Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008 - (Page 4)

Biotechnology Healthcare JULY/AUGUST 2008 The Official Journal of the Biologic Finance and Access Council FEATURE ARTICLES COVER STORY M POLICY THE IMPACT OF BIOLOGICS ON HEALTH, BUSINESS, AND BENEFITS www.biotechnologyhealthcare.com A Decade of Trial, Error, False Starts, and Hope 18 Ten years into the modern biologics era, access- and cost-management techniques still aren’t refined. Why has managing biologics proven so much harder than managing other drugs? What strategies might help payers face the challenges of the future? What Path Will Comparative Effectiveness Research Take? 27 As existing biologics gain indications and new drugs make it to market, the array of choices makes it challenging to pick the right treatment for a given patient. Clinical effectiveness is the most important factor, but at the policy level, cost has to enter the discussion. Where? Q&A Stem Cells: Health Insurance You Can Bank On 45 Robin Smith, MD, MBA, isn’t claiming she has found the fountain of youth, but she is certain her company, NeoStem, can help prevent many costly, debilitating scourges of older age. FOCUS: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AT A GLANCE: Rheumatoid Arthritis 16 Prevalence of disease, economics of care, and implications for payers, as told in charts. THERAPEUTICS M RA Therapies in Development: A New Generation of Relief 32 The first generation of RA biologics was good, but just the start. A new group of therapies — some novel, some familiar, but all powerful and each with a niche — will energize this market. COST MANAGEMENT Assessing the Full Impact of RA on Employers and Payers 37 M Paresh Chaudhari, PharmD, MPH, frames the business case for employers to look beyond the direct medical costs of treatment of RA and consider employee health benefits as an investment. DEPARTMENTS Openers 2 Olympian feats, cover to cover. Editorial/David B. Nash, MD, MBA 6 Of pride, alarm, and hope. DrugTrack 7 Approvals, research, and conference coverage. Health Plan Confidential 9 Better guidance for off-label coverage? Specialty Pharmacy 50 The evolution of SP and where it’s heading. Employer to Employer 52 GM’s challenges in managing biologics. Personalized Medicine 54 Declaring war on warfarin misdosing. Trends 57 Specialty drug utilization growth slows. BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE (ISSN 1554-169x) is published bimonthly by BioCommunications LLC, 780 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. This is Volume 5, Number 2. Standard postage paid at Morrisville, Pa., and at additional mailing offices. Price: $18 per copy, $95 per year in the United States; $120 per year elsewhere. Phone: (267) 685-2788; fax (267) 6852966; paid subscription inquiries (267) 685-2789. Letters to the editor will be considered for publication and should be sent to the address above. Copyright 2008, BioCommunications LLC. INDEXED BY CINAHL AND INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL ABSTRACTS COVER: JOHN STILL http://www.biotechnologyhealthcare.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008

Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008 Openers Contents Editorial/David B. Nash, MD, MBA Drug Track Health Plan Confidential Rheumatoid Arthritis A Decade of Trial, Error, False Starts, and Hope What Path Will Comparative Effectiveness Research Take? RA Therapies in Development: A New Generation of Relief Assessing the Full Impact of RA on Employers and Payers Stem Cells: Health Insurance You Can Bank On Specialty Pharmacy Employer to Employer Personalized Medicine Trends Clinical Briefs

Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008

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