Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
EU Approves Lynparza To Fight Type Of Pancreatic Cancer
Reuters: AstraZeneca-Merck's Lynparza Wins EU Approval For Pancreatic Cancer
AstraZeneca Plc and Merck & Co Inc said on Wednesday their blockbuster cancer treatment Lynparza won approval in the European Union for treating patients with a form of pancreatic cancer. The approval was based on results from a late-stage trial in which Lynparza nearly doubled the lifespan of patients without disease progression or death when compared with placebo. (7/8)
Reuters: Aspen Offers To Cut Cancer Drug Prices, May Avoid EU Antitrust Fine
Aspen has offered to cut prices by an average of 73% for six off-patent cancer drugs, EU antitrust regulators said on Tuesday, a move that could help the South African pharmaceutical company avoid a potentially hefty fine. The European Commission opened an investigation into Aspen in 2017 following concerns it may have charged excessive prices for drugs critical in treating patients suffering from certain types of life-threatening cancer, such as leukaemia and multiple myeloma. (Chee, 7/14)
Stat: Sanofi And MD Anderson Team Up To Speed Cancer Drug Testing
In another sign of its renewed emphasis on cancer, Sanofi (SNY) said Tuesday it will partner with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to speed oncology research and testing of its experimental cancer drugs. The five-year alliance, whose contractual details were not disclosed by the French pharmaceutical company or the Houston academic medical center, will bring together MD Anderson’s clinical trial system with Sanofi’s pipeline of potential cancer treatments. (Cooney, 7/14)
Reuters: Roche Gene Testing Key To $1.7 Billion Deal For Blueprint Cancer Drug
Roche has struck a $1.7 billion cancer drug pact with Blueprint Medicines, it said Tuesday, as advances in genetic testing for rare mutations drive lucrative deals for expensive treatments. The Swiss drugmaker will pay $675 million in cash and make a $100 million equity investment in Blueprint for rights to pralsetinib, which could gain U.S. approval against so-called RET-altered non-small cell lung cancer in November. (Miller, 7/14)
Stat: Ohio Sues Express Scripts For 'Egregiously' Overcharging For Medicines
The Ohio Attorney General has filed a lawsuit alleging Express Scripts overcharged a state pension plan for generic drugs and “silently” pocketed millions of dollars, the second time in two years the state has accused a big pharmacy benefit manager of overcharging for medicines. Specifically, Express Scripts failed to satisfy pricing guarantees in a contract with the Ohio State Highway Patrol Retirement System and “repeatedly misclassified” generic drugs as brand-name medicines. (Silverman, 7/14)
Stat: Sun Pharma Employee Says She Was Fired For Sample Shipping Complaint
A former Sun Pharmaceutical sales rep filed a lawsuit arguing she was fired from her job after complaining that a district manager improperly distributed samples to physicians, the latest instance in which the drug maker has allegedly run afoul of laws governing product sampling. In her lawsuit, Jeannine Umpleby claimed that, after moving last year from one territory to another in the Cleveland area, she received a call from a physician’s office saying a district manager unexpectedly shipped samples of a medicine. Since federal law stipulates that samples may only be sent in response to a written notice from a physician, Umpleby reported the incident to her supervisor. (Silverman, 7/14)
BBC News: Fake Pharmaceutical Industry Thrives In West Africa
It is rare to have a conversation in Nigeria about the problem of falsified medicine without a mention of the My Pikin syrup tragedy. In 2009, 84 children were killed by a batch of teething syrup that contained diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent and ingredient found in antifreeze and brake fluid. Two employees from the company which made the syrup were found guilty by a court. (Hooper, 7/14)
FactCheck.Org: Cherry-Picking Collins’ Prescription Drug Votes
A Democratic TV ad attacks Sen. Susan Collins for voting twice “to allow drug companies to keep cheaper generic drugs off the market,” but omits the fact that Collins has supported bills intended to increase generic-drug competition and lower prescription costs. Collins, for example, is a co-sponsor of the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act of 2019. She also supports and contributed to the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019, which seeks, in part, to prevent the blocking of more generic drugs from the marketplace. (Gore, 7/9)
