1margd
Origins of an epidemic: Purdue Pharma knew its opioids were widely abused
Barry Meier | 29 May 2018
...
Purdue Pharma, the company that planted the seeds of the opioid epidemic through its aggressive marketing of OxyContin, has long claimed it was unaware of the powerful opioid painkiller's growing abuse until years after it went on the market.
But a copy of a confidential Justice Department report shows that federal prosecutors investigating the company found that Purdue Pharma knew about "significant" abuse of OxyContin in the first years after the drug's introduction in 1996 and concealed that information.
Company officials had received reports that the pills were being crushed and snorted; stolen from pharmacies; and that some doctors were being charged with selling prescriptions, according to dozens of previously undisclosed documents that offer a detailed look inside Purdue Pharma. But the drug maker continued "in the face of this knowledge" to market OxyContin as less prone to abuse and addiction than other prescription opioids, prosecutors wrote in 2006.
...after a four-year investigation, the prosecutors recommended that three top Purdue Pharma executives be indicted on felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, that could have sent the men to prison if convicted.
But top Justice Department officials in the George W. Bush administration did not support the move, said four lawyers who took part in those discussions or were briefed about them. Instead, the government settled the case in 2007.
...Over the past two decades, more than 200,000 people have died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids.
...Starting in 2007...distributors of prescription drugs sent enough pain pills to West Virginia over a five-year period to supply every man, woman and child there with 433 of them...
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/29/origins-of-an-epidemic-purdue-pharma-knew-opioid...
Barry Meier | 29 May 2018
...
Purdue Pharma, the company that planted the seeds of the opioid epidemic through its aggressive marketing of OxyContin, has long claimed it was unaware of the powerful opioid painkiller's growing abuse until years after it went on the market.
But a copy of a confidential Justice Department report shows that federal prosecutors investigating the company found that Purdue Pharma knew about "significant" abuse of OxyContin in the first years after the drug's introduction in 1996 and concealed that information.
Company officials had received reports that the pills were being crushed and snorted; stolen from pharmacies; and that some doctors were being charged with selling prescriptions, according to dozens of previously undisclosed documents that offer a detailed look inside Purdue Pharma. But the drug maker continued "in the face of this knowledge" to market OxyContin as less prone to abuse and addiction than other prescription opioids, prosecutors wrote in 2006.
...after a four-year investigation, the prosecutors recommended that three top Purdue Pharma executives be indicted on felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, that could have sent the men to prison if convicted.
But top Justice Department officials in the George W. Bush administration did not support the move, said four lawyers who took part in those discussions or were briefed about them. Instead, the government settled the case in 2007.
...Over the past two decades, more than 200,000 people have died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids.
...Starting in 2007...distributors of prescription drugs sent enough pain pills to West Virginia over a five-year period to supply every man, woman and child there with 433 of them...
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/29/origins-of-an-epidemic-purdue-pharma-knew-opioid...
2margd
Trump signs ‘Right to Try’ Act, which lets terminally ill patients take experimental drugs ("massive", voluntary cut in drug prices TBA)
Robert Schroeder | May 30, 2018
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that pharmaceutical companies would soon announce “massive” cuts in drug prices on a voluntary basis, as he signed a bill allowing terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs.
...The Right to Try bill passed last week in the House. It essentially skirts the Food and Drug Administration’s normal approval process to get trial medicines to patients with life-threatening diseases more rapidly
...Biotechnology...traded about 1% higher after Trump spoke, off the highest levels of the session
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-today-president-says-drug-companies-will...
Robert Schroeder | May 30, 2018
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that pharmaceutical companies would soon announce “massive” cuts in drug prices on a voluntary basis, as he signed a bill allowing terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs.
...The Right to Try bill passed last week in the House. It essentially skirts the Food and Drug Administration’s normal approval process to get trial medicines to patients with life-threatening diseases more rapidly
...Biotechnology...traded about 1% higher after Trump spoke, off the highest levels of the session
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-today-president-says-drug-companies-will...
4margd
patients have a right to self-medicate...
In principle, it sounds great, but temptation, I'm afraid, to prey on people's hopes, luring patients from proven remedies, bleeding their bank accounts and making miserable remaining days. I'd be wary of offshore as well as on, Big Pharma as well as alternative healthcare practitioners, etc. I'm thinking of a MS patient and his breast cancer daughter who went offshore for alt treatments. (His decline continues. She eventually succumbed to her disease.) Also my holistic nutritionist friend who regularly shares stories such (radio frequency?) cancer "treatment" killed by Big Pharma decades ago but now available via someone out west. I'd volunteer for trials, but never would buy trial meds/treatments...
("Never" is too strong--ask me later if I develop chronic Lyme Disease! ;-) I certainly understand the impulse to try something/anything...)
In principle, it sounds great, but temptation, I'm afraid, to prey on people's hopes, luring patients from proven remedies, bleeding their bank accounts and making miserable remaining days. I'd be wary of offshore as well as on, Big Pharma as well as alternative healthcare practitioners, etc. I'm thinking of a MS patient and his breast cancer daughter who went offshore for alt treatments. (His decline continues. She eventually succumbed to her disease.) Also my holistic nutritionist friend who regularly shares stories such (radio frequency?) cancer "treatment" killed by Big Pharma decades ago but now available via someone out west. I'd volunteer for trials, but never would buy trial meds/treatments...
("Never" is too strong--ask me later if I develop chronic Lyme Disease! ;-) I certainly understand the impulse to try something/anything...)
5cpg
>4 margd:
I have two chronic pain conditions.
I've had the first one for 40+ years. It is well-respected (in the sense that mentioning its name almost always elicits expressions of sympathy), it is fairly well understood, and my primary care physician has not hesitated to give me an ongoing prescription of synthetic opioids to treat it on an as-needed basis.
I've had the second one for 2+ years. It has an odd sounding name, it is poorly understood ("idiopathic"), and my primary care physician has not been able to treat it effectively. He's glad to give me medications that cause stomach distress, that make it feel like my lungs are bleeding, that cause me to hallucinate (night and day), and that cause memory loss. He's also willing to give me low-grade opioids that must be metabolized before they're effective, even though he knows that that metabolic pathway is essentially shut down for me because of medication I take for an unrelated condition.
Peer-reviewed studies in Germany and elsewhere indicate that a minimal dosage (5 mg) of oxycodone is likely to effectively treat many people who suffer from the second condition. Instances when these two conditions have flared up simultaneously in me, and medication I have taken for the first condition has ameliorated the second condition as well, suggest that the German protocol would work for me. But my primary care physician is afraid to try.
It is hard for me to listen to talk about "the opioid crisis" without wishing that the restrictionists had an opportunity to experience what I experience.
I have two chronic pain conditions.
I've had the first one for 40+ years. It is well-respected (in the sense that mentioning its name almost always elicits expressions of sympathy), it is fairly well understood, and my primary care physician has not hesitated to give me an ongoing prescription of synthetic opioids to treat it on an as-needed basis.
I've had the second one for 2+ years. It has an odd sounding name, it is poorly understood ("idiopathic"), and my primary care physician has not been able to treat it effectively. He's glad to give me medications that cause stomach distress, that make it feel like my lungs are bleeding, that cause me to hallucinate (night and day), and that cause memory loss. He's also willing to give me low-grade opioids that must be metabolized before they're effective, even though he knows that that metabolic pathway is essentially shut down for me because of medication I take for an unrelated condition.
Peer-reviewed studies in Germany and elsewhere indicate that a minimal dosage (5 mg) of oxycodone is likely to effectively treat many people who suffer from the second condition. Instances when these two conditions have flared up simultaneously in me, and medication I have taken for the first condition has ameliorated the second condition as well, suggest that the German protocol would work for me. But my primary care physician is afraid to try.
It is hard for me to listen to talk about "the opioid crisis" without wishing that the restrictionists had an opportunity to experience what I experience.
6margd
While there is definitely a place for them,"Over the past two decades, more than 200,000 people have died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids", especially since Tylenol preparations often do the trick.
