Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How COVID Changed Drug Treatments
Stateline: COVID-19 Eased Drug Treatment Rules And That Saved Lives
Since March, some patients have been allowed to take the life-saving medication methadone at home instead of risking COVID-19 exposure by visiting a crowded clinic every day. Buprenorphine patients have had their prescriptions renewed by phone instead of visiting their doctors every week or month. And addiction counseling and crisis support has become available over the phone. Now, physicians and addiction experts are advocating for extending the emergency federal and state rules they say have saved thousands of lives by dramatically expanding access to addiction treatment. (Vestal, 12/18)
Modern Healthcare: Judge To Decide Soon Whether CMS Outpatient Drug Pay Demo Must Temporarily Stop
A federal judge in Maryland on Friday said she will decide by Dec. 24 whether the Trump administration's new outpatient drug payment demonstration tied to international drug prices can be implemented on time. U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake made the comments in a hearing on whether she should issue a temporary restraining order on CMS' most-favored nation drug payment demonstration, which is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Association of Community Cancer Centers, the Global Colon Cancer Center Association and National Infusion Center Association sued to stop implementation of CMS' interim final rule, and their lawsuit is one of several ongoing legal challenges to the policy. (Cohrs, 12/18)
Stat: Documents: Sacklers Withdrew Cash From Purdue After Lawsuit Fears Raised
In recent weeks, different members of the Sackler family that controls Purdue Pharma maintained they did not foresee the massive amount of lawsuits that would blame their company for its role in the opioid crisis. And for this reason, they have argued that the billions of dollars withdrawn from Purdue over the past decade were not fraudulent distributions to hide money. (Silverman, 12/20)
Stat: Here Are The Best And Worst Biopharma CEOs Of 2020
The best and worst biopharma CEOs of 2020, selected by STAT+ readers, are Sam Kulkarni of CRISPR Therapeutics and Nick Leschly of Bluebird Bio. This is one of the most fascinating paired selections in all the years that I’ve been naming best and worst biopharma CEOs. (Feuerstein, 12/18)
