Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Controversial Generic Drug 'Skinny Labels' Saved Medicare Billions
Stat: 'Skinny Labels' On Generic Medicines Saved Medicare $15 Billion Over A Recent Six-Year Period
A controversial provision of a federal law designed to speed copycat drugs to market and foster competition saved Medicare Part D nearly $15 billion from 2015 to 2021 on just 15 medicines during that period, according to a new analysis. (Silverman, 4/30)
AP: US Challenges 'Bogus' Patents On Ozempic And Other Drugs In Effort To Spur Competition
Federal regulators are challenging patents on 20 brand-name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic, in the latest effort by the Biden administration targeting pharmaceutical industry practices that drive up prices. The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sent warning letters to 10 drugmakers, taking issue with patents on popular drugs for weight loss, diabetes, asthma and other reparatory conditions. The letters allege that certain patents filed by Novo Nordisk, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and seven other companies are inaccurate or misleading. (Perrone, 4/30)
Bloomberg: Ozempic, Wegovy Maker Novo Nordisk Has Denmark's Economy Hooked
There is no escaping Ozempic and Wegovy. The diabetes and obesity drugs are a global phenomenon. They’ve won over the rich and famous, generated billions in sales and blown open a new market for weight loss drugs, which Goldman Sachs estimates will reach $100 billion a year by 2030. The development of semaglutide, the key ingredient in the medicines, has also transformed their maker, Novo Nordisk, into Europe’s most valuable company, with profound implications for its home country of Denmark. (Wass and Kresge, 4/30)
CIDRAP: Quality Improvement Effort Linked To More Appropriate Antibiotics For Pediatric Infections
A national quality improvement (QI) initiative was associated with increases in appropriate antibiotic prescribing for pediatric infections at 118 US hospitals, researchers reported yesterday in Pediatrics. (Dall, 4/30)
ScienceDaily: The Aspirin Conundrum: Navigating Negative Results, Age, Aging Dynamics And Equity
A new study examining the role of aspirin in breast cancer treatment reveals critical issues related to health equity and aging that have broad implications for cancer and other disease intervention trials, say researchers. (Georgetown University Medical Center, 4/29)