Cleaning medicine cabinet recently, I was surprised by the half-used prescriptions of opioids. While I appreciated the few I took after abdominal surgery, my dentist was way too generous in giving me a supply for a cracked jaw. (I was more in shock than pain.) DH had a couple of Rx (abdominal surgery, back pain), as did my 20-something son. All went to the sheriff's office for disposal, except for son's which though long expired, I kept back in case needed as a rescue med for seizures.
In Ontario hospital and especially retirement home, we had a lot of access to morphine for our dying parents. I was happy for them, but a bit freaked with being responsible overnight for a half dozen or so hypodermic needles and no form to record administration times, etc.
Cleaning medicine cabinet recently, I was surprised by the half-used prescriptions of opioids. While I appreciated the few I took after abdominal surgery, my dentist was way too generous in giving me a supply for a cracked jaw. (I was more in shock than pain.) DH had a couple of Rx (abdominal surgery, back pain), as did my 20-something son. All went to the sheriff's office for disposal, except for son's which though long expired, I kept back in case needed as a rescue med for seizures.
In Ontario hospital and especially retirement home, we had a lot of access to morphine for our dying parents. I was happy for them, but a bit freaked with being responsible overnight for a half dozen or so hypodermic needles and no form to record administration times, etc.
7mamzel
When I had my recent surgery I only needed relief for the first couple of days. I was not taking any pain killers by the time I went home but they gave me a bottle full of Tylenol/oxycodone anyway. If my experience is any indication, it's no wonder their stock prices are through the roof!
8cpg
>6 margd:
>7 mamzel:
I, too, have (on multiple occasions) been prescribed opioids for post-operative "soreness" and found them to be more or less pointless for that purpose. Those pills sat unused in my medicine cabinet for decades. On the other hand, for intense, gnawing, down-in-the-bone, vomit-inducing pain, opioids can bring blessed relief. Google the pain support boards on the Internet if you've never experienced such pain yourselves.
>7 mamzel:
I, too, have (on multiple occasions) been prescribed opioids for post-operative "soreness" and found them to be more or less pointless for that purpose. Those pills sat unused in my medicine cabinet for decades. On the other hand, for intense, gnawing, down-in-the-bone, vomit-inducing pain, opioids can bring blessed relief. Google the pain support boards on the Internet if you've never experienced such pain yourselves.
9prosfilaes
>3 cpg: Isn't self-medicating what caused the opioid epidemic? You make opioids too widely available, a certain number of people will self-destruct on them. I'm also worried about pharmaceutical companies pushing all sorts of off-label uses.
Even some more mild drugs bring up questions. Levothyroxine is a generally safe anti-hypothyroidism medication. But it can produce hyperthyroidism if misused, which has weight-loss as a side effect, so it will be used for off-label uses, possibly leading to heart failure. Modafinil is a commonly illegally-used nootropic that could easily be one of the best selling drugs in the country if it were legalized, but I don't think it's really gone through that level of testing.
Yes, I might take modafinil myself if it were legal. And it would be easier to handle my medication if I didn't have to worry about a prescription. I've seen family members have trouble because they forgot medication while traveling and had trouble getting replacements. But I'm not convinced it balances, even if drugs like opioids were excluded.
Even some more mild drugs bring up questions. Levothyroxine is a generally safe anti-hypothyroidism medication. But it can produce hyperthyroidism if misused, which has weight-loss as a side effect, so it will be used for off-label uses, possibly leading to heart failure. Modafinil is a commonly illegally-used nootropic that could easily be one of the best selling drugs in the country if it were legalized, but I don't think it's really gone through that level of testing.
Yes, I might take modafinil myself if it were legal. And it would be easier to handle my medication if I didn't have to worry about a prescription. I've seen family members have trouble because they forgot medication while traveling and had trouble getting replacements. But I'm not convinced it balances, even if drugs like opioids were excluded.
10cpg
>9 prosfilaes: "You make opioids too widely available, a certain number of people will self-destruct on them."
What are those people doing under opioid-restrictive regimes? Leading happy, fulfilled lives?
Study: Despite decline in prescriptions, opioid deaths skyrocketing due to heroin and synthetic drugs
Since 88,000 Americans a year die from alcohol use, why shouldn't we similarly crack down on its usage?
What are those people doing under opioid-restrictive regimes? Leading happy, fulfilled lives?
Study: Despite decline in prescriptions, opioid deaths skyrocketing due to heroin and synthetic drugs
Since 88,000 Americans a year die from alcohol use, why shouldn't we similarly crack down on its usage?
11margd
>8 cpg: You may have had post-operative "soreness" with no relief from opioids, but my experience when my meds were delayed post-surgery was bedrail/jaw clenching, beyond-screaming pain that brought the nurse running with my meds when she glimpsed me from the hall. (And I'm pain-tolerant according to one MD who treated me to a particularly nasty procedure.)
In a perfect world, medicine would be practiced as an art that takes into account individual differences, as well as evidence-based science developed as averages of many.
In a perfect world, medicine would be practiced as an art that takes into account individual differences, as well as evidence-based science developed as averages of many.
12cpg
>11 margd:
We've probably had different types of surgery. "Soreness" is the best word to describe my post-op discomfort. Certainly, less painful than a bad sore throat.
On the topic of the subjectiveness of pain (and as evidence that happiness is possible even in a world run by morons), see: Brian Regan - Emergency Room
We've probably had different types of surgery. "Soreness" is the best word to describe my post-op discomfort. Certainly, less painful than a bad sore throat.
On the topic of the subjectiveness of pain (and as evidence that happiness is possible even in a world run by morons), see: Brian Regan - Emergency Room
13prosfilaes
>10 cpg: What are those people doing under opioid-restrictive regimes? Leading happy, fulfilled lives?
Some of them. Once they've been pulled in by prescription opiods, cutting off the prescription supply isn't going to suddenly stop the demand for opiods, so that's not a fair comparison. Nor are you comparing it to what might happen if opiods were widely available over the counter.
Alcohol is already commonly used and easily produced, so I don't see any more success banning it now then there was during Prohibition.
Some of them. Once they've been pulled in by prescription opiods, cutting off the prescription supply isn't going to suddenly stop the demand for opiods, so that's not a fair comparison. Nor are you comparing it to what might happen if opiods were widely available over the counter.
Alcohol is already commonly used and easily produced, so I don't see any more success banning it now then there was during Prohibition.
14barney67
"Modafinil is a commonly illegally-used "
What are you talking about? It's legal.
If you have sleep problems, I recommend getting a sleep study, then if necessary a Cpap, which have made great improvements.
What are you talking about? It's legal.
If you have sleep problems, I recommend getting a sleep study, then if necessary a Cpap, which have made great improvements.
15margd
A Young Life Lost to High Insulin Prices
Serena Gordon | May 29, 2018
Alec Smith was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes shortly before his 24th birthday. When he turned 26, he lost his health insurance. Less than a month later, he lost his life because he couldn't afford the exorbitant price of his life-saving insulin
...During the 2016 presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders pointed out that a vial of insulin cost about $21 in 1996. That same vial of insulin cost about $255 in 2016. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has noted that Europeans pay about one-sixth of what Americans pay for insulin.
...It was the high price that led Smith to try to ration his insulin; he simply couldn't afford to buy another vial. He didn't realize that even if someone with type 1 diabetes eats a low-carbohydrate diet (carbohydrates are turned into glucose in the body), they cannot get by without insulin.
...The ADA found there was little transparency in pricing along the insulin supply chain. It's not clear how much each intermediary (wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies) in the supply chain benefits from the sale of insulin. It's also not clear how much manufacturers are paid as this information isn't publicly available either.
The ADA also noted that the current pricing and rebate system encourages high list prices (that's what someone without insurance or who has a high deductible is often stuck paying).
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have substantial market power and can control which insulins are approved to be on an insurer's list of approved medications (formulary). PBMs receive rebates and administrative fees, but don't have to disclose them. They can exclude insulins from a formulary if their rebate is too low, according to the diabetes association.
...The ADA also had a number of recommendations...to Congress, including:
Ensuring access to affordable insulin for those without insurance.
Requiring greater transparency throughout the supply chain.
Doctors prescribing the lowest price insulin to meet treatment goals effectively.
Keeping rebates, discounts and fees to a minimum.
