Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mylan Ranks No. 2 In Executive Pay Among Drug Companies, Far Outpacing Others Its Size
The Wall Street Journal: EpiPen Maker Dispenses Outsize Pay
The drugmaker buffeted by the furor over hefty price increases on its lifesaving EpiPen had the second-highest executive compensation among all U.S. drug and biotech firms over the past five years, paying its top five managers a total of nearly $300 million, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. The big pay packages are unusual because of Mylan NV’s relatively small size in the U.S. drug industry, where it is No. 11 by revenue and No. 16 by market capitalization. (Maremont, 9/13)
Bloomberg: Doctors Downplaying Drug’s Suicide Risks Attract FDA’S Scrutiny
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a message for doctors: The money you’re taking from pharmaceutical companies may be clouding your judgment. Research sites where Pfizer Inc. had paid doctors at least $25,000 in speaking, consulting or other fees reported sunnier results for its smoking-cessation drug Chantix, the FDA disclosed Monday. At those sites, doctors studying the drug’s possible link to suicide risk and other behavior changes reported fewer side effects than at locations where colleagues accepted lower or no payments. (Edney, 9/13)
Stat: All That Pharmaceutical Advertising May Be A 'Mixed Bag,' After All
Amid the ongoing debate over the wisdom of pharmaceutical advertising, a new analysis suggests that doctors agree more often than not to write prescriptions for patients who have seen drug ads. At the same time, however, the analysis also found that only 1 in 10 consumers were moved by such advertising to ask a doctor for a prescription.The results present a slightly conflicting picture of the extent to which so-called direct-to-consumer advertising poses an unhealthy dilemma, according to the authors of the analysis, published Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. While the pharmaceutical industry insists its ads educate consumers, doctors argue some ads too often encourage patients to seek medicines unnecessarily. (Silverman, 9/13)
The Fiscal Times: Generic Drug Prices Dropped By Nearly 60% Under Medicare Part D
tween 2010 and early 2015, the prices of generic drugs provided under Medicare Part D for declined by nearly 60 percent – dramatic savings that helped leaven U.S. health care costs, according to a new report by the General Accountability Office (GAO). Generic drugs have long served as a counter-weight to pricey brand name prescription drugs. While they account for 88 percent of the 4.3 billion prescription drugs dispensed annually, they represent only 28 percent of the total price, according to industry experts. (Pianin, 9/14)
In case you missed it: Check out our weekly feature, Prescription Drug Watch, which includes coverage and perspectives of the issue.
