Drug developers and payers are coming together long before product approvals to work out payment options for high-cost, high-impact cell and gene therapies, but challenges like portability of commercially insured patients and Medicaid best price requirements remain.

The German group's cancer drug is the first to be approved for use in Europe for a wide range of tumors. The principal challenge now is to find eligible patients.

The US firm has withdrawn its submission to get EU approval for Xyndari. After being turned down by the CHMP, Emmaus may try the decentralized approval procedure instead.

China’s massive centralized "4+7" drug procurement scheme is now being rolled out nationwide, involving some of the largest provincial markets and huge product volumes.

More than two years after EU approval, BioMarin and the National Health Service have agreed pricing for the ultra-rare disease therapy, Brineura, allowing it to be publicly funded while further clinical data are collected as part of a managed access agreement.

New models of paying for gene therapies will emerge as more of these innovative treatments, particularly outside the rare disease and oncology spaces, hit the market.

VP Rebecca Morison said the ankylosing spondylitis indication adds more evidence of Taltz's benefits. She noted Lilly believes there should be fewer steps before AS patients access IL-17 inhibitors.

United HealthCare agreed to cover Mvasi and Kanjinti in a preferred position. Amgen VP-oncology sales & marketing Susan Logan talked to Scrip about the company's first US biosimilar launches.