Takeda recently launched a value-based pricing program for its ALK lung cancer drug Alunbrig for people in the New England area.

Under the agreement, Takeda will offer a “significant” rebate to Point32Health if a patient doesn’t stay on Alunbrig past three months because of efficacy or tolerability reasons, Dion Warren, Takeda Oncology’s U.S. head, explained in an interview. The size of the refund would be tied to the number of members on the drug, a Point32Health spokesperson told Fierce Pharma. Patients would also get a refund from their plans for out-of-pocket costs, the spokesperson said.

Takeda’s move comes shortly after Pfizer launched a pilot program called Pfizer Pledge for its first-generation ALK med Xalkori, as Stat reported last month. The Pfizer program, based on warranties, promises to refund the entire cost of Xalkori if a patient stops treatment within the first three months. Xalkori currently bears a monthly wholesale acquisition cost of about $19,100, while Alunbrig’s list price is about $17,000 per month.

Xalkori is the old ALK med that every subsequent offering in the class has bested during clinical trials. For Takeda’s Alunbrig, the drug reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51% over Xalkori in newly diagnosed patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The phase 3 Alta-1L data earned Alunbrig an FDA nod for first-line use last May.

Get the full story at fiercepharma.com.


Takeda Alunbrig

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