Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Family-Run Drugmaker Sets Price Of Rare Disease Treatment At Less Than Half Of What Its Rival Charges
Stat: Jacobus Prices Its Rare Disease Drug At Half Of What Catalyst Charges, But Will Doctors Prescribe It?
After weeks of anticipation, Jacobus Pharmaceutical, a small, family-run drug maker, has priced its rare disease drug at $80 a tablet, or less than half the price of a similar pill sold by its upstart rival, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (CPRX). And the move is likely to set up a closely watched battle amid what is already one of the more unusual pharmaceutical tales of the year. At issue are rival treatments for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, or LEMS. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Jacobus drug for children ages 6 to 17, potentially adding unforeseen competition for Catalyst, which only last December won an FDA endorsement to market its own treatment for adults. (Silverman, 6/10)
The Associated Press: Florida Governor Signs Bill For Foreign Drug Importation
Floridians could eventually gain access to cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and other countries under legislation signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, if the federal government gives it a green light. The Republican governor signed the bill in The Villages, home to one of the state's largest retirement-age communities. The U.S. overall spends 30% to 190% more on prescription drugs than other developed countries and pays up to 174% more for the same prescription drug, according to a legislative bill analysis. (Anderson, 6/11)
FiercePharma: AbbVie Pads Humira Follow-Up Skyrizi's Blockbuster Potential With Positive 2-Year Data
AbbVie already has high hopes for newly approved immunology drug Skyrizi as its old megablockbuster Humira starts to fall. Now, it has rolled out results to back longer-term use of the new IL-23 inhibitor in plaque psoriasis. After continuous treatment for two years, 72% of Skyrizi patients saw a 100% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 100), a commonly used evaluation of psoriasis in clinical trials. Using static physician global assessment (sPGA), a metric that resembles assessments physicians perform in clinical practice, investigators recorded 73% patients achieved clear skin. (Liu, 6/11)
PolitiFact: Seth Moulton Correct That Prescription Drug Prices Can Be Negotiated For VA, But Not Medicare
Democratic presidential candidate Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) doesn’t support single-payer health care — even though it’s the health care policy he’s covered by. Single-payer health care refers to a health insurance plan for everyone that is paid for by one entity, such as the government. But as a veteran, Moulton said he knows firsthand "the good, the bad and the ugly" of such an approach. His service makes him eligible for health coverage through the Veterans Administration health system, which single-payer advocates often cite as an American success story. (Pousoulides, 6/7)
Stat: How Pharma Could Benefit From One Of Congress' Signature Drug Pricing Ideas
If you asked me in January whether Congress would stick it to pharma this Congress, I’d say the odds were pretty darn good. Now I’m not only doubting Congress will inflict any pain on the industry, I’m starting to think the so-called reforms both Republicans and Democrats are pushing may leave the industry better off than when Congress gaveled in this January. Hear me out: One of the big ideas Congress is talking about in earnest right now is capping what seniors can pay out of pocket each year at the pharmacy counter through Medicare Part D. (Florko, 6/11)
HuffPost: Liberal Group Questions Trump Ties To Big Pharma As Drug Price Promises Fizzle
A liberal nonprofit is launching a website and a five-figure digital advertising campaign exposing the Trump administration’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The new initiative from Restore the Public Trust, which has trained its fire on several members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, aims to undercut the administration’s claims to be committed to lowering prescription drug prices. (Marans, 6/5)
Bloomberg: Drug To Replace Chemotherapy May Reshape Cancer Care
A class of drugs is emerging that can attack cancer cells in the body without damaging surrounding healthy ones. They have the potential to replace chemotherapy and its disruptive side effects, reshaping the future of cancer care. The complex biological medicines, called antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), have been in development for decades, and are now generating renewed excitement because of the success of one ADC in late-stage testing, a breast cancer treatment called DS-8201. (Matsuyama, 6/11)
KCUR: Many Kansas Inmates Will Wait For Hepatitis C Treatment Despite Recent Legal Settlement
Kansas can no longer put off care for Medicaid patients with hepatitis C because of a recent legal settlement. But hundreds of the state’s prison inmates not covered by that lawsuit will have to wait another year for the pricey treatment. That raises concerns about whether the delay constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution, civil rights lawyers say, because inmates have the right to medical care. (Llopis-Jepsen, 6/11)
Maine Public Radio: Maine Senate Passes Bills Aimed At Lowering Prescription Drug Prices
The Maine Senate unanimously passed four bills aimed at lowering prescription drug prices on Tuesday.Sen. Ned Claxton is a Democrat from Auburn and a retired doctor. “I know there is no magic wand when it comes to reducing drug and health care costs, but I do know Mainers deserve action on drug prices now,” says Claxton. (Leary, 6/11)
Axios: Congress Is Moving Slowly On One Prescription Drug Price Problem
Congress isn't feeling much urgency to help the fledgling market for biosimilars. Why it matters: Advocates say that they need lawmakers' help soon, or else drugmakers will see biosimilars as a lost cause and the system will lose its only check on the cost of biologics. (Owens, 6/12)
