Posted by Michael Wonder on 12 Oct 2016
Aetna, Merck reach value-based deal on diabetes medicines and collaborate on wellness
12 October 2016 - The pay-for-performance deal comes as Januvia faces increased competition from newer drug classes, especially SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Aetna announced yesterday that it had reached agreements with the pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck on a value-based reimbursement deal for its blockbuster diabetes drug Januvia (sitagliptin), and that the two health care giants would also share information for a wellness initiative aimed at making sure patients take medication as directed, as well as following proper diet and exercise.
The pay-for-performance deal for Januvia comes as the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, which had $3.99 billion in sales in 2015, faces increased competition from newer classes of therapy for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Most notable are the sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. One SGLT2 inhibitor, Jardiance (empagliflozin), by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, and a GLP-1, Novo Nordisk’s Victoza (liraglutide), have been shown in studies to have a cardiovascular benefit.
