Cancer Diagnosis Costs A Quarter Of Patients All Their Savings
An Axios report says that half of cancer patients in the U.S. are in medical debt. In other drug pricing news, Medicare premiums are soon to decrease based on a decision over the Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, and Ohio is targeting pharmacy benefit managers over potential illegal price hikes.
Axios:
Half Of Cancer Patients Report Medical Debt
More than a quarter of cancer patients depleted most or all of their savings to cover the costs of their care, according to a study released Thursday by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. The cost of cancer care is having a substantial impact on the lives of cancer patients, even among those who have insurance. The poll of more than 1,2o0 cancer patients conducted between Feb. 9 and 23 found a majority of patients and survivors said they were unprepared for the costs of their care. (Reed, 3/17)
In other news about drug prices —
Stat:
Medicare Premiums Could Decrease ‘Soon,’ After Alzheimer’s Drug Decision
Whether seniors get an unprecedented mid-year discount on Medicare premiums will hinge on a forthcoming decision about how the program will cover a pricey, controversial new Alzheimer’s drug that is expected by mid-April. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said two months ago he wanted to explore lowering the premiums, which saw their largest-ever hike this year in case Medicare spending skyrocketed due to the approval of Aduhelm, which initially cost more than $56,000 for one patient, for one year. (Cohrs, 3/17)
Columbus Dispatch:
Pharmacy Benefit Managers Targeted In Ohio Attorney General Probe
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has launched an investigation into an obscure drug-pricing maneuver that could be both illegal and costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Yost's top assistant for health and human services issues, Ara Mekhjian, sent a series of "investigative requests" seeking information for a probe of pharmacy benefit managers — controversial middlemen in the drug supply chain. The communiques to Medicaid managed care organizations were obtained by The Dispatch through a public records request. (Rowland, 3/18)
In other pharmaceutical and biotech industry news —
Stat:
Congress Debates The Future Of FDA’s Accelerated Approval
Lawmakers are facing off over the future of the Food and Drug Administration’s so-called accelerated approval pathway, with Biogen’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm front and center in the debate. The very first minutes of a Thursday hearing, originally billed as an opportunity to highlight roughly 20 different health policy measures, focused on the future of accelerated approval, which allows the FDA to approve drugs without clear evidence they prolong patients’ lives. (Florko, 3/17)
Stat:
Illumina Sues Guardant Health, Saying Ex-Employees Stole Trade Secrets
DNA sequencing giant Illumina is suing Guardant Health, a firm that has become both its customer and rival, claiming that the patents at the core of Guardant’s quest to detect cancer with a simple blood draw are based on confidential information stolen from the genomics company. San Diego-based Illumina filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in which it says that Guardant’s co-founders, who are former Illumina employees, siphoned off tens of thousands of Illumina documents while creating their company. Illumina is looking to be included on Guardant’s key patents; it’s also asking for royalties, payment for lost profits, and other forms of compensation. (Wosen, 3/17)
Stat:
After A Dry Spell For Cancer Immunotherapy, A New Target Offers Promise
Oncologists may soon have a new immuno-oncology target in their arsenal. Experts expect the Food and Drug Administration to soon approve relatlimab, a Bristol Myers Squibb drug that binds to a cancer target called LAG-3, making it the first new immune checkpoint target in nearly a decade. Immune checkpoint inhibitors work by blocking critical cellular safety systems that keep our immune cells in “check.” By turning off these checkpoints, immune cells are free to unleash their destructive power — and hopefully, crush cancer in the body. Over the last 10 years, scientists have made wildly successful compounds that targeted the checkpoints PD-1 and CTLA-4, spawning the drugs Keytruda, Opdivo, and Yervoy. (Chen, 3/18)
AP:
Big US Gene Database Has Volunteers From All Walks Of Life
Scientists are getting their first peek at the genes of nearly 100,000 Americans in what’s considered a uniquely diverse genomic database -- part of a quest to reduce health disparities and end cookie-cutter care. The National Institutes of Health released the data on Thursday to help researchers start unraveling how people’s genes, environments and lifestyles interact to drive their health. And half the study’s participants are from racial and ethnic groups historically left out of medical research. (Neergaard, 3/17)
Stat:
New Details Emerge On Michael Deem’s Role In ‘CRISPR Babies’ Scandal
More than three years after the now-infamous Chinese scientist He Jiankui sent shockwaves around the globe when he claimed to have created the world’s first CRISPR’d children, much is still unknown, including the twin girls’ current condition, and how their health and well-being will be supported as they grow up. Here in the U.S., an equally enduring mystery surrounds Michael Deem — the American researcher who appeared to be He’s closest collaborator outside of China. Even as He is expected to be released from prison later this month — after serving three years for conducting an “illegal medical practice” — the full extent of Deem’s involvement in the CRISPR experiment remains a secret, due in part to efforts by his former employer, Rice University, and Deem himself to conceal his role in one of the most controversial chapters in modern medical history. (Molteni, 3/18)
