CMS Will Pay for Comparative Trials

At least, that's the way I read this coverage decision memo, published yesterday by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS officials didn't return a phone call or email seeking comment.

The immediate winner should be an NIH-funded trial comparing two biotech drugs, both made by Genentech, that are used for macular degeneration in seniors: Lucentis and Avastin. The former costs $1,000 a shot; the latter $40 a shot, even though they do the same thing. For more background on why the could wind up saving taxpayers hundreds of millions, see the GoozNews posts here and here.