Democrats Eye Drug-Price Reform As A Piggy Bank
Drug pricing reforms in Congress will be a tempting income source to pay for Democrats' extensive wish list of spending projects. Lawmakers also urge an investigation of insulin price hikes.
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The Drug Pricing Policies Dems May Use To Fund Biden’s Next Big Bill
Democrats in Congress are already gearing up for their next big legislative push, and drug pricing reforms will be a tempting piggy bank to pay for their extensive wish list. It’s still too early to tell precisely how much money Democrats will need to offset the costs of the economic recovery plan President Biden is hoping to advance. But lobbyists are expecting lawmakers to ask drug makers to pony up significant taxpayer savings to help pay for policy on infrastructure and the social safety net. (Cohrs, 3/30)
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Congressional Lawmakers Urge FTC To Investigate Insulin Makers Over Their Pricing
In the latest flare up over the cost of insulin, several Congressional lawmakers want the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the three big manufacturers of the diabetes treatment for “exploiting” their market power and repeatedly raising prices. The lawmakers, who are all Democrats, cited instances in which the companies — Eli Lilly (LLY), Novo Nordisk (NVO), and Sanofi (SNY) — raised prices nearly simultaneously. As an example, two of the insulin makers increased prices by 16% within a day of each other. In fact, there were at least 13 such cases involving Sanofi and Novo Nordisk between 2009 and 2019, and Lilly often followed suit, they claimed. (Silverman, 3/29)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
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Uniqure Probe Clears Hemophilia B Gene Therapy As Cause Of Cancer Case
Uniqure, the Dutch gene therapy company, said Monday that its one-time treatment for hemophilia B was not responsible for a previously reported case of liver cancer that put the program on clinical hold. Findings from the investigation, conducted by an independent lab, were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration last week along with a request to restart the program, the company said. (Feuerstein, 3/29)
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Former Lilly Lobbyist Sues Firm For Alleged Discrimination And Harassment
A former top lobbyist at Eli Lilly (LLY) has filed a lawsuit accusing an executive and a senior manager at the drug maker of sexual harassment and discrimination, as well as retaliation against several women in its Washington, D.C., office. In her lawsuit, Sonya Elling alleged that Leigh Ann Pusey, a senior vice president for corporate affairs, repeatedly made sexist remarks, undermined her authority, and subjected her to a sexually hostile work environment. Eventually, it alleges, Pusey forced her to resign following a “veiled threat” to fire her in the form of a warning to improve her job performance, which was “riddled with misrepresentations.” (Silverman, 3/29)
KHN:
Getting A Prescription To Die Remains Tricky Even As Aid-In-Dying Bills Gain Momentum
Linda Heim knew her dad didn’t plan to wait for the cancer to kill him. For decades, he’d lived in Montana, which they’d thought was one of the few places where terminally ill people could get a prescription to end their life. After two years of being sick, Heim’s dad got the diagnosis in 2019: stage 4 kidney cancer. His physician offered treatments that might extend his life by months. Instead, the 81-year-old asked the doctor for help dying. Heim said her parents left the appointment in their hometown of Billings with two takeaways: The legality of medically assisted death was questionable in Montana, and her father’s physician didn’t seem willing to risk his career to put that question to the test. (Houghton, 3/30)
