Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Low-Profile Pharma Group Taps Into Fears That Pelosi's Drug Pricing Bill Will Threaten 'Thousands Of Good-Paying Jobs'
The New York Times: Labor Unions Team Up With Drug Makers To Defeat Drug-Price Proposals
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill to lower drug prices has the backing of many of the nation’s biggest labor groups, including the United Auto Workers, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., and unions representing teachers and other government workers. But a wave of Facebook ads that ran this fall appeared to suggest otherwise. The ads, featuring a dejected-looking man in a hard hat, warned that the bill “threatens thousands of good-paying jobs and restricts access to lifesaving medication.” (Thomas, 12/3)
CNBC: White House: Pelosi's Drug-Pricing Bill Would Result In 100 Fewer Drugs
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s sweeping drug-pricing bill would result in as many as 100 fewer drugs hitting the U.S. market over the next decade, the White House claimed in a report Tuesday. The White House, citing an analysis from the Council of Economic Advisers, an agency within the executive office, also said Pelosi’s bill would lead to worse health outcomes and cost the U.S. economy $1 trillion per year over that time period. The report from the administration, which has some health policy analysts scratching their heads, suggests far greater consequences than other estimates for both the drug industry and American consumers if the bill is enacted. (Lovelace, 12/3)
And in other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Huntington's Clinical Trial Opens A Door To Hope — But Only If Patients Get In
[Perry Stewart] is one of about 800 patients around the world enrolled in a final-stage clinical trial of a drug designed to slow — maybe even stop — the progression of the disease. Though it wouldn’t be a cure, it’s the first time a therapy aimed at the actual root of Huntington’s has reached this far in its development odyssey. And it is one of a wave of therapies to rely on advances in genetic medicine to combat previously untreatable inherited diseases. (Joseph, 12/4)
Stat: 4 Questions Key To Making Sense Of New Data On Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug
The annual Alzheimer’s research meeting known as CTAD was supposed to be a snoozefest this year. That all changed six weeks ago, when Biogen (BIIB) stunned the medical world by bringing an Alzheimer’s drug back from the dead — and vowed to make a detailed scientific case for the decision at the gathering this week. On Thursday morning, Biogen will give that highly anticipated presentation — livestreamed here — detailing data from two late-stage clinical trials of its drug, known as aducanumab. (Robbins, 12/4)
