HEOR News
US Democrats Propose Alternate Drug Pricing Policy Ahead of Midterm Elections (Senate Committee on Finance)
The United States Senate Finance Committee minority staff has released a request for information outlining 3 policy options aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, reducing patient out-of-pocket costs, and supporting biopharmaceutical innovation. Comments must be submitted in writing by August 17. Read more.
CT-Derived Biomarker Predicts Gastric Cancer Survival Outcomes in Brazilian Study (Clinical Nutrition ESPEN)
Researchers in São Paulo, Brazil, identified a new marker called VMD that could improve staging of gastric adenocarcinoma as a complement to conventional tumor-based screening. They found that higher VMD values were associated with poorer overall survival and disease-free survival. Read more.
Modeling Study Makes Economic Case for Structured Exercise in GLP-1 Therapy (Health & Fitness Association)
Economic modeling research from the Health & Fitness Association found that, over 10 years, structured exercise combined with GLP-1 therapy will lead to a greater return on investment and a net monetary benefit in 5 countries compared with GLP-1 therapy alone. Read more.
World Health Organization Releases Principles for Managed Entry Agreements (WHO)
The World Health Organization Novel Medicines Platform has published principles for managed entry agreements (MEAs) in Europe to help manage uncertainty about the financial impact and performance of new medicines. The framework includes 8 core MEA principles, an uncertainty scale, a flow chart, and a checklist. Read more.
Report Finds Drug Shortages in US Declined in 2025 but Are Lasting Longer (US Pharmacopeia)
Drug shortages decreased by 23% in 2025, but the duration of shortages is on the rise, according to the latest Annual Drug Shortages Report from the United States Pharmacopeia. The average duration of a drug shortage is more than 5 years, up from 4.2 years in 2024 and roughly 2 years in 2019. More than 64% of the drugs currently in short supply have been unavailable for more than 3 years. Read more.
Real-World Data Suggest COVID-19 History Increases Tuberculosis Risk (Journal of General and Family Medicine)
A history of COVID-19 is associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of needing treatment for active tuberculosis (TB), according to an analysis of real-world data from Japan’s National Insurance Database. That risk is about 15 times higher in people with a history of TB, a subgroup that could warrant further clinical and policy consideration. Read more.
UK and US Announce Liaison Program to Promote Regulatory Collaboration (MHRA)
The United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration have announced a new liaison program to help strengthen the regulatory partnership between the 2 countries. Read more.
Diabetes Drug Could Help Lower Heart Failure Risk in Genetically Predisposed Patients (Mass General Brigham)
Dapagliflozin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, is particularly effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in people who are genetically predisposed to developing cardiomyopathy, according to research from Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Read more.
Health Systems Strengthening Gaps Persist for Newborn Care in Africa (Lancet Global Health)
Investments in health systems strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa remain far below what is needed to achieve national care standards for small and sick newborns, according to research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine that analyzed neonatal care costs in Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Read more.
Shingles Vaccine Associated With Decreased Dementia Risk in Older Adults (Annals of Internal Medicine)
Older adults who received a shingles vaccine after a stay in a skilled nursing facility had a 24% lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia over a 4-year period than those who were not vaccinated, according to a target trial emulation study that included an analysis of health records and Medicare data for more than 500,000 people. Read more.
AI Mammogram Scores Flag Elevated Levels 10 Years Before Breast Cancer Diagnosis (Radiology)
Using artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer-aided detection to score sequential mammograms in individuals diagnosed with breast cancer, researchers from Sweden found elevated scores up to 10 years before diagnosis. The findings suggest AI scores could be part of an early alert process for supplemental imaging. Read more.
EHR-Based Marker Can Identify Transplant Patients at Risk of Organ Rejection (Texas Children’s)
An electronic health record–based marker derived from routine lab values can help clinicians identify transplant patients who are at high risk for organ rejection due to not taking their medications as prescribed, according to a study involving 13 pediatric transplant centers in the United States and Canada. Read more.
