There’s A Crisis In Confidence For Americans In What Anyone In Washington Is Doing To Curb Drug Prices
Just 23 percent approve of steps President Donald Trump has taken to lower high drug costs, but only 20 percent approve of what Democrats in Congress are doing and 16 percent approve of how Republicans are handling the problem. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Alex Azar promises the administration has "disruptive" changes coming.
Stat:
Never Mind The Rhetoric. Most Americans Think Trump Is Choking On Drug Prices
As the U.S. midterm elections draw closer, yet another poll finds that Americans remain very concerned about prescription drug pricing and are unhappy with how Washington is trying to resolve the issue. Specifically, 77 percent regard drug costs as unreasonable and 65 percent report they are extremely or very concerned about prices, according to a poll of 1,022 adults Americans that was conducted last month by a pair of nonprofit research groups, the West Health Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago. (Silverman, 9/13)
Bloomberg:
Trump Eyeing ‘Disruptive’ Changes To Drug Pricing, Azar Says
The Trump administration is looking to make “disruptive” changes to U.S. drug pricing to bring down costs for patients, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said. ...The administration has taken aim at the list prices of prescription drugs, and some drugmakers have pulled back from proposed hikes in recent months. Pharma companies have long pointed to the role of middlemen such as pharmacy-benefit managers in pushing drug prices higher. PBMs collect rebates from drugmakers in exchange for preferred status on drug plans, which helps boost sales of their products. (Koons and Edney, 9/12)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat:
Biotech Unicorn Moderna Prepares For Sector’s Biggest-Ever IPO
Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech unicorn valued at more than $7.5 billion, is preparing for an initial public offering that could come as early as this winter, according to people familiar with the process. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company, which has doggedly stayed private amid a boom of biotech IPOs, has recruited Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley to manage its Wall Street debut, the people said. (Garde, 9/12)
NPR:
Fallout From HHS' Rejection Of Massachusetts' Medicaid Plan For Drug Spending
States serve as "laboratories of democracy," as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said. And states are also labs for health policy, launching all kinds of experiments lately to temper spending on pharmaceuticals. No wonder. Drugs are one of the fastest rising health care costs for many consumers and are a key reason health care spending dominates many state budgets — crowding out roads, schools and other priorities. (Bebinger, 9/12)
Stat:
Doctor Claims Hospital Fired Him For Complaining About 'Unethical' Ties To Allergan
A former plastic surgeon has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against a large Florida hospital system over claims that he was fired for complaining about “unethical and illegal conduct” involving Allergan (AGN), and then suffered a “smear campaign” used to disguise the reason for his termination. In the lawsuit, Dr. Jeffrey Feiner, a reconstructive plastic surgeon at Orlando Health, argued that he had objected to “excessive and unnecessary” orders for Allergan breast implants that were made by other physicians, who were paid for consulting work to the drug maker and also given “improper gifts.” The products, meanwhile, were billed to patients, health plans, and Medicare and Medicaid. (Silverman, 9/12)
