This paper assesses the role that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) could play in facilitating improved Medicare beneficiary access to pharmaceutical care (which includes access to pharmaceuticals as well as disease management coverage). Based on a literature review and original survey results,...

Background: The debate on access to new drugs has focused on the time lag between applications for approval and granting of marketing authorisation. This delay was identified as the first barrier with respect to patient access to new drugs, encompassing the hurdles of safety, efficacy and...

There are three known criteria that underlie drug reimbursement decisions: therapeutic value, cost effectiveness and burden of disease. However, evidence from recent reimbursement decisions in several jurisdictions points to residual unexplained variables,_ one of which may be budget impact._ An...