Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Latest Culprit In The High Drug Price Blame-Game: The Pharmaceutical Rebate
The New York Times: Meet The Rebate, The New Villain Of High Drug Prices
An increasingly popular culprit in the debate over high drug prices is the pharmaceutical rebate, the after-the-fact discounts that form the heart of the nation’s arcane — many would say broken — market for prescription drugs. Now, a growing chorus wants to get rid of them, or at least change the way they are applied after drug companies have already set their prices. Rebates, critics say, have pushed up the list price of brand-name drugs, which consumers are increasingly responsible for paying. Insurers generally get to keep the rebates without passing them along to their members. (Thomas, 7/27)
The Hill: Dems Court Conservative Firebrand In Medicare Drug Fight
The North Carolina Republican, a conservative firebrand and close ally of President Trump, has built a political career around efforts to shrink government and promote free markets. But he also supports the notion of empowering Medicare to negotiate pharmaceutical prices on behalf of seniors — an idea Republican leaders have devoutly rejected since they enacted the Part D drug benefit in 2003. (LIllis, 7/29)
And in other pharma news —
Kaiser Health News: Drug Trade Group Quietly Spends ‘Dark Money’ To Sway Policy And Voters
In 2010, before the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, the pharmaceutical industry’s top lobbying group was a very public supporter of the measure. It even helped fund a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign backing passage of the law. But last year, when Republicans mounted an aggressive effort to repeal and replace the law, the group made a point of staying outside the fray. (Hancock, 7/30)
Chicago Tribune: Hearing Amazon's Footsteps, Walgreens Unveils New Digital Platform To Connect Patients To Doctors
Walgreens has unveiled a new digital platform to connect customers to medical services, just weeks after its stock dove on news that Amazon is expanding into the pharmacy business. Deerfield-based Walgreens’ new Find Care Now platform, available online and on the pharmacy chain’s app, allows patients to schedule appointments at its in-store Advocate clinics, talk with doctors and therapists through telehealth company MDLIVE, and schedule online dermatology appointments through online dermatology service DermatologistOnCall. Patients can also get second opinions through the NewYork-Presbyterian health care system and make eye and hearing appointments at Walgreens stores. In other parts of the country, Walgreens has partnered with a number of other regional health care providers. (Schencker, 7/27)
Bloomberg: Merck’s Blockbuster Cancer Treatment Powers Profit
Merck & Co.’s blockbuster Keytruda is dominating the cancer market, but investors want to know what the drugmaker plans for its next act. Keytruda has become the primary source of Merck’s growth. By 2020, analysts predict it will bring in more than $10 billion in sales annually. At the same time, though, investors are also keeping close tabs on sales of Merck’s older drugs and asking whether the company could follow peers and shed its growing animal-health unit. (Hopkins, 7/27)
