Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sanofi Claims Mylan Artificially Bumped Up EpiPen Prices, Then Undercut Competition With Rebates
Stat: Sanofi Sues Mylan Over Alleged Anti-Competitive Marketing Of EpiPen
In the latest flap over EpiPen, Sanofi filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that Mylan violated antitrust law by taking several steps to thwart its rival from gaining any traction in the marketplace. Sanofi used to sell Auvi-Q, a different type of auto-injector that provides voice instructions and resembles a deck of cards. Both EpiPen and Auvi-Q provide life-saving doses of epinephrine to individuals suffering from severe allergic reactions. However, Sanofi voluntarily withdrew its device in October 2015 over problems with dosing and the device is now sold by another company called Kaleo. (Swetlitz and Silverman, 4/24)
Bloomberg: Mylan Tried To ‘Squelch’ EpiPen Rival, Sanofi Says In Lawsuit
Mylan, which once controlled more than 90 percent of the market for epinephrine allergy injectors, is already under scrutiny over the skyrocketing prices of its EpiPen product. The company is facing a U.S. antitrust probe of whether it improperly thwarted competition to the blockbuster product. Sanofi claims in its lawsuit that Mylan’s conduct is harming consumers. “To preserve the monopoly position of their $1 billion crown jewel branded drug product, Mylan engaged in illegal conduct to squelch this nascent competition, harming both Sanofi and U.S. consumers,” Sanofi’s lawyers said in the complaint filed in federal court in New Jersey. (Feeley, 4/24)
The Daily Beast: Congressman Bought Pharma Stock, Pushed Bill That Could Help It, And Bought More
When an Australian pharmaceutical company sought to raise money with the goal of entering the U.S. drug market, Rep. Chris Collins pitched in.The Republican congressman purchased $2.2 million worth of stock in Innate Immunotherapeutics as part of its initial public offering in late 2013, according to a previously unreported document Collins filed with Australia’s securities authority. The IPO prospectus said Innate would seek FDA approval of its drug to treat multiple sclerosis. More than a year later, Collins wrote into a bill language to expedite the FDA’s approval process for such drugs. Four months before the bill was signed into law, Collins again purchased stock in Innate, this time as much as $1 million, according to congressional financial disclosure records. (Glawe, 4/25)
Earlier KHN coverage: Congressman’s Ties To Foreign Biotech Draw Criticism (Bluth and Kopp, 2/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Vaunted Ebola Vaccine Faces Questions
The deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa two years ago, the worst in recorded history, led to a vaccine that seemingly would stop the next Ebola epidemic in its tracks. In December, doctors from the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other groups reported in the British medical journal The Lancet that a vaccine from Merck & Co. and NewLink Genetics Corp. tested during the outbreak proved to be 100% effective at preventing people from contracting the hemorrhagic fever once the vaccine’s protection kicked in. (Burton and Hackman, 4/24)
Boston Globe: Biogen Says Study Shows Its Drug Helps Older Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Biogen Inc. released data Monday from a late-stage clinical trial showing its recently approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy significantly improved motor function in older children with later-onset types of the neuromuscular disease. The findings, to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Boston, are likely to raise the pressure on health insurers that so far have refused to pay for the expensive drug — called Spinraza — for children with Type 2 and Type 3 spinal muscular atrophy. (Weisman, 4/24)
California Healthline: Negotiating Drug Prices: Should State Agencies Band Together?
Citing budget-busting drug costs, a California lawmaker wants state health programs to band together to negotiate better prices with drug companies. Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) has introduced a bill that would strengthen intra-agency collaboration on drug cost-saving strategies. Lawmakers will consider the bill at an Assembly Health Committee hearing on Tuesday. (Bartolone, 4/25)
