Cathy Kelly
Senior Writer
Cathy has covered US regulation and reimbursement policy for the biopharma industry since 2004, starting with the establishment of the Medicare Part D program. Since then, she has written extensively about developments in all major sectors of the US insurance market (Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans). She has covered key legislation affecting biopharma, including the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act which created Part D, health care reform under President Obama, and the Inflation Reduction Act which establishes a government price negotiation program in Medicare for the first time and redesigns of the Part D benefit.
She has closely followed the increasing influence of pharmacy benefit managers and their use of formulary negotiations and rebates to control pricing. Cathy also has covered developments in health technology assessments, including the growing influence of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, and has monitored industry progress on novel drug contracting that reflects value-based pricing.
She has worked as a health care reporter and editor while raising three daughters. Cathy lives outside DC in Bethesda, MD, with her husband Sean.
Latest From Cathy Kelly
Novo Nordisk’s Cardiovascular Claim For Wegovy Will Enable Medicare Coverage, CBO Assumes
Medicare has not issued a policy allowing for Part D coverage of obesity drugs with additional health claims like Wegovy’s. But expectations are growing that it will.
Lilly Pre-Approval Spadework Includes Alzheimer’s Blood Test Development, Unbranded DTC Ads
Lilly is supporting development of blood-based tools for early diagnose of Alzheimer's, but the delay of the review for donanemab will create more distance from Lilly’s direct-to-consumer advertising spotlighting its commitment to Alzheimer’s research.
Lilly Pre-Approval Spadework Includes Alzheimer’s Blood Test Development, Unbranded DTC Ads
Donanemab’s review delay will create more distance from Lilly’s direct-to-consumer advertising spotlighting its commitment to Alzheimer’s research. The company has also been supporting development of blood-based tools for early diagnoses, though they would not eliminate PET scans.
Now It’s Asthma Inhalers’ Turn: Boehringer Will Cap Copays, Cut Some List Prices As Pressure Grows
Inhalers seem poised to take insulin’s spot as a top punching bag for Rx industry critics. BI’s action, a first among the marketers of inhalers for asthma and COPD, follows challenges from Bernie Sanders and the FTC on the cost of such products.
Part D Copay Smoothing: Manufacturers Excluded From Financial Reconciliation Process
Aiming for a threshold that ‘strikes the best balance,’ the final guidance from Medicare requires that plan sponsors and pharmacies use $600, single-prescription cost sharing at the point of sale to identify enrollees likely to benefit from the smoothing program and inform them about the option.
IRA Innovation Debate Showcased At House Hearing On Rare Disease Legislation
Bills to narrow the Medicare price negotiation program’s reach generated extensive discussion at the hearing.