Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39167355›Full record

Observational studyPharmacoEconomics2024

Drug Pricing Stewardship from Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Generic Drug Program.

Snigdha Gulati, Mohak Gupta, TingTing Yan, Sneha Yelamanchili, Lucy Qinghua Xu, Tina Bharani, Ali Naji, Divyansh Agarwal

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in PharmacoEconomics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Snigdha GulatiDepartment of General and Thoracic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Mohak GuptaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
TingTing YanFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Sneha YelamanchiliFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Lucy Qinghua XuFaculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Tina BharaniDepartment of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ali NajiDepartment of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Divyansh AgarwalDepartment of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, GRB 425, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. dagarwal@mgh.harvard.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-0404-6877

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

importanceThe exceedingly high US spending per capita on prescription medications is mediated, at least in part, by the inefficiencies of existing generic pharmaceutical distribution and reimbursement systems; yet, the extent of potential savings and areas for targeted interventions for generic drug prescribers remains underexplored.

objectiveWe aimed to analyze 2021 Medicare Part D spending on generic drugs in comparison with pricing of a low-cost generic drug program, the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC), to gauge the extent of achievable potential savings. DESIGN, SETTING, AND

participantsIn this retrospective, observational study, we performed a systematic analysis of potential Medicare Part D savings when using MCCPDC generic pricing. The 2023 MCCPDC data, as of August 2023, were obtained from the provider's publicly available database. The 2021 Medicare Part D data and prescriber datasets were obtained from the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes included total prescription volume, proportion of drugs with savings, total US dollar Medicare savings, and average weighted price reduction per unit drug. Results were stratified by medical and surgical subspecialties to identify areas for targeted interventions. Subspecialty-wise contribution to total savings versus contribution to total prescription volume was characterized.

resultsTotal estimated Medicare Part D savings were $8.6 billion using 90-day MCCPDC pricing, with surgical drugs accounting for over $900 million. Nearly 80% of the examined drugs were more price effective through MCCPDC using 90-day supply. Commonly prescribed drugs in cardiology, psychiatry, neurology, transplant surgery, and urology demonstrated the highest estimated absolute savings. The most disproportionate savings relative to prescription volume were observed for drugs in oncology, gynecology, infectious disease, transplant surgery, and colorectal surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study underscores the significant potential for Medicare Part D savings through strategies that address the systemic overpayment for generic medications. We identified key areas for reform as well as specific medical and surgical subspecialties where targeted interventions could yield substantial savings.

Indexed as

Cost SavingsDrug CostsDrugs, GenericMedicare Part DCubaDrug IndustryHumansPrescription DrugsRetrospective StudiesUnited StatesDrugs, GenericPrescription Drugs

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.