More closely matching list price of insulin to the net price that's paid...
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20180529/a-young-life-lost-to-high-insulin-p...
Serena Gordon | May 29, 2018
Alec Smith was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes shortly before his 24th birthday. When he turned 26, he lost his health insurance. Less than a month later, he lost his life because he couldn't afford the exorbitant price of his life-saving insulin
...During the 2016 presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders pointed out that a vial of insulin cost about $21 in 1996. That same vial of insulin cost about $255 in 2016. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has noted that Europeans pay about one-sixth of what Americans pay for insulin.
...It was the high price that led Smith to try to ration his insulin; he simply couldn't afford to buy another vial. He didn't realize that even if someone with type 1 diabetes eats a low-carbohydrate diet (carbohydrates are turned into glucose in the body), they cannot get by without insulin.
...The ADA found there was little transparency in pricing along the insulin supply chain. It's not clear how much each intermediary (wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies) in the supply chain benefits from the sale of insulin. It's also not clear how much manufacturers are paid as this information isn't publicly available either.
The ADA also noted that the current pricing and rebate system encourages high list prices (that's what someone without insurance or who has a high deductible is often stuck paying).
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have substantial market power and can control which insulins are approved to be on an insurer's list of approved medications (formulary). PBMs receive rebates and administrative fees, but don't have to disclose them. They can exclude insulins from a formulary if their rebate is too low, according to the diabetes association.
...The ADA also had a number of recommendations...to Congress, including:
Ensuring access to affordable insulin for those without insurance.
Requiring greater transparency throughout the supply chain.
Doctors prescribing the lowest price insulin to meet treatment goals effectively.
Keeping rebates, discounts and fees to a minimum.
More closely matching list price of insulin to the net price that's paid...
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20180529/a-young-life-lost-to-high-insulin-p...
16margd
2 contd.
Trump OKs 'Right to Try' Law For Terminal Patients
EJ Mundell | May 30, 2018
...some experts worry that the new law will also make desperate, frail patients vulnerable to more harm, with FDA oversight taken away.
Without that guidance, "the rest of us doctors are kind of flying blind with respect to things like how much of the drug to give, how to give it, what kind of side effects to look for," Dr. Steven Joffe, professor in medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, explained to CNN.
"So, by cutting the FDA out of the loop, you are failing to take advantage of the knowledge that it has about how to use the drug," he said. "About 10 percent of the time, the FDA, when it gets requests for expanded access, will say, 'Yes, but here's the way you can do it more safely' or 'Here's the side effects to look out for.'"
That guidance is now gone, Joffe said.
https://www.webmd.com/palliative-care/news/20180530/trump-oks-right-to-try-law-f...
Trump OKs 'Right to Try' Law For Terminal Patients
EJ Mundell | May 30, 2018
...some experts worry that the new law will also make desperate, frail patients vulnerable to more harm, with FDA oversight taken away.
Without that guidance, "the rest of us doctors are kind of flying blind with respect to things like how much of the drug to give, how to give it, what kind of side effects to look for," Dr. Steven Joffe, professor in medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, explained to CNN.
"So, by cutting the FDA out of the loop, you are failing to take advantage of the knowledge that it has about how to use the drug," he said. "About 10 percent of the time, the FDA, when it gets requests for expanded access, will say, 'Yes, but here's the way you can do it more safely' or 'Here's the side effects to look out for.'"
That guidance is now gone, Joffe said.
https://www.webmd.com/palliative-care/news/20180530/trump-oks-right-to-try-law-f...
17pmackey
>15 margd: The high cost of medication is an issue that makes my blood boil. No one should have to die because they can't afford insulin. That's just inhumane. Big Pharma with their political contributions has ensured their agenda is met to the detriment of the general population.
It seems absolutely insane that Medicare can't negotiate for better drug prices when my private insurer can.
I HAVE good health insurance but there are times I have to ask my doctor for a different prescription because I can't afford what they think would be best.
It seems absolutely insane that Medicare can't negotiate for better drug prices when my private insurer can.
I HAVE good health insurance but there are times I have to ask my doctor for a different prescription because I can't afford what they think would be best.
18margd
Blame opioids for a fifth of young adult deaths in the United States
Aimee Cunningham | June 1, 2018
Opioids have quickly become a major cause of death among young Americans aged 25 to 34, with one in five deaths in 2016 tied to the drugs, researchers report online June 1 in JAMA Open Network.
That’s a steep rise from 2001, when opioids accounted for 4 percent of all deaths in that age group. The second-most affected age group was 15-24, for whom 12 percent of all deaths in 2016 were attributed to opioid overdoses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Citation
T. Gomes et al. The burden of opioid-related mortality in the United States. JAMA Network Open. Published online June 1, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0217...
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cdc-opioids-fifth-young-adult-deaths-united-...
Aimee Cunningham | June 1, 2018
Opioids have quickly become a major cause of death among young Americans aged 25 to 34, with one in five deaths in 2016 tied to the drugs, researchers report online June 1 in JAMA Open Network.
That’s a steep rise from 2001, when opioids accounted for 4 percent of all deaths in that age group. The second-most affected age group was 15-24, for whom 12 percent of all deaths in 2016 were attributed to opioid overdoses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Citation
T. Gomes et al. The burden of opioid-related mortality in the United States. JAMA Network Open. Published online June 1, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0217...
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cdc-opioids-fifth-young-adult-deaths-united-...
192wonderY
>18 margd: That's an astonishing number.
20John5918
Diversion tactics: how big pharma is muddying the waters on animal antibiotics (Guardian)
Antibiotic use on farms is a major cause of human drug resistance. Yet slick social media campaigns – funded by the multi-billion-dollar industry – are confusing and complicating the issue
Antibiotic use on farms is a major cause of human drug resistance. Yet slick social media campaigns – funded by the multi-billion-dollar industry – are confusing and complicating the issue
21margd
Hospitals are fed up with drug companies, so they’re starting their own
Carolyn Y. Johnson | September 6, 2018
...Backed by seven large health systems and three philanthropic groups, the new venture will be led by an industry insider who refuses to draw a salary. The company will focus initially on establishing price transparency and stable supplies for 14 generic drugs used in hospitals, without pressure from shareholders to issue dividends or push a stock price higher.
...The consortium, which includes health systems such as the Mayo Clinic and HCA Healthcare, collectively represents about 500 hospitals. Liljenquist said that the initial governing members have already committed $100 million to the effort. The business model will ultimately rely on the long-term contracts that member health care organizations agree to — a commitment to buy a fixed portion of their drug volume from Civica.
While Civica did not disclose which drugs it’s focusing on for competitive reasons, Elie M. Bahou, chief pharmacy officer of Providence St. Joseph Health, a 51-hospital system spread across seven states and one of the members of the consortium, said the criteria include drugs that underwent price increases of 50 percent or more between 2014 and 2016 and essential medicines that were on national shortage lists...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hospitals-are-fed-up-with...
Carolyn Y. Johnson | September 6, 2018
...Backed by seven large health systems and three philanthropic groups, the new venture will be led by an industry insider who refuses to draw a salary. The company will focus initially on establishing price transparency and stable supplies for 14 generic drugs used in hospitals, without pressure from shareholders to issue dividends or push a stock price higher.
...The consortium, which includes health systems such as the Mayo Clinic and HCA Healthcare, collectively represents about 500 hospitals. Liljenquist said that the initial governing members have already committed $100 million to the effort. The business model will ultimately rely on the long-term contracts that member health care organizations agree to — a commitment to buy a fixed portion of their drug volume from Civica.
While Civica did not disclose which drugs it’s focusing on for competitive reasons, Elie M. Bahou, chief pharmacy officer of Providence St. Joseph Health, a 51-hospital system spread across seven states and one of the members of the consortium, said the criteria include drugs that underwent price increases of 50 percent or more between 2014 and 2016 and essential medicines that were on national shortage lists...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hospitals-are-fed-up-with...
222wonderY
Blue Cross of Tennessee will stop covering Oxycontin in 2019
http://newschannel9.com/news/local/bluecross-of-tennessee-will-stop-covering-oxy...
http://newschannel9.com/news/local/bluecross-of-tennessee-will-stop-covering-oxy...
