Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Panel Calls For Action On Cancer Drugs: Patients Shouldn't Have To Choose Between Medication And Mortgage
Stat: White House Panel On Cancer Drug Costs Recommends Finding 'Value'
A White House panel issued a report Tuesday urging several steps designed to curb rising prices for cancer medications, notably a recommendation for determining value for these increasingly expensive treatments, which can cost $100,000 or more a year. ... Value has become one of the hot buzzwords used by pharmaceutical and insurance industry insiders, along with some policy makers, to redefine the drug pricing debate. Rather than focus solely on lowering prices — a thorny and elusive goal in a world of opaque pricing — insider conversations now seek to balance pricing with usefulness. (Silverman, 3/13)
The Hill: Trump's Cancer Panel Says Urgent Action Needed On Rising Drug Costs
“Cancer patients should not have to choose between paying for their medications or paying their mortgages. For so many, it is truly a matter of life and death,” said Barbara Rimer, chair of the President's Cancer Panel, which advises the president on issues related to cancer policy. “This is a national imperative that will not be solved by any one sector working alone.” (Hellmann, 3/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Cancer Panel Calls For Measures To Lower Drug Costs
PhRMA, the drug-industry organization, said in a statement that the cancer death rate has fallen because of new therapies that “attack disease at the molecular level and are tailored to the unique needs of individual patients.” But it said “better frameworks are needed for assessing the value of medical tests, medicines and health-care services.” (Burton, 3/13)
Stat: Is A Widely Used Cancer Compendium Recommending Pricey Drugs Based On Weak Evidence?
One of the leading entities that issues physician guidelines for cancer medicines frequently recommends off-label uses beyond those endorsed by regulators, and relies on “weak evidence” to make its influential decisions, according to a new analysis published in BMJ. Of 47 cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration between 2011 and 2015, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommended 113 uses for the medicines, while the agency endorsed the treatments for 69 uses. Of the 44 additional NCCN recommendations, 14, or 32 percent, permitted use for treating a cancer other than what was specified by the FDA. (Silverman, 3/12)
For more news on high drug costs, check out our weekly feature, Prescription Drug Watch, which includes coverage and perspectives of the issue.
