About

Sean D. Sullivan is a Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He holds a joint appointment as Professor of Health Services in the School of Public Health. Dr. Sullivan completed his pharmacy training at Oregon State University in 1983, earned a master's degree from the University of Texas in 1986, and obtained a PhD in health economics and policy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992. His research interests include pharmaceutical policy, health technology assessment, medical decision-making, and economic evaluation of medical technology, including pharmaceuticals. He has authored more than 450 articles, book chapters, and reports, many assessing the evidence and applications of medical technology in relation to coverage and reimbursement decisions. Dr. Sullivan has held leadership roles such as past president of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and past chair of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Executive Committee of the Format for Formulary Submissions. He has served on various advisory committees, including the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee, and has received awards such as the 2014 Stephen G. Avey Lifetime Achievement Award from AMCP and the 2015 APhA Research Achievement Award. In 2020, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and in 2022, he was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Political Science
• Psychiatry
• Oncology
• Endocrinology
• Demography
• Medical education
• Environmental health
• Psychology
• Nursing

Selected publications

• Defining a Framework for Sustainable Global Biosimilars Markets Using Findings from a Targeted Literature Review

  BioDrugs · 2025-02-26 · 1 citations

  reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Comprehensive Access to Semaglutide: Clinical and Economic Implications for Medicare

  Value in Health · 2025-07-21 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to estimate comprehensive value of semaglutide in the Medicare population for current and future FDA-approved indications. METHODS: We used data from government reports, published clinical studies, and real-world claims to model clinical outcomes and costs in patients with diabetes, overweight/obesity, and metabolic-associated steatohepatitis over a 10-year period (2026 to 2035). We estimated the financial impact to the Medicare program by comparing the impact of costs of averted clinical events and anticipated treatment costs under various treatment utilization and price assumptions with a scenario in which no patients were treated with semaglutide. We used estimates of the net price of semaglutide, an estimated negotiated price based on a 10% discount from net price starting in year 2, and accounted for patient out-of-pocket costs. RESULTS: Over the 10-year period, we estimated that broad access to semaglutide would result in 38 950 cardiovascular events avoided, and 6180 deaths avoided due to reduction in cardiovascular events and improvement in chronic kidney disease or metabolic-associated steatohepatitis progression. The net financial impact to Medicare was estimated to be savings of $715 million over 10 years. Alternative scenarios yielded net savings ranging from $1.04 billion to $412 million. A scenario that accounted for loss of exclusivity of semaglutide and other treatments produced 10-year cost savings to Medicare of approximately $1.71 billion. CONCLUSIONS: Availability of semaglutide in Medicare for all FDA-approved indications would have a substantial impact on health outcomes at net savings of between $1.04 billion and $412 million over 10 years.

  PublisherDOI

• Deep Fake Out

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Estimated True Out-of-Pocket Cost Changes From the Inflation Reduction Act on Medicare Part D Beneficiaries With Cancer

  Value in Health · 2025-07-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: To estimate changes in true out-of-pocket (TrOOP) spend from implementation of a $2000 cap for outpatient prescriptions as authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) among Medicare Part D beneficiaries who received a diagnosis of cancer. METHODS: Medicare beneficiaries who received a diagnosis of cancer and at least one Part D claim for a prescription drug to treat cancer in 2021 were identified from a 5% random sample of beneficiaries. Part D drug expenditures were extracted and adjusted to 2025 expenditures using previously published methods. Total annual TrOOP spend per beneficiary was estimated under 2 scenarios: (1) 2025 Part D design expected without any IRA policies implemented and (2) IRA design with a $2000 TrOOP cap. We reported the proportion of beneficiaries who would experience TrOOP spend changes with the cap and estimated differences in TrOOP spend for these individuals. RESULTS: An estimated 42% of Part D beneficiaries with a diagnosis of cancer were predicted to have annual TrOOP spend of more than $2000 without the Part D cap. With the cap, these beneficiaries were expected to experience an average annual reduction of $8486 in TrOOP spend. Among these beneficiaries, with the TrOOP cap, those with hematologic cancers were expected to experience the greatest reduction ($10 846/beneficiary). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a Part D $2000 cap is expected to generate meaningful reduction in TrOOP spend for high-cost Medicare Part D beneficiaries who received a diagnosis of cancer.

