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[MM Curator Summary]: Medicaid spent $25B on HIV drugs over a 12 year period, and the researchers try to figure out what drove increases.
Clipped from: https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/home/topics/hiv-aids/medicaid-spending-antiretrovirals-increased-between-2007-2019/
Medicaid spending on antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increased by 178% between 2007 and 2019, according to study findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, sought to estimate Medicaid spending on ARTs to treat HIV between 2007 and 2019. They obtained publicly available data on Medicaid State Drug Utilization, and approximated Medicaid’s net spending based on average prices and Medicaid rebates for 48 available ARTs. The base Medicaid rebate ranged from 15% to 23% plus any added rebates if the medication’s price increased faster than inflation.
According to the researchers’ estimates, Medicaid spent around $25 billion for 17 million 30-day supplies of the 48 available ARTs between 2007 and 2019.
When comparing 2007 spending to 2019 spending, Medicaid’s annual net spending increased by 178% from $1.1 billion to $3.0 billion, while the average net price of ARTs increased 28% from $1432 to $1830 for every 30-day supply. Annual use of ARTs increased 118% from 700,000 to 1.6 million 30-day supplies during the same period. These increases suggest that newer ART formulations, combinations, and ingredients were more expensive, and that inflationary rebates did not effectively counteract rising costs.
Other factors may also explain the rising spending on ARTs. The population of Medicaid beneficiaries increased, particularly following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which expanded Medicaid eligibility in 2012. Treatment advancements and improved efficacies also extended the lifespan of individuals living with HIV.
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[T]he US government should be authorized to assure that launch prices for new drugs covered by Medicaid are aligned with the added benefit they offer over existing therapies.
In 2007, the most commonly used ARTs included TVD, EFV/FTC/TDF, and LPV/r. In 2019, the most commonly used ARTs consisted of single-tablet regimens, including BIC/F/TAF, E/C/F/TAF , and DOL/ABC/3TC.
Limitations of the study include possible underestimation of actual rebates, use of estimated ART prices and estimated medication usage based on 30-day supplies of medications.
“Medicaid spending on [ARTs] nearly tripled from 2007-2019, due to expanded use of [ARTs] and rising prices,” the study authors conclude. They add, “To prevent sustained high prices due to serial replacement of brand-name drugs with incrementally different products among [ARTs] and other classes of drugs, the US government should be authorized to assure that launch prices for new drugs covered by Medicaid are aligned with the added benefit they offer over existing therapies.”
Disclosures: Some study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.