23cpg
>14 barney67: "If you have sleep problems, I recommend getting a sleep study, then if necessary a Cpap, which have made great improvements."
I wish there were something as simple as a sleep study or a CPAP machine that would help pain-induced insomnia.
I wish there were something as simple as a sleep study or a CPAP machine that would help pain-induced insomnia.
24cpg
>22 2wonderY:
This is actually pretty cool. They're covering morphine and oxycodone derivatives that are formulated so as to be hard to abuse.
This is actually pretty cool. They're covering morphine and oxycodone derivatives that are formulated so as to be hard to abuse.
25cpg
>24 cpg:
Okay, not so cool. These datasheets are scary-looking enough that my physicians would rather leave me in pain than write me a prescription for them.
Okay, not so cool. These datasheets are scary-looking enough that my physicians would rather leave me in pain than write me a prescription for them.
26margd
It's not just the EpiPen. Canada had 25 new drug shortages this week alone
Kelly Crowe · Sep 08, 2018
About 1,200 drug products go into short supply in Canada every year, according to one expert. (Jon Nazca/Reuters)
...not just the EpiPen...treatments for migraines, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, depression, hepatitis B, genital herpes, hypertension, and even generic Viagra...more than 700 drug shortages registered so far this year — a rotating series of supply interruptions with no apparent solution on the horizon...vitamin K...Marcaine E, a local anesthetic used in surgery
..."While the causes of individual back orders vary, the majority are due to three main factors — manufacturing, distribution and third-party supplier delays," Pfizer Canada spokesperson Christina Antoniou said...
...It's not just pharmacies who are trading drugs to cover shortages — it's also countries.
Last month, because of a "critical shortage" in the injectable pain drug hydromorphone hydrochloride, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced temporary approval to allow Canadian-made versions to cross the border.
And last week, Canada's health minister signed an order permitting U.S. supplies of another brand of epinephrine autoinjectors to be sold here to help solve the EpiPen shortage.
(Jacalyn Duffin, a hematologist and medical historian) started her own website (http://www.canadadrugshortage.com/) to track the (drug shortage) problem...she summarized her findings in a report (https://www.cdhowe.org/public-policy-research/assessing-canada%E2%80%99s-drug-shortage-problem) released in June.
Why (shortages)? There is a long list of possible causes, mostly related to the pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain, which is shrouded in secrecy. Often the raw materials for many different brands come from the same source.
It's something that became apparent last month when Health Canada reported that six different brands of the heart and blood pressure drug valsartan were recalled because of a risk of contamination with a cancer-causing agent.
...Even though there were several different brands being sold in Canada, many were using the same raw material supplier: a company in China.
...In March 2017, Health Canada mandated that all drug shortages must be listed on the Drug Shortages Canada website..."As of March 2018, the most commonly reported shortages were for antidepressants, antiepileptics, ACE Inhibitors, lipid-modifying agents and antipsychotics"..."As of May 2018, the most commonly reported reason for shortage was disruption in the manufacture of the drug (58%). The next most commonly reported reason was delay in shipping (17%)," said Purdy.
The industry decides what drugs to make and there are no requirements to keep specific drugs on the market.
...Duffin has a bold idea: Canada's governments could start making their own drugs.
...It's an idea being tried by a group of U.S. hospitals and philanthropic organizations. This week in Utah, a new, not-for-profit generic drug company was officially established to manufacture 14 hospital drugs that suffer from chronic shortages.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/second-opinion-drug-shortages180908-1.4815355
Kelly Crowe · Sep 08, 2018
About 1,200 drug products go into short supply in Canada every year, according to one expert. (Jon Nazca/Reuters)
...not just the EpiPen...treatments for migraines, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, depression, hepatitis B, genital herpes, hypertension, and even generic Viagra...more than 700 drug shortages registered so far this year — a rotating series of supply interruptions with no apparent solution on the horizon...vitamin K...Marcaine E, a local anesthetic used in surgery
..."While the causes of individual back orders vary, the majority are due to three main factors — manufacturing, distribution and third-party supplier delays," Pfizer Canada spokesperson Christina Antoniou said...
...It's not just pharmacies who are trading drugs to cover shortages — it's also countries.
Last month, because of a "critical shortage" in the injectable pain drug hydromorphone hydrochloride, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced temporary approval to allow Canadian-made versions to cross the border.
And last week, Canada's health minister signed an order permitting U.S. supplies of another brand of epinephrine autoinjectors to be sold here to help solve the EpiPen shortage.
(Jacalyn Duffin, a hematologist and medical historian) started her own website (http://www.canadadrugshortage.com/) to track the (drug shortage) problem...she summarized her findings in a report (https://www.cdhowe.org/public-policy-research/assessing-canada%E2%80%99s-drug-shortage-problem) released in June.
Why (shortages)? There is a long list of possible causes, mostly related to the pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain, which is shrouded in secrecy. Often the raw materials for many different brands come from the same source.
It's something that became apparent last month when Health Canada reported that six different brands of the heart and blood pressure drug valsartan were recalled because of a risk of contamination with a cancer-causing agent.
...Even though there were several different brands being sold in Canada, many were using the same raw material supplier: a company in China.
...In March 2017, Health Canada mandated that all drug shortages must be listed on the Drug Shortages Canada website..."As of March 2018, the most commonly reported shortages were for antidepressants, antiepileptics, ACE Inhibitors, lipid-modifying agents and antipsychotics"..."As of May 2018, the most commonly reported reason for shortage was disruption in the manufacture of the drug (58%). The next most commonly reported reason was delay in shipping (17%)," said Purdy.
The industry decides what drugs to make and there are no requirements to keep specific drugs on the market.
...Duffin has a bold idea: Canada's governments could start making their own drugs.
...It's an idea being tried by a group of U.S. hospitals and philanthropic organizations. This week in Utah, a new, not-for-profit generic drug company was officially established to manufacture 14 hospital drugs that suffer from chronic shortages.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/second-opinion-drug-shortages180908-1.4815355
27RickHarsch
CPG's accounts are horrific, partly because vague, but largely because I understand the need for a drug like oxycontin (last prescription was for an amazing case of sciatica the next case was far less severe and did not require strong medication). After heart surgery, open, I was given oxysomething, and though I don't know if something else would have done the job, I know that the oxy did. I stopped taking it when I was supposed to.
That's the personal stuff.
We also know that drugs such as cocaine and heroin have long found the USA their main home. So the question I have is why is that? What is particular about the US that makes drug abuse more prevalent than elsewhere (I have not done my per capita research, but I think the question is valid)?
As for Big Pharma, are they not merely opportunists in this case? Would they be able to woo the Bhutanese with oxys?
That's the personal stuff.
We also know that drugs such as cocaine and heroin have long found the USA their main home. So the question I have is why is that? What is particular about the US that makes drug abuse more prevalent than elsewhere (I have not done my per capita research, but I think the question is valid)?
As for Big Pharma, are they not merely opportunists in this case? Would they be able to woo the Bhutanese with oxys?
28margd
The Secret Drug Pricing System Middlemen Use to Rake in Millions
Robert Langreth, David Ingold and Jackie Gu | September 11, 2018
...In an analysis of pharmacy and middleman markups in Medicaid plans around the country, Bloomberg found big spreads on dozens of drugs, and evidence that the spreads are growing. For many widely used generic drugs, state insurance plans are collectively paying millions of dollars in fees to private companies.
CVS is...is best known for its thousands of drugstores across the U.S. But more than 40 percent of the company’s operating income comes from the other side of its business—administering prescription drug benefits for companies, governments and until recently, in Wapello County, the local jail.
Spread pricing is a practice that’s most common with generic drugs, which make up almost 90 percent of all prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. Generic pills often cost pennies on the dollar compared with brand-name versions, and promoting them has been the focus of U.S. efforts to keep drug costs under control—especially in insurance programs like Medicaid that provide care to millions of lower-income people.
Yet critics argue the practice of spread pricing may actually be propping up costs as middlemen divert fees and markups to themselves, undercutting the savings generics are supposed to offer.
