Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharma Comes Out Swinging Against White House Plan In Opening Salvo Of Likely Fierce Battle
Bloomberg: Drug Lobby Compares Trump Drug Price Plan To ‘Socialized’ System
The lobbying groups for U.S. drugmakers aren’t happy about President Donald Trump’s plan to borrow from Europe’s system of paying for some high-cost drugs. On Thursday, Trump proposed cutting what Medicare pays for many costly drugs that are administered in hospitals and clinics, using a new index of prices that would bring U.S. government payments closer to what European countries pay. (Edney, 10/25)
Stat: Trump’s New Drug Pricing Proposals Have Already Sparked A War With Pharma
The Trump administration’s new plan to pay for certain drugs in Medicare based on international prices quickly set off a war with the drug industry after it was unveiled Thursday — and both sides are charging ahead with aggressive statements that the other is ignoring patients. The trade group for drug makers, PhRMA, called the proposal “price controls” and said it was “disappointed the administration put the needs of patients aside with these proposals.” (Florko, 10/25)
Stat: These Companies Have The Most To Lose Under New Trump Drug Pricing Plan
President Trump’s forthcoming proposal to lower the cost of expensive physician-administered drugs will hit three drug companies — Amgen, Genentech, and Regeneron — harder than anyone else. Trump is expected to roll out a pilot program Thursday that would tie reimbursement for certain expensive drugs to the prices paid in other similar countries, POLITICO reports. And the Department of Health and Human Services is already out with a report that names the specific drug companies that charge more for their medicines in the U.S. than in other countries. (Florko, 10/25)
