Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Midst Of Pharma Trying To Rebrand Image, Company Jacks Up Old Drug's Price To $89,000
The Wall Street Journal: Drug Industry Goes Boldly Into New Minefield
Last month, the pharmaceutical industry, under pressure from the president among others for persistent price hikes, launched an ad campaign to highlight its drug research. Called “Go Boldly,” an allusion to poet Dylan Thomas, the campaign was intended to bolster the industry’s reputation after pricing scandals involving companies such as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and Turing Pharmaceuticals. It took just a few weeks for another pharma company to ignite a controversy and set off the requisite tales of patients unable to afford the treatment. (Grant, 2/10)
The Washington Post: An Old Drug Gets A New Price To Fight A Rare Disease: $89,000 A Year
An old steroid treatment, long available outside the United States, received approval this week for a rare disease that afflicts about 15,000 Americans. Though not previously approved in the United States, the drug, deflazacort, has for years been available to patients suffering from the devastating and fatal disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy; families can import it from abroad for about $1,200 per year on average. The new list price for the drug? $89,000 a year. (Johnson, 2/10)
The Wall Street Journal: Marathon Pharmaceuticals To Charge $89,000 For Muscular Dystrophy Drug After 70-Fold Increase
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Marathon’s drug, a corticosteroid called deflazacort, to treat a rare type of muscular dystrophy that affects some 12,000 boys in the U.S., most of whom die in their 20s and 30s. The drug isn’t a cure, but it has been shown to improve muscle strength, the FDA said in a statement announcing the approval. The drug wasn’t sold in the U.S. mainly because no company thought it would be profitable enough to warrant the effort of seeking FDA approval. (Walker, 2/10)
Meanwhile, one senator is looking into loopholes surrounding orphan drugs —
Stat: Grassley Opens Investigation Into Loopholes In Orphan Drug Law
Amid rising concern over prescription drug pricing, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has begun an investigation into whether drug makers are exploiting loopholes to widen the market for so-called orphan drugs. The move comes after accelerating scrutiny of this lucrative corner of the pharmaceutical market. Under the Orphan Drug Act, which was passed in 1983, the Food and Drug Administration began approving medicines to treat rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people. The incentives to fill these unmet medical needs include tax credits and seven years of exclusive marketing rights. (Silverman, 2/10)
Kaiser Health News: Grassley Launches Inquiry Into Orphan Drugs After KHN Investigation
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has opened an inquiry into potential abuses of the Orphan Drug Act that may have contributed to high prices on commonly used drugs. In a statement, Grassley said the inquiry is “based on reporting from Kaiser Health News” and strong consumer concern about high drug prices. (Tribble, 2/10)
Read more from KHN on orphan drugs.
