V1, Jim, thanks for the discussion on off-label use and the role of insurance or HMOs on this. I think getting a good grasp on this issue is important for evaluating the ultimate impact on drug developers of the recent FDA reforms, and of course, for estimating Avonex sales growth over the short and medium term. As I understand them, these reforms, among other things, make it easier for drug companies to promote off-label use of approved drugs. Ironically, this comes at a time in which, at least by my perception, third-party payors are increasingly reluctant to offer coverage for anything but the most "established" and "proven" treatments.
I recently tried (I do mean "tried," this is boring stuff) to read some of the literature on this issue, and came across an article by a man from Kaiser-Permanente in the July 16 issue of JAMA. A Medline author search shows this guy has been busy writing about this and related issues over the last few years. The link to the JAMA article is:
ama-assn.org
Follow-up correspondence to the article came out in a November issue:
ama-assn.org
PB |
