Payers likely to throw up hurdles to Pfizer's new RA drug

You know that old adage: The one with the gold makes the rules? For the latest exhibit, look no further than Pfizer's ($PFE) anticipated rheumatoid arthritis treatment tofacitinib. After an FDA advisory panel voted in favor of the drug last week, Reimbursement Intelligence surveyed 30 big payers, asking how they'd manage access to the new treatment if it wins final approval. More than three-fourths of payers said they'd require patients to fail on at least one TNF inhibitor, such as Abbott Laboratories' ($ABT) Humira or Johnson & Johnson's ($JNJ) Remicade, before turning to Pfizer's new med. What's particularly striking about these survey results is that the payers' attitudes changed after the AdComm meeting. Report