  PublisherDOI

• PT27 Cost-Effectiveness of Delaying Progression of Alzheimer's Disease with Novel Monoclonal Antibodies: A Societal Perspective

  Value in Health · 2025-07-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Selected drugs, therapeutic alternatives, and price benchmarks for IPAY 2027 Medicare drug price negotiation

  Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy · 2025-09-12 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: On or before November 1, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will report the agreed-upon negotiated prices (maximum fair prices [MFPs]) for the second round of up to 15 Medicare Part D drugs selected for price negotiation (Initial Price Applicability Year 2027). OBJECTIVE: To propose guideline-recommended therapeutic alternatives and estimate price benchmarks that may be considered by CMS for negotiation. METHODS: diagnosis codes for each indication were evaluated to estimate relative indication-specific utilization. We examined published clinical guidelines to identify and propose therapeutic alternatives for each drug and the most prevalent, FDA-approved indication. For negotiation price benchmarks, we report (1) the list price, (2) the estimated net price after manufacturer discounts, (3) the minimum statutory discount, and (4) the ceiling of the MFP. All price benchmarks were estimated at the product level, for a 30-day equivalent dosing, using Medicare Part D dashboard and IQVIA data. We also estimated net prices for the proposed therapeutic alternatives. RESULTS: Four drugs were identified to have 1 (deutetrabenazine, linaclotide, and nintedanib-esylate) or no (rifaximin) therapeutic alternative. Eight of the 15 selected drugs will have the ceiling price set by the minimum statutory discount. Four products (acalabrutinib, semaglutide, linagliptin, and sitagliptin/metformin) will include therapeutic alternatives and MFPs from the first round of negotiation. The selection of therapeutic alternatives and estimation of price benchmarks by CMS will set the initial conditions for subsequent price negotiation. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses identify the likely ceiling price and various initial price offer scenarios for the second round of Medicare price negotiation. We report price benchmarks and likely therapeutic alternatives to improve transparency around the opaque CMS negotiation process.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Genome-scale spatial mapping of the Hodgkin lymphoma microenvironment identifies tumor cell survival factors

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-01-25 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract A key challenge in cancer research is to identify the secreted factors that contribute to tumor cell survival. Nowhere is this more evident than in Hodgkin lymphoma, where malignant Hodgkin Reed Sternberg (HRS) cells comprise only 1-5% of the tumor mass, the remainder being infiltrating immune cells that presumably are required for the survival of the HRS cells. Until now, there has been no way to characterize the complex Hodgkin lymphoma tumor microenvironment at genome scale. Here, we performed genome-wide transcriptional profiling with spatial and single-cell resolution. We show that the neighborhood surrounding HRS cells forms a distinct niche involving 31 immune and stromal cell types and is enriched in CD4+ T cells, myeloid and follicular dendritic cells, while being depleted of plasma cells. Moreover, we used machine learning to nominate ligand-receptor pairs enriched in the HRS cell niche. Specifically, we identified IL13 as a candidate survival factor. In support of this hypothesis, recombinant IL13 augmented the proliferation of HRS cells in vitro . In addition, genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 loss-of-function studies across more than 1,000 human cancer cell lines showed that IL4R and IL13RA1, the heterodimeric partners that constitute the IL13 receptor, were uniquely required for the survival of HRS cells. Moreover, monoclonal antibodies targeting either IL4R or IL13R phenocopied the genetic loss of function studies. IL13-targeting antibodies are already FDA-approved for atopic dermatitis, suggesting that clinical trials testing such agents should be explored in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

  PublisherDOI

• 1280 Innate Immune and Stromal Microenvironmental Remodeling in High-Risk Follicular Lymphoma Defined by Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing

  Laboratory Investigation · 2025-03-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Integrating Price Benchmarks and Comparative Clinical Effectiveness to Predict Initial Price Offers for Medicare Drug Price Negotiation (Initial Price Applicability Year 2027)

  Value in Health · 2025-10-04

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• <div> Is Antitrust Law, Policy, or Politics?</div>

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant RC2CA148433

  NIH · $2.0M · 2011

• NIH Grant UC2CA148433

  NIH · $2.0M · 2012

• NIH Grant UC1HS015319

  NIH · $988k · 2007

• UW Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Career Development Program (K12)

  NIH · $902k · 2012–2014

• UW Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Career Development Program K12 2014 2019

  NIH · $3.8M · 2014–2019

Frequent coauthors

• Scott D. Ramsey

  University of Washington

  181 shared

• Judy Powell

  81 shared

• Greg C. Larsen

  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  81 shared

• Anna Olarte

  Oregon Health & Science University

  81 shared

• Michael A. Brodsky

  Mayo Clinic in Florida

  81 shared

• John H. McAnulty

  81 shared

• Toshio Akiyama

  81 shared

• Cheryl Jennings

  81 shared

Labs

• Plein Center for AgingPI

Education

• B.S., Pharmacy

  Oregon State University

  1983

• M.S., Pharmacy

  University of Texas

  1986

Awards & honors

• 2014 Stephen G. Avey Lifetime Achievement Award from the Aca…
• 2015 APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research Sciences (APRS)…
• Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of…
• Elected to the National Academy of Medicine (2020)