Abarca Health, Biogen ally on multiple sclerosis coverage
By partnering with manufacturers such as Biogen, Abarca Health is ensuring greater accountability around the investments made by payers and patients in high cost treatments.
Abarca Health, a pharmacy benefit management and technology company that serves more than 2 million people across the U.S., has signed a value-based reimbursement contract with Biogen Inc. for select products in its multiple sclerosis portfolio.
This first-of-its-kind agreement between the companies — which includes Puerto Rico — offers an approach to connecting outcomes with the effective net cost of the products.
The agreement places accountability on Biogen to deliver safety, efficacy, and value for the patients who receive these life-impacting therapies and for the payers who finance them.
“We are excited to partner with Biogen in implementing this innovative, data-driven, and outcomes-based pricing program for MS drug therapies,” said Javier González, COO of Abarca Health.
“We believe this program is a significant milestone in our efforts to collaborate with pharmaceutical manufacturers to find a better way to guide patients and payers down the path to value, especially in high impact disease categories,” he said.
This contract builds on Abarca Health’s ongoing work with Biogen to find better ways to collaborate in the treatment of patients afflicted with complex, high-cost conditions, company executives said.
“We believe that contracting approaches like this will help expand access for patients. We’re excited to work with an innovative partner like Abarca Health and lead the way for MS care,” said Jean-Paul Kress, head of global therapeutic operations of Biogen.
Outcomes-based contracting is a key part of the future of healthcare. By partnering with manufacturers such as Biogen, Abarca Health is ensuring greater accountability around the investments made by payers and patients in high cost treatments, which leads to better access and better outcomes for patients, company officials said.
