A Health Podyssey

Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews James Robinson from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health on drug innovation, biosimilars, and market competition in the United States and beyond.

Show Notes

In our multi-payer health care system, the pharmaceutical market involves the complex interplay of manufacturers, insurers, prescribers, and patients. Each seeks to protect its own interest, which can be counterproductive for overall system efficiency.

The United States also has a high rate of generic drug use, which is considered a success story as the introduction of generics can rapidly and dramatically reduce drug prices. But we've had much less success with biosimilars, the generic equivalent of high-cost biologic drugs.

James Robinson from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health joins A Health Podyssey to discuss pharmaceuticals, how they're priced, and how competition in the United States compares to other countries.

Robinson is a contributing editor to Health Affairs and the co-author of two papers published in the August 2021 issue. In one, Robinson and coauthor Quentin Jarrion analyze prices for three drugs and 11 competing biosimilars in France's single payer health system. They find the launch of biosimilars in France is associated with price reductions for the originator drug and the similar drug.

In the second paper, Robinson and coauthors investigated the economic burden of drug utilization management on payers, manufacturers, physicians, and patients. They report that all stakeholders would benefit from a de-escalation of utilization management, which could lower drug prices and increase patient access.

Order the August 2021 issue.

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What is A Health Podyssey?

Each week, Health Affairs' Rob Lott brings you in-depth conversations with leading researchers and influencers shaping the big ideas in health policy and the health care industry.

A Health Podyssey goes beyond the pages of the health policy journal Health Affairs to tell stories behind the research and share policy implications. Learn how academics and economists frame their research questions and journey to the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Health policy nerds rejoice! This podcast is for you.