Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: A Drug Seen As Epitome Of Personalized Medicine Was Just Approved By FDA
Stat: Landmark FDA Approval Bolsters Personalized Medicine
Our understanding of cancer has been morphing from a tissue-specific disease — think lung cancer or breast cancer — to a disease characterized more by specific genes or biomarkers than by location. A recent FDA decision underscores that transition and further opens the door to personalized medicine. (Edward Abrahams, 6/21)
Morning Consult: Minority Communities Need Better Health Care, Not Counterfeit Drugs
According to the most recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Latinos and African-Americans have health outcomes that are 30 to 40 percent poorer than white Americans. ... That’s why policymaking in the health care sphere has to move in a direction that closes this health outcomes gap, and takes great care not to make these disparities even worse. ... We could take giant steps backward, however, if Congress moves ahead with the idea of permitting the importation of prescription medicines from other countries. If this happens, the United States government will actually be promoting the use of counterfeit and unsafe medications from China, Mexico, Pakistan and other parts of the world in which our Food and Drug Administration has zero oversight. (Garfield Clunie and Richard Williams, 6/23)
CNN: Why US Health Care Costs Defy Common Sense
When Jeffrey Kivi's rheumatologist changed affiliations from one hospital in New York City to another, less than 20 blocks uptown, the price his insurer paid for the outpatient infusion he got about every 6 weeks to control his arthritis jumped from $19,000 to over $100,000. Same drug; same dose -- though, Kivi noted, the pricier infusion room had free cookies, Wi-Fi and bottled water. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 6/26)
Crain's Chicago Business: President Donald Trump And Prescription Drug Pricing
We are all focused on Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with new policies that will result in millions of Americans paying more and getting less. But there is another health care issue that also needs attention: the future of prescription drug prices. (Jan Schakowsky, 6/26)
The Star-Ledger: Don't Just Cap Costs For Cancer Patients; Put The Squeeze On Big Pharma
A proposal to cap the out-of-pocket cost of drugs, which just passed the state Senate unanimously, sounds like a Godsend for patients. If you've got a rare form of leukemia or HIV/AIDS and need a specialty drug that costs tens of thousands of dollars, it can be. (6/27)
