Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Urged To Ban Music From Prescription Drug Ads
Stat: Music In Drug Ads Makes It Easier For The Public To Tune Out Side Effects, Advocates Argue
This will not be music to the ears of the pharmaceutical industry. A pair of advocacy groups is asking the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of music during the portion of television and online ads that recite potential side effects, warning consumers may be too easily distracted. In arguing their case, the advocacy groups contend that ads with music too often fail to comply with the so-called fair balance goals sought by the FDA when the agency loosened its rules in 1999 and made it easier for drug makers to advertise medicines on television. (Silverman, 8/3)
Stat: Following Court Ruling, NIH Warns Drug And Device Companies To Post Missing Trial Data
Hundreds of drug companies, medical device manufacturers, and universities owe the public a decade’s worth of missing data from clinical trials, federal officials warned last week. New rules issued last week in the wake of a federal court ruling in February instructed clinical trial sponsors to submit missing data for trials conducted between 2007 and 2017 “as soon as possible.” (Facher, 8/4)
Stat: Gilead Pressured Again To Pursue Remdesivir-Like Drug To Fight Covid-19
In an unusual move, a pair of academics is escalating an effort to convince Gilead Sciences (GILD) to test a compound that is not only known for saving cats from a fatal virus, but is highly similar to remdesivir and, therefore, may be useful in combating Covid-19. At issue is a Gilead compound known as GS-441524, which works in the same way as remdesivir to inhibit viruses, according to research conducted partly by the company. The compound has not been tested in humans, but has been sold on black markets to repel feline infectious peritonitis, which is caused by a different coronavirus than the virus that causes Covid-19. (Silverman, 8/4)
Stat: Medicines May Be More Affordable Than You Think — Unless You Pay Cash
Amid growing complaints that many Americans cannot afford their prescription medicines, most people in the U.S. who have insurance are paying lower out-of-pocket costs, but cash-paying customers are shelling out significantly more than five years ago, according to a new analysis. Overall, the average amount paid out-of-pocket for a prescription by all patients — those with and without insurance — held steady at $10.67 in 2019, which was unchanged from the year before up just 33 cents since 2015. But commercially insured prescription costs declined from $10.83 to $8.90 between 2015 and 2019, according to the analysis by the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. (Silverman, 8/4)
CNN: The FDA's List Of Dangerous Hand Sanitizers Has Now Grown To More Than 100
The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded its warning about hand sanitizers to avoid, with the list now topping 100. The agency first warned consumers in June about hand sanitizers containing methanol, which can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and potentially deadly if ingested. Since then, several such products have been recalled by manufacturers and pulled from store shelves. Now, the FDA is also warning about hand sanitizers containing insufficient levels of alcohol. (Kaur, 8/3)
