HTA Quarterly | Summer 2021

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is an independent, non-profit research organization that analyzes evidence on the effectiveness and value of drugs and other medical services to promote fair pricing, fair access, and future innovation. With additional funding from private foundations like Arnold Ventures, the frequency and scope of value assessments conducted by ICER have increased dramatically over the past several years. Additionally, recent survey research conducted by Xcenda found that the impact of ICER’s evaluations on payer decision making grew considerably between 2016 and 2020. In an effort to promulgate more transparency around value discussions, in November 2020, the organization formally launched ICER Analytics™, a cloud-based platform designed to facilitate the use of ICER’s evidence reports and underlying economic analyses. The purpose of this article is to explore the functionality of ICER Analytics through use case examples to demonstrate how healthcare decision makers can utilize the platform to develop formularies, establish drug pricing, and negotiate drug reimbursement.

n the spring of 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began surging, Xcenda developed an infectious disease model and white paper to examine the potential impact of both non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical interventions on mitigating the effects of the pandemic. One year later, Mike Eaddy, Vice President of Scientific Consulting at Xcenda, sits down with the model developer, Ken O’Day, for a look back at the model's predictions and the lessons learned over the past year. 

As the world struggles to gain control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the development and distribution of an effective vaccine has become a globally prioritized initiative. While the initial focus surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine was centered on efficacy, and production logistics, discussions have broadened toward affordability, pricing, and allocation now that several vaccines are available. Determining a fair pricing strategy that incentivizes development while ensuring value and access for patients, however, has remained a difficult process exacerbated by the unique demands of a global health crisis. During initial approvals of the vaccine, pricing and distributions were subject to heavy negotiations between manufacturers, governing bodies, and multilateral entities such as the World Health Organization. Consequently, preliminary vaccination efforts have largely consisted of short-term, pre-purchasing agreements between manufacturers and government entities, allowing vaccines to be obtained at below-market costs. In several cases, manufacturers have pledged to sell vaccine doses on a not-for-profit basis during the pandemic, yet how these prices might change post pandemic is still unclear.