Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dems Offer Only Vague Praise For Clinton's Drug Costs Proposal, While Republicans Dismiss It Outright
Morning Consult: Clinton’s EpiPen Plan Gets ‘Meh’ Reviews In Congress
Lawmakers came back to Capitol Hill promising action against controversial EpiPen price hikes, but they can’t quite agree how to translate their dissatisfaction into policy. While Hillary Clinton has issued a set of proposals, Republicans dismiss them and Democrats spoke vaguely about their candidate’s ideas. (Owens, 9/7)
Morning Consult: Hatch: Drug Prices A ‘Major Issue’ For Next Congress
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and a longtime ally of the pharmaceutical industry, said Wednesday that drug prices will be a “major issue” in 2017. While this has long been an expectation among other lawmakers and lobbyists in the health care industry, Hatch is one of the most important players in the drug price fight. Even if the Senate flips to Democratic control, the Finance Committee has jurisdiction over a large portion of the issue, and Republicans are likely to look to Hatch, possibly as ranking member, for cues on how to respond to the loud demands for action. (Owens, 9/7)
The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Sen. Rob Portman Launches Investigation Into EpiPen Pricing
A Senate investigative subcommittee headed by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio announced Wednesday that it will probe the steep rise in the prices of EpiPens, an emergency treatment drug used to counteract severe allergic reactions. Portman and the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations - Missouri's Claire McCaskill - notified reporters they've "opened a preliminary inquiry concerning Mylan Pharmaceuticals' pricing and competition practices with respect to the EpiPen." (Eaton, 9/7)
And in other drug pricing news —
Kaiser Health News: Study Says Concerns About Orphan Drug Spending Are Unjustified
Rising concerns about spending on prescription drugs that treat rare diseases are not justified, according to a new analysis in the journal Health Affairs. “We wanted to focus on the true impact of orphan drugs,” said Victoria Divino, a senior consultant at IMS Health and an author of the study. Researchers at IMS Health and drug maker Celgene analyzed U.S. pharmaceutical spending from 2007 to 2013 on more than 300 drugs that had orphan approval under the 1983 Orphan Drug Act. (Tribble, 9/7)
