Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amazon Pharmacy Automates Discount Insulin Pricing For Eligible Patients
Bloomberg: Amazon Pharmacy Automates Insulin Discounts
Rather than manually entering a coupon code to lower insulin costs to $35 a month, Amazon will provide eligible patients with immediate discounts on more than 15 insulin and diabetes care brands, including insulin vials, pens, continuous glucose monitors and pumps, the online retail giant company said Tuesday in a statement. (Rutherford, 8/15)
In other pharmaceutical developments —
Reuters: Walgreens Must Face US, Virginia Medicaid Fraud Lawsuit Over Hepatitis C Drugs
A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit in which the United States and Virginia accused Walgreens Boots Alliance of defrauding Virginia's Medicaid program by falsely representing that some patients were eligible for expensive hepatitis C drugs. In a 3-0 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, cleared the way for the nation's largest pharmacy chain to face claims it violated the federal False Claims Act and Virginia state law. (Stempel, 8/15)
Reuters: Trial Against Teva Over Kickback Claims Put On Hold Amid Appeal
A September trial in Boston federal court over the U.S. government's claims that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries used illegal kickbacks to boost sales of its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone has been put on hold while the company appeals a July order that allowed the case to move forward. Normally, appeals are only allowed in federal court after a final judgment has been reached. However, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton, in a brief order Monday, said that the unusual pre-trial appeal was warranted because there was "substantial ground for difference of opinion" about a key legal issue that could decide the case. (Pierson, 8/15)
Stat: Cancer Drug Shortages' Outsize Impact On Ovarian Cancer Patients
Sarah Evans considers herself a lucky ovarian cancer patient, though she is dealing with the second recurrence of the disease since she was first diagnosed in February 2018. She is grateful that, even by her third round of chemo in March of this year, her cancer was still responding to carboplatin treatment — the most common first line of treatment for ovarian cancer, and one Evans tolerates without unbearable side effects. But in May of this year, Evans, who at age 68 has stage three cancer, received a call from the hospital: Due to a national shortage of generic drugs, there was no carboplatin available for her. She was going to be treated with cisplatin this time. (Merelli, 8/16)
Stat: FDA Warns AstraZeneca Over Misleading Promotional Materials
The Food and Drug Administration scolded AstraZeneca for making misleading claims about the effectiveness of a key medicine used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In an Aug. 4 warning letter, the agency admonished the company for a promotional sales aid that suggested the treatment, called Breztri, had a positive impact on death rates and reduced the risk of death in COPD patients. But the suggestions were not supported by a clinical trial cited in the promotional material, according to the FDA. (Silverman, 8/15)
Stat: The Boys, Now 6, Who Are Gene Therapy’s ‘Edge Case’ Problem
In mid-July, Kristen Secrist hopped on a call with her 5-year-old son’s doctor, who had urgent news: The first gene therapy had been approved for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Her son, Hiram, would be a perfect candidate — if, she added, they could get him dosed in time. The treatment was approved only for 4- and 5-year-olds. Hiram turned 6 in three weeks. (Mast, 8/16)
Stat: SEC Wants To Know If Key Supplier Of Research Monkeys Bribed Foreign Officials
A U.S. government probe into a monkey-smuggling operation emanating from Cambodia has gone in a new direction as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission examines whether Inotiv, a key importer, complied with a federal law that governs bribing foreign officials. (Silverman, 8/15)
