Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Politicians Should Keep In Mind That Opaque Drug Pipeline Is Much More Complex Than Just List Prices
The Wall Street Journal: Don’t Blame Drug Prices On ‘Big Pharma’
An unlikely bipartisan consensus has formed to blame pharmaceutical companies for high prescription-drug prices. Democrat Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, held hearings this month on drug companies’ pricing practices, while Republican Chuck Grassley has done the same on the Senate Finance Committee. As odd a duo as President Trump and Bernie Sanders already have called for drug price controls, and more voices will join the chorus as the public grilling of pharmaceutical executives continues. (Adam J. Fein, 2/3)
WBUR: As Drug Prices Rise, Is Boston’s Prosperity Based On A Moral Crime?
Prescription drug prices have become a high-profile issue, with a growing clamor from politicians, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, seeking to take action. There are many laudable elements in Baker’s proposal to negotiate prices directly with drug makers, despite its narrow focus, but such efforts are doomed to become little more than window dressing. We have a much bigger problem to confront. (Dr. Vikas Saini, 1/31)
Stat: Gilead's CEO Hasn't Shown Up For Work Yet, Leaving The Biotech Rudderless
Gilead Sciences’ CEO Daniel O’Day is MIA, and so is the biotech’s promised return to growth. O’Day, the longtime Roche executive, was named Gilead’s new CEO in December, but here we are two months later and he’s not yet shown up on the job. Commitments with Roche won’t allow O’Day to take over the Gilead executive suite until March 1, a Gilead spokesperson said. (Adam Feuerstein, 2/5)
Stat: Multi-Target Drugs Should Be In The Pharma Pipeline Along With Precision Drugs
recision medicine — providing the right treatment, for the right patient, at the right time — is saving lives. The use of therapies that home in on single targets is helping beat tough-to-treat diseases that were often deadly in the past. But we’re overlooking another class of extremely important and promising candidates: multi-target drugs. Discounting these drugs is a disservice to patients and a missed opportunity for U.S.-based companies to bring potentially game-changing drugs to market. Most drugs on the market today take aim at a single biologic substance, like a protein or enzyme. In contrast, multi-target drugs hit several targets, which is often necessary to do in order to yield a therapeutic effect in complex diseases. (Harris A. Gelbard, 1/31)
