Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharma Asks: Where Is Trump's Drug Price Order?
The New York Times: Trump Keeps Promoting A Drug Order That No One Has Seen
President Trump has made his executive order tying prescription drug prices in the United States to the prices paid in Europe and other developed nations — and the ensuing war that has broken out with the pharmaceutical industry — a centerpiece of his campaign for re-election. The problem: No such executive order has been released. (Gay Stolberg and Sanger-Katz, 8/24)
Stat: Pharmacists Say They Tell Patients About Pill Changes, But Patients Say Otherwise
Most consumers say they aren’t notified of physical changes in their prescription pills, even though most pharmacists report they do alert their customers, a disconnect that is contributing to a lack of patient adherence, according to a new analysis. At issue are the occasional variations in shape, size, or color of medicines that manufacturers make for different reasons. Half of 1,000 consumers who were surveyed reported such a change in the past year, and 29% thought they received the wrong pill. As a result, 1 in 8 either took their pills less frequently or stopped taking them altogether. (Silverman, 8/24)
Stat: Sun Pharma Unit To Pay $21M For Giving False Instructions For Acne Treatmnt
A unit of Sun Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay nearly $21 million to settle allegations of providing false instructions to doctors for an acne treatment and, in turn, causing federal health care programs such as Medicare to overpay for the medication.At issue is a product called Levulan Kerastick, an acne ointment that is used in conjunction with an illuminated blue light. (Silverman, 8/24)
