Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Companies In India Invest To Gain Foothold In U.S. Generics Market
The Wall Street Journal: India’s Drugmakers Step Up U.S. Investment
India’s pharmaceutical companies went on a buying spree last year to win a bigger share of the U.S. market for generic drugs. The trend is driven by heightened U.S. scrutiny of drugmakers’ Indian facilities, many which have gotten failing marks on safety, and a desire to develop and sell more sophisticated products such as high-powered painkillers, which U.S. regulators say must be manufactured domestically. (Bhattacharya, 2/24)
Kaiser Health News: With Special Tax Suspended, Medical Device Firms Reap Big Savings
U.S. manufacturers of medical devices started 2016 with a windfall — a two-year suspension of a controversial tax on their revenue. Medical devices include a wide range of products and machines used in medical care, such as tongue depressors, endoscopes and MRI scanners, for example. Manufacturers said the tax on devices hurt their business. The Congressional Research Service estimates companies paid out $2.4 billion in 2014. (Zdechlik, 2/25)
USA Today: CVS Caremark Says It Slowed Drug Cost Growth, But Critics Question Claims
Clients of the pharmacy benefit management company Caremark saw their prescription drug costs rise only 5% last year a drop from an almost 12% increase in 2014, Caremark's parent company CVS Health said this week. (O'Donnell, 2/24)
