Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Patients Might Miss Spiking Cost Of A Medication Due To Drugmaker Copay Coupons, Report Says
USA Today: Drug Makers Use Co-Pay Coupons To Help Mask Their Rising Drug Prices
Drug maker-funded coupons and patient assistance programs are proving to be an uncertain and often questionable way for patients to afford what a new report shows are increasingly expensive specialty and other brand name drugs. Growth in drug spending by commercial and government insurance plans slowed last year to 5.8% less than half the growth rate in 2014 and 2015, a report by the QuintilesIMS Institute showed. Much of the slowing was due to lower sales of Hepatitis C drugs. (O'Donnell, 5/3)
Chicago Tribune: Blue Cross Report Blames Pharma Companies For High Drug Prices
In the ever-escalating battle over rising drug prices and who's to blame for them, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association released a report Wednesday pointing the finger at pharmaceutical companies. The association reported that its member plans spent 73 percent more on prescription drugs in 2016 than in 2010. It attributed the rise to "large year-over-year price increases" for new drugs that are protected from competition by patents. (Schencker, 5/3)
Stat: Mylan Payout To CEO Will 'Not Sit Well With Investors'
Last year, Mylan chairman Robert Coury received a $97 million pay package. Meanwhile, countless families across America struggled to pay $600 for a package of two EpiPen devices. This stark contrast has ignited another round of sharp criticism of the company, which became a symbol of corporate greed last year as parents complained about the rising cost of the allergic-reaction device. (Silverman, 5/3)
Stat: Pfizer Must Face NYU In A Lawsuit Over Royalties, Again
Once again, Pfizer will have to fend off claims by New York University that the drug maker owes “hundreds of millions of dollars” in royalties on a best-selling lung cancer treatment. A New York state appeals court on Tuesday revived a four-year-old lawsuit in which the university maintains that Pfizer breached a long-standing contract and should pay 2.5 percent royalties on Xalkori, which racked up $561 million in sales last year. The New York State Supreme Court had dismissed the suit two years ago. (Silverman, 5/3)
Kaiser Health News: Drug Coverage Denied By Medicare? How Seniors Can Fight Back
Kenneth Buss had taken Xarelto, a blood thinner, for more than a year when his mail-order pharmacy refused a request to refill his prescription several weeks ago. Buss, 79 and prone to dangerous blood clots, immediately contacted his physician, who urged Buss’ Medicare drug plan to approve the medication. The request was denied. But Buss didn’t let the matter drop. Without coverage, a 90-day supply of Xarelto costs about $1,300 at a local pharmacy — more than 10 times what Buss had been paying. (Graham, 5/4)
Louisiana and Nevada consider steps to attempt to control drug prices —
Kaiser Health News: Louisiana Proposes Tapping A Federal Law To Slash Hepatitis C Drug Prices
The public outrage over high-priced hepatitis C drugs is taking a new twist as Louisiana’s top health official proposes using an obscure federal law to get the medicines at a much lower cost. If successful, other states could reap the benefits. (Tribble, 5/4)
Stat: Nevada Bill Targeting Diabetes Drug Prices Sees A Setback
ANevada bill targeting the cost of diabetes drugs was stripped of a key provision that would have required drug makers to provide refunds to patients and insurers if wholesale prices rose by more than a medical component of the Consumer Price Index each year. The move came after the state Legislative Counsel Bureau issued a memo on Monday saying the bill could have violated the Interstate Commerce Clause, which restricts states from regulating interstate commerce, and the Supremacy Clause, which says that federal law supersedes state law when a conflict exists between the two. (Silverman, 5/3)
