Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Critics Say Medicare Cancer Drug Plan A 'Dreadful Mistake,' Call On Administration To Scrap Experiment
The Associated Press: Medicare Plan On Payment For Cancer Drugs Stirs Battle
A Medicare proposal to test new ways of paying for chemotherapy and other drugs given in a doctor's office has sparked a furious battle, and cancer doctors are demanding that the Obama administration scrap the experiment. The vehement reaction is raising questions about the government's ability to tackle high drug costs, the top health care concern for the public. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/11)
In other drug pricing news, PhRMA and Hillary Clinton can agree on one thing, Boston is hit especially hard with sky-high pharmaceutical costs and California tries a new approach —
STAT: The One Drug Pricing Idea Hillary Clinton And PhRMA Can Agree On
The pharmaceutical industry has opposed most of Hillary Clinton’s proposals to bring down drug costs, but there’s one idea its chief lobbyist supports: limiting the amount that consumers have to pay out of their own pockets. (Nather, 4/11)
STAT: Drug Prices In Boston Are Dozens Of Times Higher Than Overseas
Prescription drugs generally cost more in the US than in other countries. And a new analysis found this is especially true in Boston, where consumers can expect to pay many times more for their medicines than the international benchmark pricing used by the World Health Organization. The median costs of brand-name and generic drugs in Boston were 158 and 38 times higher, respectively, than the international benchmark. Similarly, median costs for brand-name and store-brand over-the-counter medicines were 21 and 11 times higher than the benchmark, according to the analysis, which was published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice. (Silverman, 4/8)
CALmatters: California Searches For Prescription To Treat Rising Drug Costs
In a small room at a neighborhood clinic in Sacramento, a handful of hepatitis C patients wait to see their physician, hoping they’ll be found sick enough to be approved for a cure. (Bartolone, 4/10)
