Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Democrats Push Pharmaceutical Companies To Explain High Costs Of MS Drugs
Reuters: U.S. House Democrats Launch Probe Into MS Drug Pricing
U.S. House Democrats said on Thursday they were launching an investigation into why prices for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) treatments have nearly quintupled since 2004, and they sent letters requesting information from seven drugmakers. (Erman, 8/17)
Stat: Lawmakers Push Drug Makers To Explain Soaring Prices For MS Drugs
Two Democratic lawmakers are pressing major pharmaceutical companies to explain their pricing strategies for multiple sclerosis drugs. Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont wrote to Bayer, Biogen, EMD Serono, Novartis, Sanofi, Teva, and Roche Pharmaceuticals to request documents that reference pricing strategies. They also asked for information about corporate profits, expenses, patient assistance programs, and drug distribution systems. (Mershon, 8/17)