Payers

Audio Introduction

Takeaways

Payer organizations play an important and powerful role in the healthcare universe and express desire to play an increasing role in the drug development process. In adapting to increased regulations and the need to control costs while providing services to their members, payers appear to be squeezed by policy makers, patients and physicians to better understand their individual needs. By fostering open dialog and establishing risk-sharing agreements with biopharmaceutical companies, payer organizations can address these needs and ultimately improve health outcomes for their members.

• Nearly three-quarters of U.K. payers feel that risk-sharing agreements between biopharmaceutical companies and payer organizations will lead to more innovative and effective therapies.
• Nearly nine-out-of-10 U.K. payers and seven-out-of-10 U.S. payers feel that such risk-sharing agreements would increase patient access to drugs that otherwise would not make it to market.
• Ninety-five percent of U.K. payers and 84 percent of U.S. payers support coverage with evidence deals (CED) with biopharmaceutical companies.
• Sixty-six percent of U.K. payers report using Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) to assess risk/benefit, yet just over half say this tool is good or excellent at doing so.

Data for this survey were collected from 75 managed care executives in the United States at the director level or above and 72 National Heath Service executives (director or above) in the United Kingdom.