Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Patient Receives Newly Approved Alzheimer's Drug
Fox News: Biogen's Debated Alzheimer's Drug Given To First Patient
A Rhode Island man became the first patient worldwide to receive Biogen’s hotly debated Alzheimer’s drug outside of a clinical trial on Wednesday, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to Fox News. Marc Archambault, 70 of Wakefield, received the infusion shortly before noon at Butler Hospital in Providence, according to spokesperson Raina Smith of Care New England. The patient met the criteria for people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease, Smith said. (Rivas, 6/16)
Modern Healthcare: U.S. Drug Spending Projected To Spike With New Alzheimer's Drug
U.S. prescription drug spending will jump at least 8% by the mid-2020s as a controversial new Alzheimer's disease drug hits the market, a new analysis finds. The intravenous drug aducanumab, marketed under the name Aduhelm, will comprise more than 1% of all national health spending by the mid-2020s, according to the report released Wednesday by the not-for-profit research group Altarum. It will grow non-retail drug spending—those administered in hospitals or clinics—by at least 25%. (Bannow, 6/16)
In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —
Stat: Lawmakers Revive Bills To Accelerate The Development Of New Antibiotics
After months of anticipation, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is reintroducing bills in the Senate and the House that supporters hope will jump-start the development of novel antibiotics to combat drug-resistant bacteria. The legislation, called the PASTEUR Act, would provide upfront payments anywhere from $750 million to $3 billion to a drug developer in exchange for unlimited access to its antibiotic. The “subscription model” would enable drug companies to recover their investments in research and development and make an appropriate profit without having to sell large amounts of antibiotics to survive financially. (Silverman, 6/16)
Modern Healthcare: Federal Judge Keeps 340B Suit Against HHS Alive
A federal judge on Wednesday refused HHS' request to dismiss AstraZeneca's challenge to a December advisory opinion from Health and Human Resources Administration blocking drugmakers from charging a covered entity more than the ceiling price for 340B drugs. U.S. District Judge Leonard Stark in Delaware didn't rule on the wisdom of the policy but said that the government's position on drugmakers' obligations under the 340B program had shifted over time. Congress didn't clearly address the issue of contract pharmacies when it created the drug discount program more than two decades ago, he said. (Brady, 6/16)
Axios: Anthem Joins Insurer-Backed Generic Drugs Effort
A new initiative aiming to create cheaper generic drugs for retail pharmacies signed on Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield — one the largest insurers in the U.S. — as well as drug manufacturer Catalent as partners, officials announced this morning. The newly-named CivicaScript, a subsidiary of the hospital-owned non-profit drug maker Civica Rx, is the latest effort by the health care industry to get control of generic drug prices. (Reed, 6/16)
Stat: Sage Antidepressant Achieves Goals Of Study, But Questions Linger
Sage Therapeutics said Tuesday that an experimental pill designed to alleviate depression with a two-week course of therapy was successful in a large clinical trial involving patients with major depressive disorder. The Sage drug, called zuranolone, demonstrated a statistically significant, anti-depressive benefit compared to a placebo. The positive results are a comeback win for Sage and its efforts to develop zuranolone for several different depressive disorders. The drug failed a similar study in December 2019. (Feuerstein, 6/15)
KHN: Device Makers Have Funneled Billions To Orthopedic Surgeons Who Use Their Products
Dr. Kingsley R. Chin was little more than a decade out of Harvard Medical School when sales of his spine surgical implants took off. Chin has patented more than 40 pieces of such hardware, including doughnut-shaped plastic cages, titanium screws and other products used to repair spines — generating $100 million for his company SpineFrontier, according to government officials. (Schulte and Lucas, 6/17)
