Background We assessed direct and indirect costs associated with COPD in Sweden and examined how these costs vary across time, age, and disease stage in a cohort of patients with COPD and matched controls in a real-world, primary care (PC) setting. Patients and methods Data from electronic medical records linked to the mandatory national health registers were collected for COPD patients and a...

Biologic drugs represent an important new category of drugs in the effort to improve health outcomes in this country. Yet, these cutting-edge drugs are often cost prohibitive, preventing access for many Americans. Recognizing the need for more affordable, generic substitutes for biologic drugs—or biosimilars—Congress recently created a biosimilars approval pathway that would enable these cheape...

Forty percent of spiraling US drug costs are based on a mere two all drugs –biologic (biologics) made from living cells that administered by injection or infusion. These will continue to balloon as new biologics approved; the recently approved Alzheimer’s is expected result in 50% increase Medicare spending and cost individuals 40% their annual income. expensive because they cannot be mass-prod...

Although the rise in pharmacy benefit costs continues to outpace overall medical cost inflation, the gap is narrowing. Employers can improve cost and employee wellness even further with an innovative technique for drug therapy compliance called the Diagnosis-Prescription (Dx-Rx) approach. This article reports results from a 2007 national employer survey on pharmacy benefits and describes how th...

The agreement between Harvard Pilgrim and Amgen on a "pay for performance" deal involving evolocumab could encourage other manufacturers, health plans, and policy-makers to press for value-based pricing as drug costs continue to escalate.