Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Price Tag For Breakthrough Cancer Drug Jumps Nearly $100K Since It Hit Market
The Washington Post: This Drug Is Defying A Rare Form Of Leukemia — And It Keeps Getting Pricier
When the drug company Novartis launched its breakthrough cancer medicine, Gleevec, in 2001, the list price was $26,400 a year. The company’s chief executive acknowledged it was expensive, calling it an “uphill battle to win understanding for our decision.” Today, that hill is a mountain. Since Gleevec was approved to treat a rare form of leukemia, similar drugs have come on the market — and the U.S. wholesale list price for a year’s supply of that little orange pill has soared to more than $120,000. (Johnson, 3/9)
The Hill: Health Chairman: Drug Pricing Could Come Up In Innovation Bill
Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that drug pricing measures could be considered as part of the medical innovation bill that his committee is working on. He said he expects that there will be a proposal from Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who have been investigating spikes in drug prices in the Senate Aging Committee. Collins and McCaskill last week introduced a bill to speed up the process for approving generic drugs that could compete with drugs that have seen large price increases. (Sullivan, 3/9)
In other pharmaceutical news —
The Wall Street Journal: Gilead Tries To Block Merck’s Patent Claims On New Hepatitis C Drugs
A high-stakes battle between two drug companies over the multibillion-dollar sales of new hepatitis C treatments is kicking off in a California courtroom this week. Gilead Sciences Inc. hopes to convince a jury in federal court in San Jose that it shouldn’t have to share any of the sales of its blockbuster hepatitis C drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni with rival Merck & Co., which wants a cut. Last year, combined U.S. sales of the two drugs were $12.5 billion, out of a global haul of $19.1 billion. (Loftus, 3/9)
NPR: High Doses Of Experimental Drug Implicated In Botched French Study
An investigation into a clinical test in France that left one person dead and put five in the hospital has found evidence of brain damage in people who took high doses of the experimental pain medicine. The early-stage clinical study, conducted by Biotrial in France, was halted in January when the side effects surfaced. It was the first time the drug, made by the Portuguese company Bial and known as "BIA 10-2474," was tested in humans. A report released Monday by a committee of scientists says people who got high cumulative doses of the drug sustained damage to their brains, specifically the hippocampus and pons. Those who got lower doses had no consistent adverse reactions. (Bichell, 3/9)
Reuters: Exclusive: Teva Set To Win EU Okay For $40.5 Billion Allergan Deal-Sources
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is expected to win EU antitrust approval for its $40.5 billion bid for Allergan's generics unit after agreeing to sell off some of its products to appease regulators, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Teva, the world's biggest generic drugsmaker, will divest some drugs already on the market and others in the pipeline to address competition concerns by the European Commission, the people said. The package includes products from both Teva and Allergan. (3/9)
