Personalized Medicine Webinar

I don’t have anything to do with this, but it sounds pretty interesting.  Medco and Regence are talking.  Here is the teaser.  (Click here for more info and registration.)

Personalized medicine is moving rapidly. The FDA in December considered requests to require genetic testing for the colon cancer drugs Vectibix and Erbitux. Approval of such labeling changes could pave the way for a slew of other personalized therapies and diagnostics now waiting in the wings. Stakeholders anticipate significant clinical and financial savings. Recently approved genetic testing for the blood thinner warfarin, for instance, is projected to avoid 85,000 serious bleeding events annually and save roughly $1.1 billion a year!

On the other hand, questions remain whether the model actually provides a favorable return on investment (ROI). A new study finds that genetic testing for warfarin does not appear to be cost-effective in certain patients. And health plans and PBMs are trying to sort out which of the numerous diagnostic tests on the market actually provide clinical utility and improved results. One large health plan, for example, says its costs for diagnostic testing are growing at nearly 20% a year.

So where does all of this leave Rx payers in February 2009?