CMS Maintains Clinical Trial Coverage Status Quo
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
Executive Summary
Agency backs down from changes proposed in July, in part because of provisions in recently passed FDA reform act.
You may also be interested in...
Reimbursement In Brief
CMS drops reimbursement code for off-label Avastin use ahead of schedule: On Nov. 16, CMS formally drops the Q-code it had set up to reimburse physicians outside of the hospital setting for off-label use of Avastin (bevacizumab) to treat wet aged macular degeneration. The agency previously announced the Q-code would be dropped on Jan. 1, 2010 (1"The Pink Sheet" DAILY, Oct. 28, 2009). The Q-code generated controversy because it would under-reimburse physicians who use the drug over Lucentis (ranibizumab), which is approved for the indication but is significantly more expensive. Both drugs are manufactured by Roche/Genentech
Quality-Of-Life Data Favor Stenting Over Drugs In Short-Term
The high-profile COURAGE trial again raises the question of how soon stents should be placed in patients with coronary disease.