Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Measure Would Allow People To Receive Their First 30-Days Of PReP Without A Prescription
San Francisco Chronicle: California May Make Anti-HIV Drug Available Without Prescription For 30 Days
Pharmacies throughout California could soon dispense an HIV-prevention drug without a doctor’s prescription — a move a San Francisco state senator says is necessary to remove barriers to people’s access to medication that could end new infections. Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener has proposed a bill that would allow people to receive their first 30 days of PrEP, an oblong blue pill sold under the trade name Truvada, over the counter if they first receive counseling and an HIV test. (Gardiner, 5/29)
Stat: Merck's R&D Boss Sees More Promise In His Big Drug And A $1 Billion Deal
This weekend marks the start of the annual meeting of the world’s biggest gathering of cancer doctors, and it’s going to be a big one for Roger Perlmutter, the head of research and development at Merck. Keytruda, the company’s cancer immunotherapy, is expected to reach annual sales of $10 billion by the end of its fifth year, making it the best drug launch in history over that time period, according to the investment bank Jefferies. But Perlmutter is gushing about the effects the drug has had on survival over that same time frame. New data on that metric will be presented at the upcoming meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. (Herper, 5/29)
The Associated Press: Pharma Company Settles Claims Of Kickbacks To Dermatologists
The U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia says a pharmaceutical company is agreeing to pay $3.5 million to settle claims it paid kickbacks to dermatology providers to encourage them to prescribe their drugs. U.S. Attorney William McSwain said Wednesday the matter involved allegations that between 2012 and 2017, Almirall LLC's sales representatives and other employees gave doctors improper meals, entertainment, trips and other gifts. (5/29)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Arthritis, Psoriasis Drugs' Darker Aspect: 34,000 Reports Of Deaths
Among all prescription drugs over the last 15 years, the biologics Humira and Enbrel are the most-cited in the FDA’s database, the Journal Sentinel review found. Humira was linked to 169,000 reported serious adverse events and 13,000 reports of deaths, followed by Enbrel with 135,000 serious events and 8,000 deaths. Yet neither is among the top 20 prescribed medications in America, according to IQVIA data. (Fauber and Crowe, 5/30)
