Revealing the true value of new cancer drugs to payers

Marc Botteman and Ben van Hout from Pharmerit International discuss how to navigate the value challenges of new cancer treatments like CAR-T with payers.

There has been an explosion in the availability of new and innovative treatments in oncology and pharma’s pipeline progress promises plenty more to come.

Breakthrough immuno-oncology treatments are changing the treatment landscape, with mechanisms of action that are very different to more ‘standard’ cancer therapies. Utilising the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer has shown promising results, but these therapies also bring with them a unique set of challenges to payers and the industry.

Patient and disease heterogeneity, the multitude of therapies, combinations of therapies and treatment sequences on offer, and uncertainties around the duration of treatment effects have all made the treatment choice decision a far more complex process. Using standard methods, it becomes more difficult to show that expensive new oncology therapies, while often providing substantial health benefits, offer value for money.

• Read the full article in pharmaphorum's Deep Dive digital magazine