...To probe what middlemen make, Bloomberg examined the prices of 90 of the best-selling generic drugs used by Medicaid managed-care plans. In 2016, the drugs made up a large portion of Medicaid’s spending on generics.
Markups on these commonly prescribed generic drugs are growing, with huge markups on some well-known medicines, Bloomberg found. For the 90 drugs analyzed, which includes more than 500 dosages and formulations, PBMs and pharmacies siphoned off $1.3 billion of the $4.2 billion Medicaid insurers spent on the drugs in 2017.
...Drug plans have fought to keep the spreads secret...
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-drug-spread-pricing/
Robert Langreth, David Ingold and Jackie Gu | September 11, 2018
...In an analysis of pharmacy and middleman markups in Medicaid plans around the country, Bloomberg found big spreads on dozens of drugs, and evidence that the spreads are growing. For many widely used generic drugs, state insurance plans are collectively paying millions of dollars in fees to private companies.
CVS is...is best known for its thousands of drugstores across the U.S. But more than 40 percent of the company’s operating income comes from the other side of its business—administering prescription drug benefits for companies, governments and until recently, in Wapello County, the local jail.
Spread pricing is a practice that’s most common with generic drugs, which make up almost 90 percent of all prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. Generic pills often cost pennies on the dollar compared with brand-name versions, and promoting them has been the focus of U.S. efforts to keep drug costs under control—especially in insurance programs like Medicaid that provide care to millions of lower-income people.
Yet critics argue the practice of spread pricing may actually be propping up costs as middlemen divert fees and markups to themselves, undercutting the savings generics are supposed to offer.
...To probe what middlemen make, Bloomberg examined the prices of 90 of the best-selling generic drugs used by Medicaid managed-care plans. In 2016, the drugs made up a large portion of Medicaid’s spending on generics.
Markups on these commonly prescribed generic drugs are growing, with huge markups on some well-known medicines, Bloomberg found. For the 90 drugs analyzed, which includes more than 500 dosages and formulations, PBMs and pharmacies siphoned off $1.3 billion of the $4.2 billion Medicaid insurers spent on the drugs in 2017.
...Drug plans have fought to keep the spreads secret...
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-drug-spread-pricing/
29margd
Should TV Drug Ads Be Forced To Include A Price? Trump's Team Says Yes
Shefali Luthra and Sarah Jane Tribble | October 15, 2018
The Trump administration said late Monday that it will require...pharmaceutical companies to include the price in a TV ad for any drug that costs more than $35 a month. The price should be listed at the end of the advertisement in "a legible manner," the rule states, and should be presented against a contrasting background in a way that is easy to read.
...Federal regulators would post a list of companies that violate the rule. Enforcement would also depend on the private sector to police itself with litigation.
"It is noteworthy that the government is unwilling to take enforcement action," said Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert in drug-pricing regulation. The rule might never be finalized, she added.
"It will take many months if not years for this regulation to be implemented and free from the cloud of litigation that will follow it," Sachs said. "And the administration knows that."
..."Putting list prices in isolation in the advertisements themselves would be misleading or confusing," argued Stephen Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, the major trade group for branded drugs.
Instead, Ubl promised that pharma companies will direct consumers to websites that include a drug's list price and estimates of what people can expect to pay, which can vary widely depending on coverage....
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/15/657598281/should-tv-drug-ad...
Shefali Luthra and Sarah Jane Tribble | October 15, 2018
The Trump administration said late Monday that it will require...pharmaceutical companies to include the price in a TV ad for any drug that costs more than $35 a month. The price should be listed at the end of the advertisement in "a legible manner," the rule states, and should be presented against a contrasting background in a way that is easy to read.
...Federal regulators would post a list of companies that violate the rule. Enforcement would also depend on the private sector to police itself with litigation.
"It is noteworthy that the government is unwilling to take enforcement action," said Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert in drug-pricing regulation. The rule might never be finalized, she added.
"It will take many months if not years for this regulation to be implemented and free from the cloud of litigation that will follow it," Sachs said. "And the administration knows that."
..."Putting list prices in isolation in the advertisements themselves would be misleading or confusing," argued Stephen Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, the major trade group for branded drugs.
Instead, Ubl promised that pharma companies will direct consumers to websites that include a drug's list price and estimates of what people can expect to pay, which can vary widely depending on coverage....
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/15/657598281/should-tv-drug-ad...
30margd
Aaron S. Kesselheim, Steven Woloshin, Zhigang Lu, Frazer A. Tessema, Kathryn M. Ross, Lisa M. Schwartz. Internal Medicine Physicians’ Financial Relationships with Industry: An Updated National Estimate. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2018; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-018-4688-z
______________________________________________________________________________
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. "Recent survey provides updated national estimate of doctors' financial ties to industry." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 October 2018. .
..."What the survey revealed is that while financial industry ties have fallen some over the past decade, a majority of doctors still reported them," says Dartmouth Institute Professor Lisa Schwartz, MD, MS, a member of the research team. "This is particularly concerning when you consider that free samples, which are among the most common financial tie reported, have been linked to the prescribing of high-cost brand-name drugs over lower-cost generic alternatives."...
______________________________________________________________________________
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. "Recent survey provides updated national estimate of doctors' financial ties to industry." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 October 2018. .
..."What the survey revealed is that while financial industry ties have fallen some over the past decade, a majority of doctors still reported them," says Dartmouth Institute Professor Lisa Schwartz, MD, MS, a member of the research team. "This is particularly concerning when you consider that free samples, which are among the most common financial tie reported, have been linked to the prescribing of high-cost brand-name drugs over lower-cost generic alternatives."...
31margd
Trump Proposes to Lower Drug Prices by Basing Them on Other Countries’ Costs
Robert Pear |
Oct. 25, 2018
WASHINGTON — President Trump proposed on Thursday that Medicare pay for certain prescription drugs based on the prices paid in other advanced industrial countries — a huge change that could save money for the government and for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.
...a demonstration project covering half the country, Medicare would establish an “international pricing index” and use it as a benchmark in deciding how much to pay for drugs covered by Part B of Medicare.
...authority to use the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation created by the Affordable Care Act to carry out the proposal. That agency has wide discretion to conduct demonstration projects. The Trump administration will accept public comments before starting the project. But the proposal will most likely face fierce political resistance from drug makers, some health care providers and some Republicans in Congress, and it could also be subject to legal challenges.
...a government study that said Medicare was paying 80 percent more than other advanced industrial countries for some of the most costly physician-administered medicines.
... taking aim at “global free riding” that forces Americans to subsidize drug prices in other countries.
...Medicare beneficiaries are generally responsible for 20 percent of the cost of drugs covered by Part B of the program.
...Among the drugs included in the study were Aranesp, for patients with anemia caused by chemotherapy or chronic kidney disease; several cancer medicines, such as Avastin, Herceptin and Keytruda; Lucentis, for eye conditions that can cause vision loss; and Rituxan, for rheumatoid arthritis and certain types of cancer. The list prices for Keytruda and many other new cancer medicines are substantially more than $100,000 a year...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/us/politics/medicare-prescription-drug-costs-...
Robert Pear |
Oct. 25, 2018
WASHINGTON — President Trump proposed on Thursday that Medicare pay for certain prescription drugs based on the prices paid in other advanced industrial countries — a huge change that could save money for the government and for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.
...a demonstration project covering half the country, Medicare would establish an “international pricing index” and use it as a benchmark in deciding how much to pay for drugs covered by Part B of Medicare.
...authority to use the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation created by the Affordable Care Act to carry out the proposal. That agency has wide discretion to conduct demonstration projects. The Trump administration will accept public comments before starting the project. But the proposal will most likely face fierce political resistance from drug makers, some health care providers and some Republicans in Congress, and it could also be subject to legal challenges.
...a government study that said Medicare was paying 80 percent more than other advanced industrial countries for some of the most costly physician-administered medicines.
... taking aim at “global free riding” that forces Americans to subsidize drug prices in other countries.
...Medicare beneficiaries are generally responsible for 20 percent of the cost of drugs covered by Part B of the program.
