Friday, December 09, 2016
Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A., an international specialist in Molecular Nuclear Medicine (“MNM”), today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted NETSPOT® Transitional Pass-Through status under an “A-code” (A9587) for drug reimbursement, effective January 1, 2017. Additionally, the same Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (“HCPCS”) “A Code” will be used on claims to private payers. NETSPOT® was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in June 2016 for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 dotatate for injection, for the localization of somatostatin receptor positive neuroendocrine tumors (“NETs”) in adult and pediatric patients using Positron Emission Tomography (“PET’).
A first-in-class drug, NETSPOT® was approved after a record-breaking 23 months from the first pre-Investigational New Drug meeting with the FDA. The product has been used and paid for over the past six months, even prior to the issuance of this Pass-Through code, demonstrating recognition of NETSPOT’s® value to NET patient management.
NETSPOT® is available in two forms: As a drug kit for reconstitution using a Ga 68 generator, and as a ready-to-use injection delivered from local radiopharmacies in select metropolitan areas. AAA and its radiopharmacy partners around the U.S. are now delivering more than 120 patient-ready doses of NETSPOT® in injection form per month. Ten radiopharmacies are currently in operation, with three more expected to become active shortly. The company plans to grow its network of radiopharmacy partners to more than 40 sites over the first half of 2017. Metropolitan areas where patient-ready doses of NETSPOT® are currently, or soon to be, available in injection form include Boston, Denver, Houston, Lexington (KY), New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Louis, and Washington DC.
Stefano Buono, Chief Executive Officer of AAA said, “The enthusiastic response of the NET patient and physician community to NETSPOT® has been remarkable. Once effective, this coding will streamline billing and reimbursement for all institutions using the product. The NETSPOT® rollout is progressing in line with our expectations and recent changes in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines should facilitate placement of additional gallium Ga 68 generators around the country.”
Source:salesandmarketingnetwork.com