Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Those Drugmaker Coupons Cut Costs In The Short-Term, But Are Actually Driving Up Prices
The Associated Press: The Pluses And Minuses Of Drugmakers' Discount Cards
Facing public furor for the price of its emergency allergy shot EpiPen, Mylan Pharmaceuticals quickly pointed to a familiar industry solution: copay discount cards. Copay coupons or cards have become a ubiquitous part of the pharmaceutical business, offered through websites, mobile apps and doctor's offices. Patient advocates say they can bring down out-of-pocket expenses for patients who face high copays and deductibles. Mylan last month boosted its discount cards to cover $300 of insured patients' copay costs, up from $100. (Perrone, 9/14)
The Wall Street Journal: Allergan To Buy Vitae Pharmaceuticals For $639 Million
Allergan PLC agreed to acquire clinical-stage biotechnology company Vitae Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $639 million, more than double its market value, in a move aimed at strengthening the drugmaker’s skin-care pipeline. ... The deal gives Allergan a drug in mid-stage trials that is intended to treat psoriasis, a disease that causes scales and itchy dry patches, and other autoimmune disorders. (Hufford, 9/14)
And in pharmaceutical news out of the Food and Drug Administration —
The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Moves Closer To FDA Removing Suicide Warning From Smoking Cessation Pill Chantix
Pfizer Inc. said two federal advisory panels have recommended removing the most serious warnings on its Chantix smoking cessation pill, clearing a major hurdle in the pharmaceutical giant’s push to lessen concerns about using the medicine. The move comes out of a joint meeting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety Risk Management Advisory Committee. The panels have recommended to the FDA that a so-called Black Box warning—noting the risk of psychiatric side effects, such as suicidal thoughts and behavior—should be removed from the medicine. (Jamerson, 9/14)
Stat: FDA Panel Votes To Remove Serious Warning From Pfizer's Smoking Cessation Pill
Pfizer won a crucial battle in its quest to widen the market for its Chantix smoking cessation pill late Wednesday when a federal advisory panel recommended that a serious warning about neuropsychiatric side effects should be removed from the product labeling. The recommendation followed a two-year effort by the drug maker to remove a so-called Black Box warning — the most serious type of health alert — that indicated Chantix could cause patients to experience such side effects as suicidal thoughts and hostility. (Silverman, 9/14)
Stat: FDA Confirms That Critic Of Sarepta Drug Has Left The Agency
The saga surrounding the fate of a controversial Sarepta Therapeutics drug grew even more intriguing today after the US Food and Drug Administration confirmed that a key staffer who opposed approving the medicine has left the agency. The news sent shares in Sarepta soaring as investors began betting the departure of Dr. Ronald Farkas, who led the clinical team in the neurology products division, might signal the agency was now leaning toward approving the medicine, which has been developed to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. At one point this morning, Sarepta stock was up as much as 26 percent. (Silverman, 9/14)
