Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drugmakers' 'Sham Transactions' With Tribes To Game Patent System Targeted By Lawmakers
Stat: Lawmakers Seek To Block Maneuvers Like Allergan-Mohawk Patent Deal
Angered by a controversial Allergan (AGN) patent maneuver, a handful of lawmakers introduced a bill that would prohibit tribal sovereign immunity from being used to block certain types of patent challenges. The move comes six months after Allergan transferred six patents for its best-selling Restasis eye treatment to the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, which has sovereign immunity and has attempted to use its status to block patent challenges filed by several generic drug makers. (Silverman, 3/7)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Esperion Cholesterol Drug Clears Hurdle, In Challenge To Regeneron, Amgen
There’s a small biotech company with big plans to play spoiler in a fight between Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and its cholesterol-lowering pill met its mark in the first of five studies that will determine its fate. Esperion Therapeutics said Wednesday that its once-a-day pill, combined with the now-generic Zetia, lowered bad cholesterol by 28 percent more than the old drug alone, good enough to meet the trial’s primary goal. The study, involving 269 patients, is the smallest and shortest of the five Esperion expects to report this year. The largest, in which 3,000 patients will get either Esperion’s drug or placebo over the course of at least a year, is scheduled to read out in May. (Garde, 3/7)
Kaiser Health News: Of ‘Miracles’ And Money: Why Hemophilia Drugs Are So Expensive
When Landon Morris was diagnosed with hemophilia shortly after birth, his mother, Jessica Morris, was devastated. “It was like having your dreams — all the dreams you imagined for your child — just kind of disappear,” she recalled. Hemophilia, a rare bleeding disorder caused by a gene mutation that prevents blood from clotting properly, is typically passed from mother to son. Morris’ grandfather had it, and she remembered hearing how painful it was. “It was almost like he was bubble-wrapped,” she said. “He was coddled, because his mom didn’t want him to get hurt.” (Gold, 3/8)
California Healthline: Use Of HIV-Prevention Drug Grows, But Lags Among Non-Whites
Eric Russell, 24, recently joined a health support group for young Latino and black gay men, where he learned about the HIV-prevention pill known as PrEP. He resisted the medication at first, convinced he didn’t need it and fearful that taking it would stigmatize him. But after Russell learned more about PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, he decided it would be a good investment in his health. The Los Angeles man started taking the drug this year and now encourages other young minority men to do the same. (Gorman, 3/7)
