Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Grocery Store Launches Membership Program Where Patients Pay Annual Fee To Get Discounts On Prescription Drugs
Stat: Kroger Starts Discount Program For Prescription Drugs, Part Of National Shift
Kroger, one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., is rolling out a new discount program for patients who pick up prescription drugs at its pharmacies — part of a gradual nationwide shift in how consumers can pay for their medications. Under the new program, which launched on Wednesday, Kroger shoppers can pay an annual fee of $36 per person or $72 per family to get discounted prices for their drugs, including 21 cheap drugs at no additional cost. The idea is that they can bypass insurance and pay out of pocket for drugs when it’s cheaper to do so. (Robbins, 12/12)
Stat: Top HHS Official Signals More Interest In PhRMA’s Limited Plan For Drug Ads
The health and human services deputy secretary said Wednesday that the pharmaceutical industry’s plan to make drug price information more available in television ads might be a “potential salve,” even though the HHS chief, Alex Azar, scoffed at the very same idea in October. HHS released a proposed policy in October that would mandate drug companies put the list price of their drugs in TV advertisements. The industry trade group PhRMA has said that any such policy would run afoul of the First Amendment, and released its own counter-plan: An ad wouldn’t include the price of a drug, but would instead direct consumers to another place, such as a website, where they could find more information about how much the drug costs. (Swetlitz, 12/12)
Stat: Exploratory Trials After Approvals May Cause Too Much Off-Label Prescribing
Although the widely prescribed Lyrica painkiller was studied for more than 30 other uses, a new analysis finds much of the subsequent testing appears to have been merely exploratory, creating perceptions that the drug could combat other maladies and encouraging off-label use. Specifically, a systematic review of 238 clinical trials for unapproved uses found that 67 percent of the studies that examined 33 additional indications generated uncertainty about the effectiveness of the drug, according to the analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Silverman, 12/12)
Stat: Sun Pharma Faces A New Problem As Regulator Probes Whistleblower Charges
In the latest bit of difficulty for Sun Pharma, India’s securities regulator reportedly disclosed plans to investigate allegations of insider trading and other irregularities involving fundraising overseas for one of India’s largest pharmaceutical companies. The move by the Securities and Exchange Board of India follows a 150-page letter sent by a whistleblower to the regulator and local media, placing the drug maker under unusual scrutiny, given that an insider trading case was settled last year. The new probe was confirmed by SEBI chairman Ajay Tyag following a regularly scheduled agency meeting, according to The Times of India. (Silverman, 12/12)
The Wall Street Journal: Walmart, Express Scripts Extend Prescription-Services Agreement
Retail giant Walmart Inc. and pharmacy-benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Co. have extended their network agreement to provide access to Walmart’s prescription services for Express Scripts clients’ covered members. The three-year agreement will help both insured and uninsured customers save money on prescription drugs, the companies said Wednesday. Walmart also will participate in Express Scripts’s pharmacy-savings program called InsideRx, which provides discounts, on average of 40%, to uninsured Americans using brand-name prescription drugs. (Al-Muslim, 12/12)
Kaiser Health News: For The Asking, A Check Is In The Mail To Help Pay For Costly Drugs
It’s one of the little-known secrets in health care: When financial incentives like copay coupons and debit cards won’t work, pharmaceutical companies sometimes will write a check — what they call direct reimbursement — to make sure a loyal patient will stay on a high-cost, brand-name drug. Drugmakers began using now-popular copay coupons and other forms of assistance more than a decade ago to help patients pay out-of-pocket costs for medicines, particularly high-cost specialty drugs such as those that treat autoimmune disorders. The coupons have a dual purpose: They mask the true costs of a drug for patients and give patients a financial incentive to stay on an expensive drug until their insurance deductible is met. (Tribble, 12/13)
Bloomberg: AstraZeneca, Glaxo Are Ending Long-Shot Drug Developments
Big Pharma is looking for good kills, and its own labs are the hunting ground.Industry executives long trained to sniff out blockbuster drugs are now having to hone another skill: a feel for medicines that are unsafe, unoriginal or just unlikely to succeed. As costs escalate, knowing when to terminate those medicines has become just as important as when to move forward. (Lauerman and Paton, 12/13)
Prescription Drug Watch: For news on rising drug costs, check out our weekly roundup of news coverage and perspectives of the issue.
