Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trial Data Behind Alzheimer's Drug Simufilam Questioned
The New York Times: Scientists Question Data Behind An Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug
A small biotech company that trumpeted an exciting new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is now under fire for irregularities in its research results, after several studies related to its work were retracted or questioned by scientific journals. The company, Cassava Sciences, based in Austin, Texas, announced last summer that its drug, simufilam, improved cognition in Alzheimer’s patients in a small clinical trial, describing it as the first such advance in treatment of the disease. Cassava later initiated a larger trial. (Mandavilli, 4/18)
And more about the cost of cancer drugs —
Axios: Hospitals' Massive Cancer Drug Markups
The prices that private insurers agree to pay hospitals for cancer drugs are often at least double what the hospital paid to acquire the drugs, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine. The blame for high drug prices goes well beyond drug manufacturers, and is ultimately borne by patients through higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Patients generally either get their prescriptions drugs from pharmacies or administered directly in a hospital or doctor's office. (Owens, 4/19)
Stat: Nation’s Top Cancer Hospitals Slap Hefty Markups On Drugs, Study Says
The nation’s preeminent cancer hospitals are charging commercial health insurers anywhere from double to seven times their costs of acquiring cancer drugs, a new study shows. Most top cancer institutions also are keeping their drug prices secret in direct violation of federal law, potentially exposing themselves to fines. The findings reinforce how cancer care, especially the drugs, generates significant revenue for hospitals, and how markups on drugs potentially put insured cancer patients in financially perilous situations. (Herman, 4/18)
In other pharmaceutical and research news —
NBC News: Viagra And Nitrates Don’t Mix, So How Are Some Men Still Taking Both?
As any sports fan knows, thanks to the incessant drumbeat of game-time Viagra and Cialis commercials, mixing erectile dysfunction drugs with nitrates for chest pain can cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Most medical guidelines strongly warn men not to take both types of medications. Researchers in Denmark and the U.S., however, have recently found that a substantial number of men are nevertheless obtaining overlapping prescriptions for both classes of drugs. But evidence suggests that they don’t appear to suffer negative health outcomes, such as heart attacks, as a result. (Ryan, 4/18)
Stat: PETA Urges USDA To Probe Research Facilities Over Monkey Shipments
A prominent animal rights group asked U.S. authorities to investigate leading medical research labs for allegedly violating federal law after finding dozens of instances where nearly 2,000 monkeys were shipped between facilities without required veterinary inspections. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals cited documents obtained from several state agencies that indicated timely inspections did not take place before or after the monkeys were shipped across state lines. These documents must be completed no more than 10 days before monkeys are delivered. Carriers may only accept monkeys for shipping if they are accompanied by a valid veterinary inspection certificates. (Silverman, 4/18)
Bloomberg: Pandemic Health-Tech Boom In U.S. Loses Momentum
The wild boom in health-tech funding that followed Covid-19 is starting to fade. The pandemic triggered a record wave of investment in new health-care companies. Doctors were forced to figure out how to practice online almost overnight, and Covid’s devastation exposed the systemic failings of American health care. Entrepreneurs with thoughts about how to fix them Zoomed into meetings with VCs looking for places to put their money in an economy walloped by Covid. Big checks were written, setting records for investment in digital health. In the U.S., investors put $29 billion into digital health last year, double the level of 2020 and up from about $1 billion a decade earlier. (Tozzi, 4/18)
