Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Americans' Opinion Of Pharma Industry Dips To All-Time Low, Tracking Poll Finds
Stat: The Public's View Of Pharma Just Keeps Getting Worse
The pharmaceutical industry theme song may be Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.” Of 25 different business sectors, only the federal government is held in lower esteem by most Americans, according to a recent Gallup Poll. What’s more, the pharmaceutical industry last year registered its worst showing in the 16 years that Gallup has been tracking how different sectors are perceived. To be specific, just 28 percent of Americans have a positive view of drug makers, while 19 percent reported feeling neutral and 51 percent have a negative view. (Silverman, 8/30)
Modern Healthcare: Naloxone Price Hike Hinders Baltimore's Drug Overdose Prevention Efforts
While the cost of EpiPens has taken the spotlight the past few weeks, another potentially life-saving drug is seeing similar spikes that are making it difficult for public health officials to expand its use to curb the nation's opioid crisis. Baltimore currently pays around $40 for a single dose of naloxone, compared to $20 a dose it was paying just six months ago. An analysis conducted by Truven Health Analytics found the price for the injectable version of naloxone rose from $0.92 a dose to more than $15 a dose over the last decade. (Johnson, 8/30)
USA Today: Drug Prices Are High. So Are The CEOs' Pay.
People might be shocked at how high drug prices have gotten. But equally lucrative are the compensation packages hauled in by drug company CEOs. CEOs of the 14 biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 that served all of 2015 pulled down median compensation packages valued at $18.5 million in 2015, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That was 71% greater than the median $10.8 million hauled in by S&P 500 executives in all industries in 2015, according to an analysis by Equilar. (Krantz, 8/26)
Stat: California Court Hangs Out A Welcome Sign: Drug Makers Can Be Sued Here
In a closely watched decision, the California Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Monday that hundreds of out-of-state residents had the right to sue Bristol-Myers Squibb in the state court system over side effects caused by one of its drugs. At issue was the question of jurisdiction, which can be used to determine where a lawsuit may be filed. This particular ruling clarified the extent to which the drug maker needed to have a presence in California in order to be sued by people from Texas, Ohio, and 33 other states, who claim they were harmed by the Plavix blood thinner. (Silverman, 8/30)
The Associated Press: Novartis Wins US OK For Biosimilar Version Of Amgen’s Enbrel
U.S. regulators on Tuesday approved the first lower-cost version of Enbrel, a blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug from Amgen that is among the top-selling drugs in the world. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the near-copy of the drug, dubbed Erelzi, developed by Swiss drug giant Novartis, which would not disclose the planned list price for the drug. A month’s supply of Enbrel costs roughly $4,000 or more in the U.S., according to figures from GoodRx, a drug pricing website. Enbrel was the fourth best-selling prescription drug in the world for 2015, according to health data firm IMS Health. (Johnson and Perrone, 8/30)
ProPublica: Illinois Sues Controversial Drug Maker Over Deceptive Marketing Practices
Illinois’ attorney general has filed suit against Insys Therapeutics, accusing the controversial pharmaceutical company of using deceptive marketing practices — including paying an indicted doctor thousands of dollars for “sham” speaking events — to sell its signature pain medication. It’s not unusual for drug makers to pay doctors who have histories of misconduct for consulting or speaking about their products. A recent ProPublica analysis found that more than 2,300 doctors with records of discipline in five states had received payments from drug and medical device companies since 2013. (Huseman, 8/29)
Stat: How EpiPen Drug Pricing Went Viral — And What May Be Next
What’s the recipe for a drug pricing controversy? The biopharmaceutical industry is under attack for its bafflingly complex pricing, and the target du jour is Mylan: The public and politicians are seething over the fact that the drug maker’s epinephrine injector, the EpiPen, has more than quintupled in cost since 2007. It now retails for more than $600 for a two-pack. But what’s so special about the EpiPen? And why has the anger suddenly gone viral? (Keshavan, 8/26)
Bloomberg: Mylan CEO In 2006 Decried Practice It’s Now Using On EpiPen
What a difference a decade makes at Mylan NV. In 2006, the drugmaker’s chief executive officer Heather Bresch said that “authorized generics” -- like the one her company is now introducing for EpiPen after an outcry over the drug’s price -- were a grave threat to the generic drug industry and hurt consumers. (Decker and Edney, 8/29)
Stat: Most Experts Who Develop Cancer Treatment Guidelines Have Ties To Industry
As cancer treatments become both more innovative and costlier, a new study finds that most of the physicians and researchers who help develop treatment guidelines have financial ties to drug and device makers. And the findings are only the latest to raise questions about the extent to which such relationships may ultimately influence decisions for treating patients. The study found that 108, or 86 percent, of 125 experts who serve on National Comprehensive Cancer Center panels held at least one financial conflict of interest in 2014. About 84 percent of those 125 experts received payments for meals, speaking, consulting and travel, among other things, that averaged $10,000, according to the study that was published Thursday in JAMA Oncology. (Silverman, 8/25)
