Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Eye Ways To Force Drugmakers To Justify Price Hikes
Stat: A Nascent State Effort Would Tax Drug Makers For Not Providing Clinical Evidence For Price Hikes
In a bid to control the cost of medicines, lawmakers in two states — Hawaii and Washington — recently introduced bills that would tax drug makers for raising prices without providing clinical evidence to justify the increases. Although the bills failed to gain traction and would have to be reintroduced, the idea is likely to irk the pharmaceutical industry. As envisioned, drug makers would face penalties worth 80% of the difference between the sales generated by its medicine in each state and the revenue the drug would have generated if the company had maintained the list price from the previous calendar year, adjusted for inflation. (Silverman, 3/1)
Stat: New Mexico Attorney General Accuses Gilead Of Blocking Competition To Its HIV Medicines
The New Mexico attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Gilead Sciences (GILD) and two other major drug makers for allegedly conspiring to block competition to several different HIV medicines, which ultimately caused the state to spend millions of dollars for “excessively overpriced” treatments. (Silverman, 3/1)
Stat: Surprise FDA Advisory Panel Imperils Fibrogen's Experimental Anemia Pill
Fibrogen was expecting the Food and Drug Administration to complete a review of its experimental anemia pill and render an approval decision by March 20. But in a surprising — and concerning — move announced Monday evening, the FDA has instead decided to convene a meeting of outside experts to review the drug’s clinical data. (Feuerstein, 3/1)
TechCrunch: Clue Gets FDA Clearance To Launch A Digital Contraceptive
Clue, an early pioneer in the femtech category with a well-regarded period-tracking app that’s used by around 13 million people, is getting ready to launch a digital contraceptive which will offer users a statistical prediction of ovulation as a birth control tool. A US launch of Clue Birth Control is slated for “this year”. The team won’t be more specific on the date yet. Pricing will be “premium” — but they’re also keeping the exact cost under wraps for now. The Berlin-based company is today announcing that they’ve gained FDA clearance for the forthcoming product, clearing the way for a US launch in 2021. (Lomas, 3/1)
Also —
Axios: RNA Technology Used For COVID Could Lead To Malaria Vaccine
The RNA technology that helped us get a COVID vaccine may help the world get a vaccine for malaria, too. Scientists have applied for a patent for an RNA-based vaccine that might circumvent the problems that have made it difficult to come up with any kind of malaria vaccine, per the Academic Times. (Nather, 3/1)
KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Revisiting Insulin: How The Medicine Got So Expensive
We’re re-releasing a story we first reported in 2019, about how insulin got to be so expensive. And this 2021 update includes a check-in with people working to make the potentially lifesaving medicine more available. The story seems especially relevant right now, for two reasons: The rollout of the covid vaccine has reminded all of us how vital it is to make breakthroughs in the lab and make sure everyone can afford to benefit from them. The second half of the episode — about ways that people who need insulin are taking action on their own behalf — fits An Arm and a Leg’s current focus on financial self-defense. (Weissmann, 3/2)
