Institute for Clinical Economic Review Final Report on RA Treatments

Looking Ahead
How the ICER report may be used by payers and to, perhaps, set policy is not yet known. The ICER report on RA is the latest among other ICER final reports recently published in the area of rheumatology, including final reports on psoriasis published in December 2016 and multiple sclerosis published in February 2017. There is also an osteoporosis report due in June.

Although it is too early yet to know how these reports may be used, concern is building on their potential use to set policy and fundamentally alter patient access to optimal care.⁵

What everyone appears to agree on is that physicians and patients both need to get and stay involved in the conversation to ensure that patients retain access to important medicines while efforts, such as those taken by ICER, address the high cost of healthcare delivery.

Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical journalist based in Minneapolis.

References

1. Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). Targeted immune modulators for rheumatoid arthritis: Effectiveness & value. Evidence Report. 2017 April 7. https://icer-review.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/NE_CEPAC_RA_Evidence_Report_FINAL_040717.pdf.
2. Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s final report on treatments for rheumatoid arthritis finds evidence inadequate to distinguish overall benefits between newer agents and prices too high in relationship to the clinical value provided to patients. Press release. 2017 April 7. https://icer-review.org/announcements/ra-final-report.
3. Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). Targeted Immune Modulators for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Effectiveness & Value. Report-at-a-Glance. https://icer-review.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NECEPAC_RA_RAAG_040717.pdf.
4. American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Rheumatology community responds to Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s (ICER) review of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. 2017 April 7. http://www.rheumatology.org/About-Us/Newsroom/Press-Releases/ID/804/Rheumatology-Community-Responds-to-Institute-for-Clinical-and-Economic-Reviews-ICER-Review-of-Treatments-for-Rheumatoid-Arthritis.
5. Durie BGM. ICER Report: Could a flawed approach to cost-effectiveness assessment put patients at risk? Dr. Durie’s Blog. IMF. 2016 April 24. http://brianduriemd.myeloma.org/?q=icer-report.