Cathy Kelly
Senior Writer
Cathy has covered US regulation and reimbursement policy for the biopharma industry since 2004, starting with the establishment of the Medicare Part D program. Since then, she has written extensively about developments in all major sectors of the US insurance market (Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans). She has covered key legislation affecting biopharma, including the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act which created Part D, health care reform under President Obama, and the Inflation Reduction Act which establishes a government price negotiation program in Medicare for the first time and redesigns of the Part D benefit.
She has closely followed the increasing influence of pharmacy benefit managers and their use of formulary negotiations and rebates to control pricing. Cathy also has covered developments in health technology assessments, including the growing influence of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, and has monitored industry progress on novel drug contracting that reflects value-based pricing.
She has worked as a health care reporter and editor while raising three daughters. Cathy lives outside DC in Bethesda, MD, with her husband Sean.
Latest From Cathy Kelly
US FDA Biologics Designation As Price Protection: Lilly Charts New Course With Retatrutide
An effort to change the US Food and Drug Administration’s conclusion that its obesity treatment candidate retatrutide is a drug and not a biologic could give the product more time with unrestricted pricing in Medicare, among other benefits.
Would National US HTA/Price Negotiation Process Slow Drug Access? Maybe Not
Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds the US time from a drug’s approval to reimbursement is not the swiftest, compared to countries in Europe.
Obesity Drugs Will Get Broad Commercial Coverage In 2025 Despite Cost Concerns, Survey Says
The Business Group on Health survey also highlights employers’ complicated attitudes on prescription drug rebates in their health benefit programs.
PBM Rebating Practices: How Much Do Employer Plan Sponsors Really Know?
A National Pharmaceutical Council survey of self-insured employers offers a new perspective on pharmacy benefit manager claims that rebating practices only reflect the decisions made by their clients.
Pfizer's Direct-To-Consumer Digital Platform Not Limited To Its Own Treatment Options
The launch of Pfizer's new direct-to-consumer program for vaccines and migraine drugs follows the introduction of Eli Lilly's LillyDirect in January. Company-branded initiatives are careful to partner with third-party vendors and allow the use of treatments marketed by other companies to avoid compliance pitfalls.
HRSA-J&J Dispute Over 340B Rebate Plan Again Underscores Need For Program Reform
Johnson & Johnson plans to shift 340B price concessions on Stelara and Xarelto to rebates for some hospitals beginning in October, allowing for more company oversight of claims.