Latest KFF Health News Stories
Negotiating Drug Prices: Should State Agencies Band Together?
A California lawmaker wants to strengthen collaboration among public agencies to bring down costs to taxpayers.
Drugmakers Dramatically Boosted Lobbying Spending In Trump’s First Quarter
With high drug prices creating widespread controversy, top pharmaceutical companies and their trade group vastly increased their lobbying spending on Capitol Hill.
Marathon Pharmaceutical Drops Out Of PhRMA Following Drug Price Controversy
Two companies that faced criticism for high-priced drugs, Marathon and Mallinckrodt, have dropped out of the PhRMA trade association.
Nonprofit Linked To PhRMA Rolls Out Campaign To Block Drug Imports
The advocacy group behind an expensive media blitz opposing Canadian drug imports has deep ties to the drug industry’s largest trade group.
Kids With Hepatitis C Get New Drugs And Coverage May Prove Easier Than For Adults
The drugs, approved by the FDA for children earlier this month, can run $100,000 for a course of treatment.
California Presses Forward In Fight To Regulate Pharma
Such efforts have previously failed in the face of opposition from the drug industry, which questions their effectiveness and contends prices reflect research and development costs.
Drugmakers Help Turn Patients With Rare Diseases Into D.C. Lobbyists
Amplifying the “patient voice,” those with the rarest afflictions are trained to become powerful advocates for new drugs and legislation that would help the industry.
Trump’s Promise To Rein In Drug Prices Could Open Floodgate To Importation Laws
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bill to allow Americans to buy cheaper medicines from Canada would bypass a requirement that blocked past legislative efforts over two decades.
GAO To Launch Investigation Of FDA’s Orphan Drug Program
The Government Accountability Office said it will investigate potential abuses of the orphan drug program, which offers incentives to drugmakers to develop medicines for rare diseases.
Prescription Drug Costs Are On The Rise; So Are The TV Ads Promoting Them
Spending on consumer advertising by drugmakers has increased 62 percent since 2012.
Nueva droga baja el colesterol en forma drámatica y previene ataques, pero es costosísima
Por primera vez, una investigación muestra que un nuevo, y costoso, medicamento llamado Repatha no sólo baja dramáticamente los niveles de colesterol malo (LDL) sino que también reduce el riesgo de ser hospitalizado y de morir.
Cholesterol Drug Prevents Heart Attacks — But It Doesn’t Come Cheap
A cholesterol-lowering drug called Repatha cuts the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart-related death by 20 percent, according to a new study.
$89,000 Orphan Drug Gets A New Owner — And Likely A New Price
Marathon, maker of an expensive treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, sells the drug for $140 million in cash and stock to PTC Therapeutics.
Sticker Shock Forces Thousands Of Cancer Patients To Skip Drugs, Skimp On Treatment
A growing number of patients fail to fill prescriptions because the cost of cancer drugs is too high.
Trump, Dems Look For Common Ground On Drug Prices
Two Democratic congressmen met with President Trump to seek his support for a bill to expand the government’s ability to negotiate drug prices, but it’s not clear it would have much impact or will gain support.
Three Key Senators Ask GAO To Investigate Possible Abuses Of The Orphan Drug Act
Amid an uproar over high drug prices, three GOP senators are asking the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the Orphan Drug Act is being abused.
Patient Advocacy Groups Rake In Donations From Pharma
A new study shows that 83 percent of the largest patient advocacy groups take contributions from drug, medical device or biotech firms.
5 Reasons Why An $89,000 Drug Has Congress Fuming
A drug from Marathon Pharmaceuticals has ignited a firestorm on Capitol Hill and beyond. What makes it different than the $750,000 drug that came before it?
Former FDA Chief Cites 5 Things To Watch On Drug Approvals And Keeping Drugs Safe
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf shares his views about drug approvals, regulations and safety concerns after stepping down from the giant agency.
Drugmaker Marathon ‘Pausing’ Delivery Of $89,000-A-Year Muscular Dystrophy Drug
After hearing complaints about its high price, Marathon Pharmaceuticals is pausing the launch of an $89,000 drug for a rare disease.
