The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) said AstraZeneca’s newly approved hypertension drug Baxfendy does not meet its cost-effectiveness bar at the company’s reported price. ICER’s draft assessment concluded benefits did not justify a list-price benchmark of roughly $10,950 per year, according to the report methodology. ICER evaluated Baxfendy using a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) baseline and compared its incremental cost-effectiveness ratios against commonly used willingness-to-pay thresholds. ICER also applied a similar placeholder cost framework to Mineralys Therapeutics’ lorundrostat, tied to the same aldosterone synthase inhibitor mechanism, concluding that lorundrostat likewise fell short. AstraZeneca’s approval last May was supported by Phase 3 results showing statistically and clinically meaningful blood-pressure reductions when Baxfendy was added to existing therapies; ICER emphasized remaining uncertainties, including long-term effects and subgroup performance, particularly in chronic kidney disease populations.