No Specifics Emerge Following HHS Secretary’s Chat With Ways And Means Committee About Lowering Drug Costs

The Hill: Trump Health Chief Meets With GOP Lawmakers On Lowering Drug Prices 
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on Thursday met with Republican lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss ways to lower drug prices. President Trump has railed against drug prices and his administration has rolled out a series of actions seeking to lower prices, though many say the moves have been relatively modest. (Sullivan, 9/6)

CQ: Ways And Means Examining Drug Pricing Legislation
The discussion covered the issue of drug pricing broadly, and Brady signaled that more was coming from both the administration and Congress. The Office of Management and Budget is currently reviewing two proposals — one that would require drugmakers to include list prices in consumer advertisements and another to eliminate legal protections for rebates under anti-kickback laws. “Because the pricing of drugs involves so many different areas, we just had a comprehensive discussion about how best to lower costs,” Brady said, adding that the administration’s pressure had successfully repressed 60 percent of price increases compared with prior years. “That’s good progress. We obviously want to work with them to do more.” (Clason, 9/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Walgreens To Offer Allergy Treatment Auvi-Q As EpiPen Shortage Persists
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. is set to be the first retail pharmacy to offer EpiPen alternative Auvi-Q as the country faces a shortage of the potentially life-saving devices. Auvi-Q, an epinephrine auto-injector from privately held Kaléo, had been primarily available through its direct delivery. (Barba, 9/6)

Chicago Tribune: Amid EpiPen Shortage, Walgreens Teams Up With Drug Company To Offer Free Alternative 
Amid a shortage of EpiPens, Deerfield-based Walgreens is partnering with a competing drugmaker to make it easier for consumers across the country to get its devices. Auvi-Qs — devices used to inject epinephrine to counter severe allergic reactions — are available for the first time at Walgreens stores nationwide. Before, consumers seeking Auvi-Qs mostly got them through the mail. (Schencker, 9/6)

And in other pharmaceutical news —

Bloomberg: Generic-Drug Venture Backed By Hospitals Taps CEO From Amgen 
A drugmaking venture backed by major U.S. hospitals has picked a chief executive officer, hastening the arrival of another threat to generic pharmaceutical manufacturers. Martin VanTrieste, 58 and a former top executive at biotechnology giant Amgen Inc., will run the organization, a not-for-profit called Civica Rx. Dan Liljenquist, 44 and an Intermountain Healthcare executive, will be chairman. Health systems with a total of about 500 hospitals -- including Intermountain, HCA Healthcare Inc., Mayo Clinic and Catholic Health Initiatives -- will help govern the venture, alongside several philanthropies. (Tracer, 9/6)

Kaiser Health News: The High Cost Of Hope: When The Parallel Interests Of Pharma And Families Collide
A desperate but determined group of parents raised millions through golf tournaments and cocktail parties to support research for drugs to fight cystinosis, a rare, fatal childhood disease. They were ecstatic when a pill called Procysbi was approved in 2013. The twice-a-day medicine was a breakthrough because it supplanted an existing drug with debilitating side effects that had to be taken every six hours around the clock — a missed dose could permanently damage a child’s kidneys. (Kopp and Hancock, 9/7)

Kaiser Health News: Insulin’s High Cost Leads To Deadly Rationing
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a terrible way to die. It’s what happens when you don’t have enough insulin. Your blood sugar gets so high that your blood becomes highly acidic, your cells dehydrate, and your body stops functioning. Nicole Smith-Holt lost her son to diabetic ketoacidosis, three days before his payday, because he couldn’t afford his insulin. (Sable-Smith, 9/7)