Vermont’s Heralded Drug Prices Transparency Bill Disappoints Nearly Two Years In
“We took a first step toward transparency, but it wasn’t substantial enough to give us anything of true value," said Vermont state lawmaker William Lippert. In other news FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wants to get biosimilars to the market faster, and Democrats prepare to use high drug prices as a campaign message.
Stat:
Vermont Transparency Pricing Law May Show Big Price Hikes, But Disappoints Lawmakers
Nearly two years ago, Vermont became the first state in the country to adopt a law requiring drug makers to justify price hikes for medicines. The move was greeted with cautious enthusiasm by consumer advocates and lawmakers who hoped the effort might be the first step toward forcing the pharmaceutical industry to constrain its pricing. But the latest progress report has dashed those hopes and state lawmakers are working on a fix. (Silverman, 3/28)
Stat:
In Bid To Lower Prices, FDA Will Try To Speed Biosimilar Approvals
Scott Gottlieb, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, is a free-market proponent in a fervently anti-regulatory administration who is trying to lower drug prices by expanding the regulatory reach of the agency. Speaking Wednesday at CNBC’s Healthy Returns conference, Gottlieb criticized branded drug companies, distributors, and pharmacy benefit managers for practices that reduce competition and restrict market access to generic drugs, including biosimilars. (Feuerstein, 3/28)
The Hill:
Dems Seek To Flank Trump On Drug Prices
Democrats are seeking to co-opt President Trump's message on pharmaceuticals against him, and capitalize on voter anger at drug companies in the midterm elections this November. They see attacking high drug prices as a populist message, and one that Trump himself showed can work in his campaign in 2016. (Sullivan, 3/29)
