Perspectives: Orphan Drug Tax Credit Gives People With Rare Diseases Hope. GOP Plan Could Crush That
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Stat:
Cutting The Orphan Drug Tax Credit Would Take Away My Day In The Sun
In the Republican-led campaign to reform the U.S. tax code, the tax incentive for making orphan drugs is on the chopping block. The House bill eliminates this credit, while the Senate bill decreases it by about half. Both versions worry me and likely the millions of other Americans living with orphan diseases who are waiting, often in vain, for effective therapies. (Amy Dickey, 11/21)
The Washington Post:
Three Things Trump Can Do To Bring Drug Prices ‘Way Down’
President Trump nominated Alex Azar to serve the next secretary of health and human services last week, tweeting that he would be “a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!” In fact, Trump has made many grand claims that he will bring drug prices “way down.” But if the president is serious about drug pricing, Azar’s record isn’t promising. During his tenure as head of the U.S. division of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., Azar tripled the price of that company’s insulin, and he has played down the problem of high drug prices, arguing that they do not drive health-care costs. (Amy Kapczynski and Aaron S. Kesselheim, 11/21)
Bloomberg:
Roche's Two Good-News Scoops May Have A Short Shelf Life
Reporting solid drug-trial results is a big deal for any pharma firm. Roche Holding AG just pulled it off twice in one day. Roche announced Monday that its recently FDA-approved hemophilia medicine Hemlibra succeeded in a final-stage trial that could broaden its use. And in a separate study, its immune-boosting cancer drug Tecentriq helped patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer, in combination with chemotherapy and another Roche medicine, Avastin. Roche ADRs rose 6 percent on the double-dip of good news -- a $12 billion market-cap move for the pharma giant. (Max Nisen, 11/20)
Forbes:
Burdened By High Medication Costs? Your Boss May Be Able To Help
Pharmaceutical companies have been charging way too much for way too many of their products. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton complained about drug prices during the election campaign, but neither political party has taken action since November to tackle the problem. Insurance companies aren’t doing much about this problem either, despite having a huge incentive to tackle high prices. (Peter Ubel, 11/17)
Forbes:
Rex Jacobsen's Target Price For Nvidia Is $310
Rex Jacobsen, one of my managers, just set a $310 target price for Nvidia providing us with a good example to see if the wisdom of the crowd can improve our analysis. First, let's see why Rex is so bullish on Nvidia. Then, lets see what information might improve our analysis. (Ken Kam, 11/20)
The State-Journal:
Drug Pricing: Marketplace Or Monopoly?
You probably sense that few drug makers can compete in arenas with the likes of a mega-pharmaceutical giant like AbbVie, which employs 30,000, raked in $26 billion last year alone and deserves blame for some of those irksome TV prescription-drug commercials. You’ll also likely detect that prescription prices may be out of reach and possibly a matter of life and death for some. (Jim Waters, 11/17)
