Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Shines Light On Drug, Devicemaker Payments To Health Providers
Stat: More Advanced Practice Clinicians Take Drug, Device Payments
A slightly larger share of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other advanced practice clinicians accept payments from drug and device makers compared with physicians, a first-of-its-kind study found. Of all the advanced practice clinicians working in the U.S. in 2021, 36% accepted payments from industry, compared with 35% of physicians, according to new findings released Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Previous studies have looked at industry payments to doctors and showed how they influence prescribing, but this is the first to look specifically at U.S. payments to this group of providers, which includes those with post-graduate training and the ability to diagnose illnesses and prescribe drugs. (Bannow, 10/31)
Modern Healthcare: Specialty Pharmacies Boost Efficiency, Profits For Health Systems
In-house specialty pharmacy services are gaining popularity among hospitals and health systems seeking to drive efficiency in their operations and improve profitability. Most of the new treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the last several years have been specialty drugs, high-cost treatments used for complex conditions. Since early 2021, the FDA has approved close to 80 specialty drugs that treat conditions ranging from plaque psoriasis to metastatic melanoma. (Hudson, 10/31)
From the FDA —
Bloomberg Law: FDA Updates Human Cell, Tissue Guidance For Hospitals, Labs
Hospitals can bypass the FDA’s cell and gene therapy requirements if they’re only using them for non-clinical, scientific, or educational purposes or are performing bone marrow transplants or similar surgeries without sharing or distributing them. The Food and Drug Administration issued a final guidance document Monday that aims to help small entities comply with the agency’s regulation of human cellular and tissue-based products, or HCT/Ps. (Baumann, 10/31)
USA Today: Fact Check: No, FDA Won't Be Approving Dietary Supplements
A Senate bill would require greater transparency in dietary supplement manufacturing. It wouldn't affect the FDA's authority over products. (Hudnall, 10/31)
In other drug news —
KHN: What Looks Like Pot, Acts Like Pot, But Is Legal Nearly Everywhere? Meet Hemp-Derived Delta-9 THC
The 2018 farm bill that legalized hemp created a loophole for an unregulated copycat of marijuana. A form of delta-9 THC — the psychoactive substance in pot — doesn’t face the same laws and regulations as marijuana because it comes from hemp. The drug is poised to upend the cannabis industry. (Berger, 11/1)
NPR: How Concerns Over Rainbow Fentanyl Became This Year's Halloween's Monster
Forget horror movies, haunted houses or decorations that seem a little too realistic. For many, paranoia around drug-laced candy can make trick-or-treating the ultimate scare. "We've pretty much stopped believing in ghosts and goblins, but we believe in criminals," said Joel Best, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. "We tell each other scary stories about Halloween criminals and it resonates. It takes the underlying cultural message of the holiday — spooky stuff — and links it to contemporary fears." (Heyward, 10/31)
