Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Up To Four Times More: The Price Of Buying Some Brand Drugs In America
Stat: Americans Paid Up To Four Times More For Some Drugs As In Three Other Countries
Amid national angst over the cost of prescription drugs, a new analysis finds that U.S. consumers and insurers last year paid anywhere from two to four times as much for 20 brand-name medicines than what were paid in Australia, Canada, and France. For instance, the cost for a one-month supply of the Xarelto, which is used to combat blood clots, was $272 in the U.S. for those with some form of health insurance, but between $64 and $78 in the other countries. A three-month supply of the Imbruvica cancer pill cost an estimated $13,809 in the U.S., while cancer patients in the other three countries paid between $6,011 and $7,120. (Silverman, 4/28)
Stat: The FDA May Fine Its First Drug Maker For Failing To Post Clinical Trial Results
The Food and Drug Administration is threatening to fine Acceleron Pharma (XLRN) for failing to submit required information about a clinical trial to a federal registry, the first time the agency has taken such a step in response to ongoing calls for greater transparency into clinical studies. In an April 27 letter sent to the drug maker, the FDA noted the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial that was run to test a pair of drugs for treating advanced kidney cancer had not been posted, even though the agency contacted the company last July about the issue. Acceleron now has until May 27 to post the data and an Acceleron spokesman wrote us that the company plans to do so. (Silverman, 4/28)
Stat: Trillium Moves 'Don't Eat Me' Cancer Drug Into New Studies
Trillium Therapeutics on Wednesday is announcing an expanded slate of clinical trials meant to advance the development of two cancer drugs that work by blocking a “don’t eat me” signal used by tumors to evade the immune system. But updated results from earlier studies, also presented Wednesday, show higher doses of the Trillium drugs did not result in improved tumor-response rates — a potential disappointment in a crowded field of similar medicines. (Feuerstein, 4/28)
Stat: Tumor-Munching Immune Cells Show New CAR-T Therapy's Promise
Wendell Lim stared at the video playing on his computer screen in amazement. In the inky dark, a yellow blob pulsed: a brain tumor lit up with fluorescent tags. From the edges of the frame, T cells glowing blue crept toward it. When they reached the blob, a switch seemed to flip, and the blue cells turned green. Lim is a biophysical chemist at the University of California, San Francisco. But what he really does is hack cells. (Molteni, 4/28)
In biotech news —
Philadelphia Inquirer: Custom 3D Printed Casts Offer A Telemedicine Solution For Some Orthopedic Injuries
Umpire Pat Hoberg was behind the plate at Citizens Bank Park last July when he was struck by a broken bat. In just the second inning, the Phillies trainer taped Hoberg’s split and bruising hand, allowing him to finish the game. The next day Michael Rivlin, a hand specialist at Rothman Orthopaedics, determined Hoberg’s knuckle was fractured but he didn’t need surgery. “Dr. Rivlin took x-rays and put me in a splint,” recalled Hoberg, who lives in Phoenix, Ariz., and travels between Major League baseball cities from March through October. His injury would need monitoring, but during the pandemic, Hoberg was mostly sequestered in his hotel or the stadium due to COVID-19 safety guidelines. So getting back to Philadelphia for regular follow-up visits would be nearly impossible. (Akman, 4/29)
