Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Insulin Makers And PBMs Each Blame The Other Over Price Hikes
Stat: Insulin Makers, PBMs Echo Old Finger-Pointing In Senate Hearing
A Senate hearing on high insulin costs billed as a blockbuster showdown with drugmakers and middlemen turned out to be a familiar case of political theater that appeared to satisfy no one. The nation’s three biggest insulin makers, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, and the trio of middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, Express Scripts, OptumRx and CVS Health, testified Wednesday in a three-hour hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The hearing sets up a debate by the same committee Thursday over a package of bills aimed at PBM reform. (Owermohle, 5/10)
The Hill: Insulin Companies, PBMs Pass The Blame As They Face Bipartisan Ire On Pricing
In their opening statements, drug manufacturing leaders cited numerous causes of insulin’s sky-high price that exist outside their companies. ... Representatives from the PBM industry subtly shot back at the drug company representatives, insisting that their companies have a key role in keeping costs down. (Choi, 5/10)
The Washington Examiner: Pharma CEOs Play Insulin Price Blame Game During Bipartisan Senate Grilling
Only Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks agreed to one of Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) numerous requests of the chief executives, pledging his company would not raise the prices of any insulin drugs currently on the market. He joined the other CEOs in declining Sanders's other pleas, such as lowering list prices on other drugs that cost less in Europe and Canada. (Jacobs, 5/10)
KFF Health News: PBMs, The Brokers Who Control Drug Prices, Finally Get Washington’s Attention
For two decades, patients and physicians eagerly awaited a lower-cost version of the world’s bestselling drug, Humira, while its maker, AbbVie, fought off potential competitors by building a wall of more than 250 patents around it. When the first Humira biosimilar — essentially a generic version — finally hit the market in January, it came with an unpleasant surprise. The biosimilar’s maker, Amgen, launched two versions of the drug, which treats a host of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis. They were identical in every way but this: One was priced at about $1,600 for a two-week supply, 55% off Humira’s list price. But the other was priced at around $3,300, only about 5% off. And OptumRx, one of three powerhouse brokers that determine which drugs Americans get, recommended option No. 2: the more expensive version. (Allen, 5/11)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
Stat: Lawmakers Press CMS To Release New Breakthrough Device Coverage Rule
An array of lawmakers called for a simpler reimbursement pathway for breakthrough devices at a Ways and Means health subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. They echoed a prevalent concern of medical device makers: that when device companies struggle to obtain insurance coverage, it discourages device innovation and limits patient options. (Lawrence, 5/10)
On the debt-limit impasse —
USA Today: Debt Limit Fight: Here's How It Could Impact Social Security Checks
While they made their jabs, the health and financial security of millions of Americans across the country remained at risk. Though getting Republicans and Democrats to agree on financial aid is never a simple task, the side effect of the standoff is clear: U.S. residents who rely on government payments for their salaries, retirement money, food assistance, medical care and more would lose those benefits if the nation doesn't have money to cover its obligations. (Woodall, Looker, Elbeshbishi and Tran, 5/10)
The New York Times: Biden Woos Republican Moderates In Debt Ceiling Standoff
President Biden sought to drive a wedge among Republicans in their escalating dispute over spending and debt on Wednesday, effectively reaching out to moderates in hopes of convincing them to break away from Speaker Kevin McCarthy rather than risk triggering a national default that could throw the economy into a tailspin. Appearing in a competitive suburb with a vulnerable House Republican in his sights, Mr. Biden accused Mr. McCarthy of pursuing a radical strategy at the behest of the “extreme” wing of his party loyal to former President Donald J. Trump, putting the country in economic jeopardy in a way that he said reasonable Republicans of his own era in the Senate would not have done. (Baker and Fandos, 5/10)
The New York Times: How Past Debt Limit Crises Shaped Biden’s No-Negotiation Stance
Battles in 2011 and 2013 taught President Biden not to lean on a House speaker who has little room to negotiate and to keep debt ceiling talks separate from the budget. (Rogers, 5/10)
