New MGA Paper Investigates the Economic and Budgetary Effects of the BLOCKING Act
This report examines the BLOCKING Act and why it is a misguided attempt at promoting generic drug competition.
New MGA Paper Estimates Biosimilar Savings Opportunities for Large Employers
This paper estimates the savings opportunity from biosimilars in the medical benefit of a large employer-sponsored health plan, using real-world claims data. This analysis illustrates the savings potential of biosimilars in the commercial market and highlights the important role of employer-sponsored plans in promoting biosimilar utilization.
MGA’s Paper on State Opioid Taxes is Referenced on The WasteWatcher blog
“Matrix Global Advisors pointed out where the focus on fighting opioids needs to be. Approximately 36 percent of people that are misusing painkillers get their drugs from doctors.”
Healthcare Pubs Cite MGA Analysis of Proposed Rule to Restrict Drug Rebates
This week, two healthcare publications referenced MGA’s recent report concerning the HHS OIG proposed rule to restrict drug manufacturer rebates to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
New MGA Analysis Highlights Problems with Proposal to Restrict Drug Manufacturer Rebates
This MGA analysis details concerns with a proposed rule from the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General that would restrict drug manufacturer rebates to pharmacy benefit managers in Medicare Part D and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. Not only does the propose rule lack evidence, but it is poorly targeted to achieve its stated goals. I
New MGA Paper Details Downsides of Prescription Opioid Tax
In a new paper sponsored by Women In Government, MGA examines why a proposed tax on prescription opioids would be ineffective and details the unintended consequences of this policy.
New MGA Paper Identifies Steps to Reducing Barriers to Biosimilars
In a new paper, MGA discusses why the biosimilars market in the United States is not more developed and what steps can be taken to boost competition for biologic drugs. The paper identifies barriers to biosimilars by four categories, related to reference product manufacturers, biosimilar manufacturers, policy, and stakeholder education and awareness. Among the strategies to overcoming barriers are more physician and patient education, competitive biosimilar pricing, action by employer-sponsored health plans and private payors to encourage biosimilar utilization, and continued FDA efforts to support the budding market.
New MGA Study Estimates Lost Savings from Misuse of REMS and Restricted Access Programs
A new study from MGA examines the practice by brand drug manufacturers of using Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) and other forms of restricted access to keep generic manufacturers from obtaining samples needed to develop generic drugs. MGA estimates that this misuse blocks $13.4 billion in generic savings annually, an estimate that has grown nearly 250 percent since MGA’s 2014 analysis of this issue.
Charitable Giving and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
This paper investigates how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects household charitable giving in the United States. We find that the law will reduce charitable giving by $17.2 billion (4.0 percent) in 2018 according to a static model and $16.3 billion assuming a modest boost to growth.
The Geographic Variation in the Cost of the Opioid Crisis
As the opioid epidemic worsens in the United States, the toll it imposes on the US economy has risen to staggering heights. The White House Council of Economic Advisers recently estimated the economic burden, inclusive of the value of statistical lives lost, to be $504 billion in 2015. More narrowly constructed estimates find cost burdens as high as $95 billion in 2016.