Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Industry Spurns Trump's Order To 'Buy American'
FiercePharma: After Drug Pricing Tensions, Industry Pushes Back At Trump's 'Buy American' Order
Not long after President Donald Trump signed four executive orders focused on drug pricing, he last week laid out plans for a “Buy American” requirement for federal agencies purchasing essential medicines. As with the prior drug pricing proposals, industry pushback to the latest order was swift and harsh. Under the new order, the federal government would develop a list of essential drugs, and then direct agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase only from U.S. factories. (Sagonowsky, 8/10)
The BMJ: Trump’s Call For Essential Drugs To Be Made In US Threatens Innovation, Says Trade Group
The trade group for the US pharmaceutical industry has warned that President Donald Trump’s latest executive order calling for essential drugs to be manufactured in the US will stifle innovation. The executive order, issued on 6 August, followed four other executive orders designed to reduce drug prices, which all seem to be part of Trump’s appeal to voters in the November election. All require further action by government agencies and may be challenged in the courts so are unlikely to take effect any time soon. (Hopkins Tanne, 8/11)
New York Post: Trump Jokes Big Pharma Called Him 'Socialist' For Slashing Prices
President Trump on Thursday vowed to end America’s reliance on China for crucial medical supplies and joked that big pharma had tried to smear him as a “socialist” for slashing drug prices. “I have never seen so many bad commercials about me as in the last three days since I did this,” Trump told a crowd in Ohio where he is expected to sign an executive order returning production of crucial medicine to the US. (Bowden, 8/6)
NPR: 'All Bark And No Bite': Trump Holds Prescription Drug-Pricing Order In Search Of Deal
Two weeks after President Trump signed an executive order "Lowering Drug Prices By Putting America First," the White House still hasn't released the text of the order. The unorthodox move is apparently a leverage play, an attempt to squeeze drug companies into offering concessions, but so far there's little indication Trump is getting the deal he was after. Trump had American flags and women in white lab coats behind him, his big presidential sharpie marker in hand when he signed the order July 24. (Keith, 8/7)
Also —
Stat: Out-Of-Pocket Spending On Specialty Drugs Dropped Dramatically After States Capped Costs
Amid efforts to blunt rising medicines costs, a new analysis finds three states succeeded in helping their residents save money by capping out-of-pocket costs on pricey specialty drugs and, at the same time, also managed to avoid increased spending by health plans. Overall, out-of-pocket spending by patients fell $351 per month in Delaware, Maryland, and Louisiana, each of which passed laws that set $150 caps on what consumers must pay for prescriptions for specialty medicines. These include medications to combat such hard-to-treat maladies as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and hepatitis C, among others. (Silverman, 8/11)
Stat: Pharma Is Showering Congress With Cash, Even Amid Coronavirus
The world’s biggest drug makers and their trade groups have cut checks to 356 lawmakers ahead of this year’s election — more than two-thirds of the sitting members of Congress, according to a new STAT analysis. It’s a barrage of contributions that accounts for roughly $11 million in campaign giving, distributed via roughly 4,500 checks from the political action committees affiliated with the companies. (Bartley and Facher, 8/10)
Bloomberg Law: Caremark Must Disclose Walgreens Emails In Drug Price Suit
Generic drug buyers who alleged that Walgreen Co. misrepresented its usual and customary charges for their medications, resulting in inflated copays, will get to look at emails between the retailer and pharmacy benefit manager Caremark LLC, a federal court in Rhode Island said. (8/10)
State House News Service: Report: Drug Coupons Having Impacts For Patients, Prices
Prescription drug coupon programs have expanded in Massachusetts over the past several years, according to a new analysis by a state agency that found such discounts can have implications for both spending and clinical outcomes. A July report from the Health Policy Commission concluded that drug coupons increase use of and spending on certain drugs where lower-cost generic alternatives would be appropriate for many patients. (Lannan, 8/5)
Delaware State News: State Announces New Rules For Pharmacy Managers
The Delaware Department of Insurance announced Monday it has finalized new regulations for pharmacy benefit managers as required by legislation approved by the General Assembly. Pharmacy benefit managers administer prescription drug plans for health insurers, large employers, Medicare Part D plans and other groups, determining the list of medications that a plan will cover and how much drugs will cost. These companies, however, have not widely used their power to reduce the costs of medications and insurance, according to the Department of Insurance. (8/11)
