Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Merck Files Lawsuit To Stop Medicare Negotiation Of Drug Prices
Stat: Merck Sues U.S. Government Over Medicare Negotiation Program
Merck on Tuesday sued to stop the federal government from implementing a new Medicare drug price negotiation program. Merck called the negotiation process that Democrats designed in a law last August “a sham,” arguing that the federal government “dictates” prices. (Cohrs and Silverman, 6/6)
Reuters: White House Says It Will Win Merck Lawsuit, Defends Medicare Drug Negotiations
The Biden administration is confident it will succeed in the courts against Merck & Co's lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the White House said, defending the Medicare health insurance program's authority to seek deals on medicine prices. "We are confident we will succeed in the courts: there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. (6/6)
In related news about Medicare and the cost of drugs —
CNBC: Alzheimer's: Lawmakers Press For More Info On Medicare Coverage
Two Democratic lawmakers are calling on Medicare to provide more information on how the program will make good on its promise to cover Alzheimer’s treatments for seniors. Rep. Anna Eshoo, the ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Health, and Rep. Nanette Barragan said Medicare has failed to answer basic questions about how its coverage plan will work. (Kimball, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: 340B Drug Discount Program Faces Uncertainties Amid HRSA Silence
On May 11, the Health Resources and Services Administration removed guidance from its website, issued in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, that allowed 340B-eligible hospitals to prescribe discounted drugs for patients seen at off-site clinics before those clinics were registered with the Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System and were listed on a Medicare cost report. Hospitals expected the June 2020 guidance to be made permanent rather than tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency, which ended May 11. (Kacik, 6/6)
Stat: Digital Therapeutics Industry Descends On D.C. To Make Case For Coverage
A top priority at the Digital Therapeutics Alliance’s first summit is to advance the industry’s marquee bill, the Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act. Throughout the week, DTA members will have dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill they hope will rally more support for legislation that would compel Medicare to create a way to pay for software-based medical treatments cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a step proponents argue is essential for the treatments to reach more patients. (Aguilar, 6/7)
More news from the Biden administration —
Reuters: White House Vows An Improved Effort Against Drug Overdoses
President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl. "Today's summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago," Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada. (Bose, 6/6)
