Comparative Effectiveness Research: One way to beat the competition

A higher percentage of companies are using Comparative Effectiveness Research to help with pricing and reimbursement decisions, according to new research from Cutting Edge Information.

Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo's new anti-clotting drug, Effient, will be priced at an 18% premium to the current standard of care, Bristol-Myer Squibb's Plavix, according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires. The decision to price Effient higher than Plavix came after the results of a head-to-head trial named TRITON that pitted two drugs against one another.

The TRITON study, conducted at 707 trial sites in 30 different countries, included 13,608 patients. Among some of Effient's positive results was a 13% reduction in overall adverse events, which included all-cause death, heart attack, stroke and major bleeding. Statistics like these allow Lilly and Sankyo to present insurers with better scenarios when seeking formulary status equal to or greater than Plavix.

Not all of the study's findings were positive for Effient, however. The TRITON study revealed an increased risk of bleeding for those taking Effient in some patient populations based on age, weight and stroke history.

"The decision is in the hands of the payer organizations now," said Jason Richardson, president of Cutting Edge Information. "Payers will take a close look at the TRITON data when determining Effient's reimbursement status compared to Plavix. The data create a complex decision-making process. This is not as clear-cut as, say, Pfizer's early strategy with Lipitor."

Thanks in large part to the two comparison studies named CURVES and CHALLENGE, Pfizer was able to show that Lipitor was more effective in many patient populations than the other statins on the market at the time. Those results, combined with a lower price, helped Lipitor grab 18% of the statin market within its first 18 months.

Reimbursement is always an important topic for pharmaceutical companies. Comparative Effectiveness Research studies are one way to gain a leg up on the competition.