Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Supply Shortages Now Hit Vyvanse, An Alternative To Hard-To-Find Adderall
Bloomberg: Adderall Alternative Vyvanse Is In Short Supply As ADHD Drug Shortages Spread
Vyvanse, sold by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., is in low inventory due to manufacturing issues, a company spokesperson told Bloomberg News. “Increased demand for Vyvanse in the wake of other ADHD medication supply shortages has limited our ability to have additional inventory on-hand to help mitigate potential supply disruptions,” a representative wrote in an email. (Swetlitz, 6/20)
KFF Health News: Drugmakers Are Abandoning Cheap Generics, And Now US Cancer Patients Can’t Get Meds
On Nov. 22, three FDA inspectors arrived at the sprawling Intas Pharmaceuticals plant south of Ahmedabad, India, and found hundreds of trash bags full of shredded documents tossed into a garbage truck. Over the next 10 days, the inspectors assessed what looked like a systematic effort to conceal quality problems at the plant, which provided more than half of the U.S. supply of generic cisplatin and carboplatin, two cheap drugs used to treat as many as 500,000 new cancer cases every year. Seven months later, doctors and their patients are facing the unimaginable: In California, Virginia, and everywhere in between, they are being forced into grim contemplation of untested rationing plans for breast, cervical, bladder, ovarian, lung, testicular, and other cancers. Their decisions are likely to result in preventable deaths. (Allen, 6/21)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Top Federal Lobbyist At PhRMA Leaves
The top federal lobbyist for the brand drug lobby PhRMA is leaving, two drug industry lobbyists and one health care lobbyist told STAT on Tuesday. Anne Esposito, who was the trade group’s senior vice president for federal advocacy, played an important role in shaping PhRMA’s lobbying strategy over her three and a half years at the organization. (Cohrs, 6/20)
Stat: Exact Sciences Touts Data On Updated Cologuard Cancer Test
An updated version of Exact Sciences’ stool-based colorectal cancer screening test detected cancer accurately in a massive study, triggering fewer false alarms than its current product, the company announced Tuesday. While the biotech plans to use the data to apply for regulatory approval, cancer specialists say they’ll need to see more details before concluding the new test is a real and meaningful improvement over the current one. (Wosen, 6/20)
Stat: Eli Lilly To Acquire DICE Therapeutics In $2.4 Billion Deal
Eli Lilly said Tuesday that it will purchase DICE Therapeutics, a small company developing an experimental pill to treat psoriasis, for $2.4 billion in cash. The deal price of $48 per share represents a 42% premium to DICE’s closing price Friday. (Herper, 6/20)
Stat: Opaque Conflicts Of Interest Permeate Prescription Drug Benefits
Employers across the country — from big names like Boeing and UPS to local school systems — pay consulting firms to handle a straightforward task with their prescription drug coverage: Get the best deals possible, and make sure the industry’s middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, aren’t ripping them off with unfair contracts. (Herman, 6/20)