...Among the drugs included in the study were Aranesp, for patients with anemia caused by chemotherapy or chronic kidney disease; several cancer medicines, such as Avastin, Herceptin and Keytruda; Lucentis, for eye conditions that can cause vision loss; and Rituxan, for rheumatoid arthritis and certain types of cancer. The list prices for Keytruda and many other new cancer medicines are substantially more than $100,000 a year...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/us/politics/medicare-prescription-drug-costs-...
32margd
My son trained as a navy medic, where he described injecting a terminally wounded pig with morphine (ruining his instructor's dinner plans).
Sounds like kids like him will have access to this new powerful formulation. Might help wounded soldiers--what could possibly go wrong?
FDA approves painkiller 1,000 times more powerful than morphine
AP | Nov 04, 2018
The decision by the Food and Drug Administration came over objections from critics who fear the pill will be abused. In a lengthy statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said there will be "very tight restrictions" placed on its distribution and it is intended only for supervised settings like hospitals.
The tiny pill was developed as an option for patients who pose difficulties for the use of IVs, including soldiers on the battlefield. The pill from AcelRx Pharmaceuticals contains the same decades-old painkiller often given in IV form or injection to surgical patients and women in labor.
Gottlieb noted the pill was a high priority for the Department of Defense, which helped fund testing, because it wanted a way to provide fast pain relief to injured soldiers. The tablet, placed under the tongue with a dispenser, starts reducing pain in 15 to 30 minutes...
https://www.wivb.com/news/national/fda-approves-painkiller-1-000-times-more-powe...
____________________________________________________________________________________________
DOJ: Drug Addiction in Health Care Professionals
The abuse of prescription drugs—especially controlled substances—is a serious social and health problem in the United States today. People addicted to prescription medication come from all walks of life. However, the last people we would suspect of drug addiction are health care professionals—those people trusted with our well-being. Yet health care workers are as likely as anyone else to abuse drugs.
Even though the vast majority of DEA registered practitioners comply with the controlled substances law and regulations in a responsible and law abiding manner, you should be cognizant of the fact that drug impaired health professionals are one source of controlled substances diversion. Many have easy access to controlled substance medications; and some will divert and abuse these drugs for reasons such as relief from stress, self-medication, or to improve work performance and alertness...
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/drug_hc.htm
Sounds like kids like him will have access to this new powerful formulation. Might help wounded soldiers--what could possibly go wrong?
FDA approves painkiller 1,000 times more powerful than morphine
AP | Nov 04, 2018
The decision by the Food and Drug Administration came over objections from critics who fear the pill will be abused. In a lengthy statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said there will be "very tight restrictions" placed on its distribution and it is intended only for supervised settings like hospitals.
The tiny pill was developed as an option for patients who pose difficulties for the use of IVs, including soldiers on the battlefield. The pill from AcelRx Pharmaceuticals contains the same decades-old painkiller often given in IV form or injection to surgical patients and women in labor.
Gottlieb noted the pill was a high priority for the Department of Defense, which helped fund testing, because it wanted a way to provide fast pain relief to injured soldiers. The tablet, placed under the tongue with a dispenser, starts reducing pain in 15 to 30 minutes...
https://www.wivb.com/news/national/fda-approves-painkiller-1-000-times-more-powe...
____________________________________________________________________________________________
DOJ: Drug Addiction in Health Care Professionals
The abuse of prescription drugs—especially controlled substances—is a serious social and health problem in the United States today. People addicted to prescription medication come from all walks of life. However, the last people we would suspect of drug addiction are health care professionals—those people trusted with our well-being. Yet health care workers are as likely as anyone else to abuse drugs.
Even though the vast majority of DEA registered practitioners comply with the controlled substances law and regulations in a responsible and law abiding manner, you should be cognizant of the fact that drug impaired health professionals are one source of controlled substances diversion. Many have easy access to controlled substance medications; and some will divert and abuse these drugs for reasons such as relief from stress, self-medication, or to improve work performance and alertness...
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/drug_hc.htm
33margd
An issue for bipartisan effort if Trump and Azar are serious. Lobbyists will be out in force...
Pfizer to raise drug prices in January; says insurance can offset the cost
Edward C. Baig | Nov. 16, 2018
Pfizer said Friday that it will be raising the prices of 41 drugs, or 10 percent of its product portfolio, in January (15, 2019).
The pharmacy giant indicated in a release that the increase for most of the affected drugs would be 5 percent, though three products will see a 3 percent rise, and one will climb 9 percent due “to the completion of two extensive development programs that have led to the recent FDA approvals of two new medical uses that meet unmet patient needs.”
...would not name the drugs that will be priced higher.
...There's a bit of history here. Pfizer had announced price hikes in early July but backed off, at least for awhile, after President Donald Trump tweeted that “Pfizer & others should be ashamed that they have raised drug prices for no reason.”
“...Drug companies raising their prices and offsetting them with higher rebates benefits everyone but the consumer, who routinely pays out of pocket based on list price," Caitlin Oakley, a department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman..."President Trump and Secretary Azar remain committed to lowering drug prices and reducing out of pocket costs, and will continue to take bold action to restructure this broken market."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/11/16/drug-price-hike-pfizer-raise-cos...
Pfizer to raise drug prices in January; says insurance can offset the cost
Edward C. Baig | Nov. 16, 2018
Pfizer said Friday that it will be raising the prices of 41 drugs, or 10 percent of its product portfolio, in January (15, 2019).
The pharmacy giant indicated in a release that the increase for most of the affected drugs would be 5 percent, though three products will see a 3 percent rise, and one will climb 9 percent due “to the completion of two extensive development programs that have led to the recent FDA approvals of two new medical uses that meet unmet patient needs.”
...would not name the drugs that will be priced higher.
...There's a bit of history here. Pfizer had announced price hikes in early July but backed off, at least for awhile, after President Donald Trump tweeted that “Pfizer & others should be ashamed that they have raised drug prices for no reason.”
“...Drug companies raising their prices and offsetting them with higher rebates benefits everyone but the consumer, who routinely pays out of pocket based on list price," Caitlin Oakley, a department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman..."President Trump and Secretary Azar remain committed to lowering drug prices and reducing out of pocket costs, and will continue to take bold action to restructure this broken market."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/11/16/drug-price-hike-pfizer-raise-cos...
35margd
This drug saves Americans from opioid overdoses. Its price has been hiked 600 percent.
Dylan Scott | Nov 19, 2018
...Kaleo has hiked the price of its naloxone drug by 600 percent — from $575 to $4,100 — over the last four years. According to a new investigative report from Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE), the drug company wanted to “capitalize on the opportunity” presented by America’s opioid crisis. More than 70,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2017.
Thankfully, EVZIO isn’t the only version of naloxone — which quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, saving thousands of lives over the years — available. There is also a nasal spray lay people can use as well as generic versions of the drug...
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/19/18103361/opioid-overdose-nalo...
Dylan Scott | Nov 19, 2018
...Kaleo has hiked the price of its naloxone drug by 600 percent — from $575 to $4,100 — over the last four years. According to a new investigative report from Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE), the drug company wanted to “capitalize on the opportunity” presented by America’s opioid crisis. More than 70,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2017.
Thankfully, EVZIO isn’t the only version of naloxone — which quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, saving thousands of lives over the years — available. There is also a nasal spray lay people can use as well as generic versions of the drug...
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/19/18103361/opioid-overdose-nalo...
36margd
Bob Herman @bobjherman Axios (https://twitter.com/bobjherman) | 2:49 PM - 26 Nov 2018:
A new federal proposal that would redirect pharmacy fees from insurers/PBMs to lower patient cost-sharing would not only cost society ~$7B more over the next decade, but it would also funnel $6B to pharma companies. https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2018-25945.pdf …
(See table on top of page 10 of 185 document above, which will be posted for comment on Federal Rigister on Nov 30, 2018.)
A new federal proposal that would redirect pharmacy fees from insurers/PBMs to lower patient cost-sharing would not only cost society ~$7B more over the next decade, but it would also funnel $6B to pharma companies. https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2018-25945.pdf …
(See table on top of page 10 of 185 document above, which will be posted for comment on Federal Rigister on Nov 30, 2018.)
39cpg
>38 cpg:
People with severe restless legs syndrome are 3 times more likely to plan and attempt suicide than people without it.
