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PDAB staff summarizes data work, clarifies orphan-drug review approach and timelines for 2026
Summary
PDAB staff reported progress validating carrier data, described public outreach and feedback mechanisms, and clarified that the board's dual statutory mandate covers both patient out-of-pocket costs and system costs; staff also explained why some orphan-designated drugs are included in the 2026 review.
PDAB staff briefed the board on May 20 about data validation, outreach forums, the public feedback period and packet timelines for the 2026 drug review cycle. Executive Director Sarah Young emphasized the board's dual statutory mandate, saying the statute "charges the PDAB to identify drugs that may create affordability challenges for health care systems or high out of pocket costs for patients in this state." She noted staff's work to validate carrier reports and to incorporate those data into drug-review packets starting in June.
Young addressed stakeholder letters raising concerns about orphan-designated drugs and explained that administrative rule 925-200-020 and Oregon Revised Statute 646A.694 guide the board's discretion. "The board has discretion each year to make decisions about where to focus our drug review efforts among all of the drugs reported to DCBS," Young said, noting the board reviewed some drugs with orphan designations in 2026 after excluding them in 2025.
Staff described seven outreach forums, translated patient feedback forms into multiple languages, and extended the feedback window for three months. Courtney (PDAB staff) presented planned packet structure, rubric elements (enrollee counts, price history, price concessions, utilization) and a timeline that aims to finalize packets in September-October and hold votes by November.
Why it matters: The staff's clarification that PDAB balances patient-level affordability and system costs frames how the board will evaluate drugs, including those with orphan designations. The planned packet structure and expanded equity data (APAC-based, with caveats) affect what evidence the board will use for its determinations.
Next steps: Staff will post rolling packet updates, incorporate remaining carrier data, finalize rubric ranges once data are complete, and return to the board in June for material-packet review.
