S2, Ep 5- UnQALYfied: Putting a Price on Patients Life

In the United States, data analytics are used to determine the price of drugs. But many patients don’t fit into neatly organized statistics, especially ones who have multiple diseases and, as a result, are denied therapies. In this week’s episode, we explore the method used in the U.S. to set drug prices, called the Cost per QALY or cost-effectiveness.   "Data in health care has never been meant to be static. We need to provide even greater scrutiny concerning these models and how they’re applied and make coverage decisions for life-saving biopharmaceuticals,” says Dr. Robert Popovian, Chief Science Policy Officer at the Global Healthy Living Foundation. Among the highlights in this episode: 1:42: Listener review 2:15: Organizations that have global influence over patient care and access 3:30: How do these organizations define value in the marketplace? 4:07: A chronic patient doesn’t always benefit from this analytic approach to pricing drugs 4:35: “If the patient doesn’t fit the profile, they’re denied the therapy,” says Robert 5:00: Are these analytical tools misleading? 5:25: What happens if it ends up on a list in the U.S.?  6:18: From year to year, medications on these lists change 7:25: Robert shares his final thoughts Contact our hosts: Dr. Robert Popovian, Chief Science Policy Officer at GHLF, [email protected] Conner Mertens, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at GHLF, [email protected] We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself to [email protected]. Listen to all episodes of Healthcare Matters on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.