Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Drug Companies Getting Stingy With Subsidies; Supreme Court Deals Blow To Consumers
Los Angeles Times: Drug Companies Are Growing Less Generous In Helping Patients Pay For Meds
Industry watchers say soaring drug prices have prompted many pharmaceutical companies to rethink long-standing programs to help subsidize purchases or even give meds away for free. “More and more people have become aware of these programs, and demand has gone up,” said David P. Wilson, president of PRAM Insurance Services, a Brea firm that helps employers with prescription-drug benefits. (David Lazarus, 8/15)
Stat: A Supreme Court Pharma Case Deals Consumers A Big Loss
The U.S. Supreme Court case of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. vs. Superior Court of California, which was decided in favor of BMS in June, may seem like an arcane question of legal jurisdiction. It’s anything but.The case centered on a drug called Plavix that BMS developed. Plavix, also known by its generic name, clopidogrel, is an anti-platelet used to prevent blood from clotting inside blood vessels. Ever since the drug was approved by the FDA in 1997, thousands of people have claimed that it caused them gastrointestinal bleeding, severe bleeding from relatively minor cuts, and even brain damage. (Michael Burg, 8/14)
Stat: Eli Lilly's Odyssey To Use A Fake Rule And Fake News To Protect Bad Patents
The story begins in 1991, when Eli Lilly applied for a Canadian patent for its antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa. Five years later, it applied for a Canadian patent for its attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug, Strattera. In both cases, the company copied its U.S. patent applications without making changes to address the specificities of Canadian patent law, presumably as a cost-saving measure. (E. Richard Gold, 8/16)
JAMA: Value-Based Pricing And State Reform Of Prescription Drug Costs
Faced with increasing prescription drug costs and congressional gridlock, some states have enacted meaningful reforms. In April 2017, New York State became the first public payer in the United States to authorize limits on prescription drug costs based on their therapeutic benefits. Under its new budget legislation, the state can identify high-cost drugs, determine a value-based price, and use enhanced powers to negotiate supplemental rebates to achieve this target price for its Medicaid program. (Thomas J. Hwang, Aaron S. Kesselheim and Ameet Sarpatwari, 8/15)