The Tufts University doctor from #38 would probably suggest that if they must commit suicide, they should do so by petting a pit bull or perhaps a rabid raccoon.
People with severe restless legs syndrome are 3 times more likely to plan and attempt suicide than people without it.
The Tufts University doctor from #38 would probably suggest that if they must commit suicide, they should do so by petting a pit bull or perhaps a rabid raccoon.
40margd
DH noticed that instantaneous reading of his 60-some year old heart rate on Fitbit
dropped into super-athlete range almost every day at the same time.
Thinking about it, he realized that the transformation to super-athlete happened when he was watching TV news with the dog snuggled next to him!
So-o, not only does she shame us into daily walks, she also has "petting-the-dog" heart benefits also. :)
dropped into super-athlete range almost every day at the same time.
Thinking about it, he realized that the transformation to super-athlete happened when he was watching TV news with the dog snuggled next to him!
So-o, not only does she shame us into daily walks, she also has "petting-the-dog" heart benefits also. :)
41mamzel
>40 margd: I would say she counts as a support dog and your husband could take her wherever he goes!
42margd
>41 mamzel: Alas, she's a Jack Russell Terrier, whose own heart rate goes though the roof when she she spots another dog, etc.
For example, this spring she freaked over a battery alarm in CO detector--she was shivering so badly that she was panting to dispel the heat she was creating--in a 60F house! When I finally realized what was going on, I turned off the alarm, but it took 20 minutes of holding for her to recover! Funny, strange little dogs those JRTs are--and she's on the mild end of the JRT spectrum!!
For example, this spring she freaked over a battery alarm in CO detector--she was shivering so badly that she was panting to dispel the heat she was creating--in a 60F house! When I finally realized what was going on, I turned off the alarm, but it took 20 minutes of holding for her to recover! Funny, strange little dogs those JRTs are--and she's on the mild end of the JRT spectrum!!
43margd
Defying Trump, drugmakers hike prescription drug prices for 2019
Reuters | Jan. 2, 2019 / 10:06 AM EST
The United States has higher drug prices than in other countries where governments control the costs, making it the world's most lucrative market.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/defying-trump-drugmakers-hike-pre...
Reuters | Jan. 2, 2019 / 10:06 AM EST
The United States has higher drug prices than in other countries where governments control the costs, making it the world's most lucrative market.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/defying-trump-drugmakers-hike-pre...
44margd
U.S. insulin costs per patient nearly doubled from 2012 to 2016, study finds
Reuters | Jan 22, 2019
...The cost of insulin for treating Type 1 diabetes in the United States nearly doubled over a recent five-year period, underscoring a national outcry over rising drug prices, according to a new analysis.
A patient with Type 1 diabetes incurred annual insulin costs of $5,705, on average, in 2016. The average cost was roughly half that, at $2,864 per patient, in 2012, according to a report released on Tuesday by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
...About 1.2 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas stops producing insulin. Type 2 diabetes, a growing problem linked to the obesity epidemic, is far more common, affecting nearly 30 million people in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. While Type 2 diabetes is treated with a variety of other medicines, those patients may also eventually become dependent on insulin as the disease progresses.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/diabetes/u-s-insulin-costs-patient-nearly-doubled...
Reuters | Jan 22, 2019
...The cost of insulin for treating Type 1 diabetes in the United States nearly doubled over a recent five-year period, underscoring a national outcry over rising drug prices, according to a new analysis.
A patient with Type 1 diabetes incurred annual insulin costs of $5,705, on average, in 2016. The average cost was roughly half that, at $2,864 per patient, in 2012, according to a report released on Tuesday by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
...About 1.2 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas stops producing insulin. Type 2 diabetes, a growing problem linked to the obesity epidemic, is far more common, affecting nearly 30 million people in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. While Type 2 diabetes is treated with a variety of other medicines, those patients may also eventually become dependent on insulin as the disease progresses.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/diabetes/u-s-insulin-costs-patient-nearly-doubled...
45margd
Purdue Pharma sought secret plan to become 'end-to-end pain provider,' lawsuit alleges
Erica Orden | January 31, 2019
Pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma LP secretly pursued a plan, dubbed "Project Tango," to become "an end-to-end pain provider" by selling both opioids and drugs to treat opioid addiction, all while owners on the board -- members of one of America's richest families -- reaped more than $4 billion in opioid profits, according to a lawsuit newly unredacted on Thursday...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/health/purdue-pharma-unredacted-lawsuit/index.htm...
Erica Orden | January 31, 2019
Pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma LP secretly pursued a plan, dubbed "Project Tango," to become "an end-to-end pain provider" by selling both opioids and drugs to treat opioid addiction, all while owners on the board -- members of one of America's richest families -- reaped more than $4 billion in opioid profits, according to a lawsuit newly unredacted on Thursday...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/health/purdue-pharma-unredacted-lawsuit/index.htm...
46margd
With insulin price cap, drug industry is once again shamed into doing the right thing
David Lazarus | Apr 04, 2019
...On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee heard from doctors, researchers and patients about the challenge of treating diabetes amid frequent insulin price hikes.
...A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. found that a quarter of people with diabetes are rationing their insulin because of cost. This can lead to a variety of serious complications, including blindness, amputations and death.
...Committee members and witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing observed that it’s clear why insulin prices keep going up. Higher prices are great for drug makers, pharmacy benefit managers, distributors and drugstores, each of which cuts itself in for a piece of the action.
The only ones who don’t benefit, they noted, are patients.
Cigna and Express Scripts said that under drug plans they manage — which include those of other insurers — the average insulin user now pays $41.50 for a month’s supply. So limiting out-of-pocket costs to $25 a month represents a significant savings.
But James Robinson, director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Health Technology, told me that what’s more likely here is that the companies are merely shifting their revenue sources.
In recent years, he said, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers have favored cost-sharing by individual patients through rising copays and coinsurance, thus keeping premiums down for the broader population.
...it’s a near-certainty that as copays and coinsurance are reduced for people with diabetes, which is basically what Cigna and Express Scripts are doing, the losses for insurers will be offset by higher premiums for everyone.
“And that’s not a bad thing,” Robinson said. “In that sense, you can call this a good move. But why limit it to insulin? Do it as well for cancer drugs, for rheumatoid arthritis drugs, for all other drugs.”
Also, this does nothing to address problems faced by the uninsured, who can be stuck paying hundreds of dollars for insulin because they’re dealing with list prices that in no way reflect actual costs.
When drug maker Eli Lilly introduced its Humalog insulin in 1996, it cost $21 a vial, which is about a month’s supply. Everyone involved made a handsome profit.
A vial of Humalog now costs almost $300, and everyone involved is making exponentially more money off the chronically ill.
...Express Scripts...limiting people’s out-of-pocket insulin expenses.
...They’re taking this action because they don’t want officials taking more stringent actions, such as requiring drug companies to disclose how much (or little) they actually spend on research and development, and how much profit they really pocket with their drugs.
It’s the shame economy in action, just as a similar shaming resulted in lower costs for lifesaving EpiPens.
“I’ll give them credit for doing the right thing,” said Robinson at UC Berkeley. “But not a lot of credit. If they were really serious, they’d do the same for all classes of drugs.”
Luddy said that “we’re certainly looking at it for other drugs.” But I’m not holding my breath.
There are only so many scarlet letters to go around.
https://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-insulin-drug-prices-20190...
David Lazarus | Apr 04, 2019
...On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee heard from doctors, researchers and patients about the challenge of treating diabetes amid frequent insulin price hikes.
...A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. found that a quarter of people with diabetes are rationing their insulin because of cost. This can lead to a variety of serious complications, including blindness, amputations and death.
...Committee members and witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing observed that it’s clear why insulin prices keep going up. Higher prices are great for drug makers, pharmacy benefit managers, distributors and drugstores, each of which cuts itself in for a piece of the action.
The only ones who don’t benefit, they noted, are patients.
Cigna and Express Scripts said that under drug plans they manage — which include those of other insurers — the average insulin user now pays $41.50 for a month’s supply. So limiting out-of-pocket costs to $25 a month represents a significant savings.
But James Robinson, director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Health Technology, told me that what’s more likely here is that the companies are merely shifting their revenue sources.
