Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Wants To Demand U.S. Pays Lowest Price For Drugs Out Of Developed Countries, Azar Says
Modern Healthcare: Azar Says Trump Wants More Aggressive International Drug-Pricing Demo
At the president's urging, HHS is working on a more aggressive approach to tying payment for physician-administered drugs in Medicare to foreign drug prices, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday. The administration's International Pricing Index demonstration in its current form would tie payments for Medicare Part B drugs to an average of drug prices in other developed countries. (Cohrs, 11/13)
The Hill: Trump Officials Making Changes To Signature Drug Pricing Proposal, Azar Says
Under the original proposal, prices would still have been lower than they are now, but would still be a certain percentage higher than they are in other countries. Trump was not satisfied with that idea, Azar said Wednesday, and wanted the proposal changed so that prices in the United States are even lower than they are in other countries. “What we suggested was reducing that 180 percent premium [above other countries] by 30 percent,” Azar said at an event hosted by Axios. “The president did not find that satisfactory. His view, which he has articulated publicly, is that America ought to be getting the best deal among developed countries. That was the terminology of ‘most favored nation status.’ And so that's the type of proposal we're working on.” (Sullivan, 11/13)
The Hill: Pelosi Aide Hopeful White House Will Support Drug-Pricing Bill Despite Criticism
A top aide to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that he thinks the Trump administration will eventually support a sweeping Democratic bill to lower drug prices, despite recent criticism from the White House. “I still think at the end of the day we are going to get administration support, despite some recent comments they have made,” Wendell Primus said last Friday at the University of Wisconsin. (Sullivan, 11/13)
The Hill: Schumer Blocks Drug Pricing Measure During Senate Fight, Seeking Larger Action
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday objected to a bipartisan bill to lower prescription drug prices that a top Republican was seeking to pass unanimously, arguing that larger action is needed instead of a piecemeal approach. The move came amid a tense back-and-forth on the floor among multiple senators from both parties over lowering the cost of drugs, an intensely debated issue that is a rare area of possible bipartisan action this year. (Sullivan, 11/13)
And in other pharmaceutical news —
The New York Times: To Drive Down Insulin Prices, W.H.O. Will Certify Generic Versions
With insulin prices skyrocketing and substantial shortages developing in poorer countries, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that it would begin testing and approving generic versions of the drug. Agency officials said they hoped to drive down insulin prices by encouraging makers of generic drugs to enter the market, increasing competition. At the moment, the world’s insulin market is dominated by three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi — and they have steadily pushed up prices for two decades. (McNeil, 11/13)
The Oregonian: Insulin Dangerously Expensive For Northwest Oregon Patients, Congress Finds
Life-sustaining medications for older Oregonians with diabetes cost federal healthcare nearly five times as they do in Australia, according to a new report done for U.S. Rep. Suzane Bonamici’s office. A dramatic rise in insulin costs over the last two decades has created a crisis in the United States, according to the report, driving people to ration out their medications, sometimes with fatal results. (Zarkhin, 11/13)
Stat: An FDA Advisory Panel Is Reviewing Amarin’s Fish Oil Drug. Follow Along For Frequent Updates
The meeting of the FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) is a pivotal moment for Amarin — six years in the making. Back in 2013, this same committee recommended against an expansion of the Vascepa label. Without definitive cardiovascular outcomes data, the panel experts were unwilling to endorse the belief that a drug made from fish oil could protect the heart. (Feuerstein and Herper, 11/140
Stat: After Backlash, Teva To Resume Supplies Of Critical Children's Cancer Drug
In an about-face, Teva Pharmaceutical is resuming supplies of a critical cancer medicine for children after its recent decision to discontinue production contributed to a shortage that alarmed patients and physicians. As a result, vincristine will be available as early in 2020 “as possible.” “Because vincristine is such a lifesaving medicine — and there is no reliable single supply anticipated in the near term — we have decided to re-introduce the product and plan to manufacture it in our plant in the U.S., which provides the fastest route to market,” the drug maker said in a statement. (Silverman, 11/13)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Study: N.H. Has Second Highest Rate Of Children Impacted By Opioids
An estimated 14,000 children in New Hampshire were affected by opioid abuse in 2017. That's the finding of a new study that tries to quantify the impact of the opioid crisis on children in America. The study from the United Hospital Fund shows 51 out of every 1,000 kids in New Hampshire were impacted by the opioid crisis in 2017, either from their parent's opioid use or their own. (Moon, 11/13)
