ICER questions price of DMD therapies, reviews MS and depression drugs

Even under its more lax value assessment framework for rare diseases, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review found that Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapies Emflaza deflazacort, Exondys 51 eteplirsen and golodirsen were not cost-effective. An ICER panel also weighed in on the institute's recent assessments of therapies for depression and multiple sclerosis.

In a draft evidence report released Wednesday, ICER said incremental cost-effectiveness ratios comparing each drug with prednisone mostly exceeded the institute's thresholds based on quality-adjusted life years. Emflaza's cost exceeded $500,000 per QALY in more than 95% of the institute's simulations...