Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Why Are There So Many Drug Shortages?; Compounded Ozempic Is Not The Same As A Generic
The Boston Globe: We Need Some New Drugs
Whether it’s the lack of Adderall for people with ADHD, children’s Tylenol, or lifesaving cancer treatments, drug shortages are plaguing American patients. At the end of 2022, there were 295 drug shortages, a five-year high, according to a US Senate report. (6/7)
Bloomberg: Generic Ozempic And Wegovy Don't Exist. The FDA Is Right To Warn Patients.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to steer clear of weight loss drugs sold through compounding pharmacies, some of which are brazenly being marketed as “generic” Ozempic and Wegovy. (Lisa Jarvis, 6/7)
CNN: Ozempic Isn’t Just A ‘Wonder Drug.’ It Can Also Be A Warning Sign
Semaglutide is hardly a household name, but depending on who you ask, this injectable medicine represents a revolution, a scourge and a long-term unknown. Say the word “Ozempic” and it’s more instant recognition: This brand name of semaglutide, also sold under the name Wegovy, in addition to treating type 2 diabetes, is now synonymous with weight loss. (Jane Carr and Kirsi Goldynia, 6/7)
The Boston Globe: Legislature Must Regulate Role Of Pharmacy Benefit Managers In Our Health Care
The profit model of the PBM industry — and it is an industry — incentivizes the delay and denial of prescription coverage with no accountability to or recourse for patients. (Lauren Hunt, 6/6)
The Boston Globe: The BIO International Convention Needs To Address Prescription Prices
This week more than 14,000 business leaders in the life sciences are in Boston for the BIO International Convention — executives, marketers, and researchers representing companies ranging from biotech startups to big pharma giants. (Katie Payne, 6/7)
Houston Chronicle: Now Is Not The Time To Stop Fighting AIDS
PEPFAR has saved over 25 million lives over the past 20 years and has provided more than $100 billion in cumulative funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and research in more than 50 countries. (Ken Hersh, 6/7)
USA Today: My Daughter Has Cystic Fibrosis. Democrats Made It Harder To Get The Medicine She Needs.
Recently, the American Cancer Society issued an alert noting that chemotherapy drugs “are increasingly in short supply and have returned to the list of top-five drug classes affected by shortage.” (Mary Vought, 6/8)
