently debating six major proposals to extend insurance protection to outpatient prescription drugs under Medicare. Five of these proposals suggest the use of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to improve the cost-effectiveness of the prescription drug benefit. A Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD) survey of eight leading PBMs shows that during the last five years PBMs have increased their enrollment of Medicare beneficiaries considerably. PBMs currently facilitate moderate to full access to pharmaceuticals for approximately 20% of Medicare beneficiaries. Seven of the eight PBMs surveyed are also developing disease management programs targeted specifically at the Medicare population. However regarding the feasibility of a universal prescription drug benefit, a number of issues concerning how to structure government contracts with PBMs and how to meet certain political challenges to PBM mediation remain unresolved.

Evaluating the impact of Medicare Part D on quality metrics

Abstract: Subsidized access to medical and pharmacy benefits is not a goal in and of itself; it is a means toward an end (improved health outcomes) Accordingly, the addition of an outpatient prescription drug benefit (Part D) to Medicare in 2006 will be deemed a success if it provides better, more affordable access to outpatient prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and, more importantly, improves drug adherence and health outcomes, together with reducing or at least bending the cost curve by offsetting certain healthcare costs such as hospitalizations and emergency room visits Priest and colleagues examine these claims and find suboptimal outcomes despite improved access

Are Medicare plans complying with CMS regulation

Abstract: Objectives: The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have put forth guidance recommending coverage of 75% of the costs of ‘all or substantially all’ drugs in six therapeutic categories deemed medically necessary for Medicare beneficiaries: anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antineoplastics, antipsychotics, HIV/AIDS and immunosuppressants. For 2007 filings, we analyzed compliance by 36 leading prescription drug plans with the CMS guidance. Methods: Using databases at the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, we identified 201 drugs approved by the US FDA between 1962 and 2007 in the six therapeutic categories mentioned above. For these drugs, we gathered data from 36 prescription drug plans on prices, formulary placement, cost-sharing and conditions of reimbursement. Our primary source for formulary data was the Formulary Finder on the CMS website. Results: Plans are not complying with the ‘all or substantially all’ guidance. Across all six categories, an average of 17% of drugs are...

Market watch: Landscape for medical countermeasure development.

Abstract: Medical countermeasures (MCMs) encompass biologics, drugs or devices that may be used for biodefence against biological, chemical or radiological bioweapons, or in the event of naturally occurring emerging and re-emerging diseases, or natural disasters. Since 2008, the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) has routinely explored the R&D landscape for MCMs. Here, we present the findings of CSDD’s most recent review, completed in 2016. The most substantial change in the landscape in the time-frame of the CSDD analyses is the size of the MCM pipeline. In 2008, we identified 263 MCMs in development; by 2016, the number of MCMs in the pipeline grew to 592 (FIG. 1a). Similar growth has been observed in the number of companies in the field, with 133 companies identified as working on MCMs in 2008 and 303 companies in 2016. Broadly speaking, companies in the MCM field are typically privately owned, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a biotechnology focus. Although more than half of these companies (159; 52%) have their headquarters in the United States, the proportion of non-US companies has grown since 2008. China, with 33 companies, the United Kingdom, with 12, and Canada M A R K E T WAT C H