ARTICLE SUMMARY:
In this week’s roundup: Brazil launches its new implantable device price monitoring database, starting with coronary stents; Switzerland and the EU take steps to soften the short-term blow of not reaching a bilateral agreement before the Medical Device Regulation takes effect; groups push CMS to delay its plans to expand prior authorization in Medicare; and more news from Europe and the US.
Top Pick: Brazil Spotlights Stent Prices
After years in development, Brazil launched a public price benchmarking database for implantable devices April 1. The first devices to be put under the limelight in the database are coronary stents, both bare-metal and drug-eluting. The database is intended to help counter a history of corruption linked to overinflated pricing for implantable devices in the country. It lists reference prices, with quartile ranges, for stents with different technical attributes, based on a combination of list price information the manufacturers submit to ANVISA as part of the regulatory registration process and public procurement information. The government is not imposing any price controls on the products—the information is intended to improve transparency so hospitals are at greater advantage in procurement negotiations. (See “Brazil Device Price Database Plan Starts to Take Form,” Market Pathways, August 7, 2020.)
