Impact Of Drug Prices In TV Ads Mitigated If Consumers Think They Could Be Eligible For Free Treatment
A new study looked at the effectiveness of the Trump administration's proposal to require drugmakers to state prices in TV commercials. While putting the costs in did affect consumers, the impact was muted if the ad's language suggests that some people could get the treatment for free. In other pharmaceutical news: foreign drug pricing, the controversial 340B program, negotiating powers for Medicaid, and more.
Stat:
Trump Plan To Put Drug Prices In Ads Might Work, But Not If Pharma Gets Its Way
A Trump administration proposal to require drug makers to advertise prices in television ads could dissuade consumers from considering pricey medicines, according to a new study. But this reaction was mitigated when ads mentioned some patients may be able to receive the treatment for nothing, which is language that drug makers are pushing to include in the White House scheme. The researchers showed five different ads to 580 people about a fictitious diabetes drug. One ad did not mention price, another indicated the drug cost $50 a month, and still another cited $15,500 a month. Two other ads also mentioned each price, respectively, but added a line that “eligible patients” may be able to get the drug for as little as $0 a month, according to the study in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Silverman, 1/23)
Stat:
Some PhRMA Criticisms Of Trump’s Foreign Drug Pricing Plan Ring Hollow
The pharmaceutical industry’s Washington lobbying group is fighting full force to scuttle a Trump administration policy proposal that would tie the price of drugs in the U.S. to their costs abroad — and making a handful of specious arguments along the way, health policy experts told STAT. PhRMA has launched a multipronged attack against the proposal, arguing that it would, in effect, make health care in America more closely resemble systems in Europe. Patients wouldn’t be able to get as many new drugs and might suffer as a result, they say. (Swetlitz, 1/24)
Modern Healthcare:
California's Drug-Pricing Plan Could Pare Down 340B Program
The controversial 340B drug discount program could be looking at a serious trim in California, home to the biggest Medicaid population in the country. Health clinics and hospitals are monitoring a potentially huge money shift away from hospitals in the program in the wake of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's sweeping executive order on drug pricing. The new governor's plan still has plenty of details to be worked out, but as currently configured it would consolidate all the state's drug purchasers into a single stream. (Luthi, 1/23)
Boston Globe:
Baker Has Plan To Rein In Soaring Drug Costs In State Medicaid Program
The Baker administration on Wednesday unveiled a new plan to tackle the soaring cost of prescription drugs in the state Medicaid program by negotiating prices directly with drug makers and subjecting expensive drugs to state oversight. Pharmaceutical companies immediately objected to the proposal, while consumer advocates and insurers welcomed it. (Dayal McCluskey, 1/24)
Bloomberg:
Botox-Maker Allergan In Patent Spat Over Next-Wave Wrinkle Fixer
Many wrinkle haters endured painful gel injections in the face to get the smoother skin they wanted, until Allergan Plc developed a way to take some of the sting out of the process by adding a small amount of local anesthetic. While the improvement has helped the Juvedérm product line top $500 million a year in U.S. sales for Allergan, which also makes the blockbuster wrinkle-remedy Botox, the company now alleges a smaller rival, Prollenium Medical Technologies Inc., has been using its inventions without permission. (Yasiejko, 1/23)
Prescription Drug Watch: For news on rising drug costs, check out our weekly roundup of news coverage and perspectives of the issue.