In recent years, he said, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers have favored cost-sharing by individual patients through rising copays and coinsurance, thus keeping premiums down for the broader population.
...it’s a near-certainty that as copays and coinsurance are reduced for people with diabetes, which is basically what Cigna and Express Scripts are doing, the losses for insurers will be offset by higher premiums for everyone.
“And that’s not a bad thing,” Robinson said. “In that sense, you can call this a good move. But why limit it to insulin? Do it as well for cancer drugs, for rheumatoid arthritis drugs, for all other drugs.”
Also, this does nothing to address problems faced by the uninsured, who can be stuck paying hundreds of dollars for insulin because they’re dealing with list prices that in no way reflect actual costs.
When drug maker Eli Lilly introduced its Humalog insulin in 1996, it cost $21 a vial, which is about a month’s supply. Everyone involved made a handsome profit.
A vial of Humalog now costs almost $300, and everyone involved is making exponentially more money off the chronically ill.
...Express Scripts...limiting people’s out-of-pocket insulin expenses.
...They’re taking this action because they don’t want officials taking more stringent actions, such as requiring drug companies to disclose how much (or little) they actually spend on research and development, and how much profit they really pocket with their drugs.
It’s the shame economy in action, just as a similar shaming resulted in lower costs for lifesaving EpiPens.
“I’ll give them credit for doing the right thing,” said Robinson at UC Berkeley. “But not a lot of credit. If they were really serious, they’d do the same for all classes of drugs.”
Luddy said that “we’re certainly looking at it for other drugs.” But I’m not holding my breath.
There are only so many scarlet letters to go around.
https://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-insulin-drug-prices-20190...
472wonderY
60 doctors, pharmacists charged in largest US opioid prescription bust
A special strike force from the U.S. Department of Justice began making arrests early Wednesday, primarily in rural areas across Appalachia, which has been especially hard hit by addiction to heroin and pain medication.
Most of the defendants face charges of unlawful distribution of controlled substances involving prescription opioids. Authorities say they gave out about 350,000 improper prescriptions in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Alabama.
Prosecutors described the doctors involved as drug dealers, rather than medical professionals, and said they were seeing a total of about 28,000 patients at the time of their arrests.
"If so-called medical professionals are going to behave like drug dealers, we're going to treat them like drug dealers," said Brian Benczkowski, an assistant attorney general.
A special strike force from the U.S. Department of Justice began making arrests early Wednesday, primarily in rural areas across Appalachia, which has been especially hard hit by addiction to heroin and pain medication.
Most of the defendants face charges of unlawful distribution of controlled substances involving prescription opioids. Authorities say they gave out about 350,000 improper prescriptions in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Alabama.
Prosecutors described the doctors involved as drug dealers, rather than medical professionals, and said they were seeing a total of about 28,000 patients at the time of their arrests.
"If so-called medical professionals are going to behave like drug dealers, we're going to treat them like drug dealers," said Brian Benczkowski, an assistant attorney general.
48mamzel
>47 2wonderY: John Oliver's main story this past Sunday was on opioids and centered on the distributors who filled orders for pharmacies and hospitals. He gave as an example a town in West Virginia, population around 400 (yes, four hundred) who received 3 million doses last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCKR6wy94U&t=175s
Yes, he's a comedian but he does get very passionate about some topics (this is the second program he has done about opioids) and if you can get over his lame jokes, he does present some very insightful arguments. It's worth a watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCKR6wy94U&t=175s
Yes, he's a comedian but he does get very passionate about some topics (this is the second program he has done about opioids) and if you can get over his lame jokes, he does present some very insightful arguments. It's worth a watching.
492wonderY
I do watch John Oliver regularly, but on a time delay, as I don't have cable. I will look for it.
I attended a symposium last year that was supposed to be about community flood recovery, in the WV capital, Charleston. They tried to approach the issue as a gestalt, with leaders from all sorts of organizations. All day, the discussion returned to the opioid problem. It affects every aspect of community.
I attended a symposium last year that was supposed to be about community flood recovery, in the WV capital, Charleston. They tried to approach the issue as a gestalt, with leaders from all sorts of organizations. All day, the discussion returned to the opioid problem. It affects every aspect of community.
50margd
Drug Distributor And Former Execs Face First Criminal Charges In Opioid Crisis
Richard Gonzales | April 23, 2019
A major pharmaceutical distribution company and two of its former executives are facing criminal charges for their roles in advancing the nation's opioid crisis and profiting from it.
Rochester Drug Co-Operative Inc., one of the nation's 10 largest pharmaceutical distributors in the U.S., its former CEO Laurence Doud III and former chief of compliance William Pietruszewski were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled narcotics — oxycodone and fentanyl — for non-medical reasons and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
RDC and Pietruszewski are also charged with willfully failing to file suspicious order reports to the Drug Enforcement Administration....
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/23/716571375/drug-distributor-and-former-execs-face-...
Richard Gonzales | April 23, 2019
A major pharmaceutical distribution company and two of its former executives are facing criminal charges for their roles in advancing the nation's opioid crisis and profiting from it.
Rochester Drug Co-Operative Inc., one of the nation's 10 largest pharmaceutical distributors in the U.S., its former CEO Laurence Doud III and former chief of compliance William Pietruszewski were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled narcotics — oxycodone and fentanyl — for non-medical reasons and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
RDC and Pietruszewski are also charged with willfully failing to file suspicious order reports to the Drug Enforcement Administration....
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/23/716571375/drug-distributor-and-former-execs-face-...
51margd
FDA approves $2M medicine, most expensive ever
Linda A. Johnson | May 24, 2019
The one-time gene therapy developed by Novartis, Zolgensma, will cost $2.125 million. It treats a rare condition called spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, which strikes about 400 babies born in the U.S. each year. The therapy, given in a one-hour infusion, was approved for children under age 2 and will be available within two weeks.
...The medicine, sold by the Swiss drugmaker Novartis, is a gene therapy that treats an inherited condition called spinal muscular atrophy. The treatment targets a defective gene that weakens a child's muscles so dramatically that they become unable to move, and eventually unable to swallow or breathe. It strikes about 400 babies born in the U.S. each year.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the treatment, called Zolgensma, for all children under age 2 who are confirmed by a genetic test to have any of the four types of the disease. The therapy is a one-time infusion that takes about an hour.
Novartis said it will let insurers make payments over five years, at $425,000 per year, and will give partial rebates if the treatment doesn't work.
The one other medicine for the disease approved in the U.S. is a drug called Spinraza. Instead of a one-time treatment, it must be given every four months. Biogen, Spinraza's maker, charges a list price of $750,000 for the first year and then $350,000 per year after that.
The independent nonprofit group Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which rates the value of expensive new medicines, calculated that the price of the new gene therapy is justifiable at a cost of $1.2 million to $2.1 million because it "dramatically transforms the lives of families affected by this devastating disease."
...Zolgensma works by supplying a healthy copy of the faulty gene, which allows nerve cells to then start producing the needed protein. That halts deterioration of the nerve cells and allows the baby to develop more normally.
In patient testing, babies with the most severe form of the disease who got Zolgensma within 6 months of birth had limited muscle problems. Those who got the treatment earliest did best.
Babies given Zolgensma after six months stopped losing muscle control, but the medicine can't reverse damage already done.
It is too early to know how long the benefit of the treatment lasts, but doctors' hopes are rising that they could last a lifetime...
Early diagnosis is crucial, so Novartis has been working with states to get genetic testing for newborns required at birth. It expects most states will have that requirement by next year...
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-fda-2m-medicine-expensive.html
Linda A. Johnson | May 24, 2019
The one-time gene therapy developed by Novartis, Zolgensma, will cost $2.125 million. It treats a rare condition called spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, which strikes about 400 babies born in the U.S. each year. The therapy, given in a one-hour infusion, was approved for children under age 2 and will be available within two weeks.
...The medicine, sold by the Swiss drugmaker Novartis, is a gene therapy that treats an inherited condition called spinal muscular atrophy. The treatment targets a defective gene that weakens a child's muscles so dramatically that they become unable to move, and eventually unable to swallow or breathe. It strikes about 400 babies born in the U.S. each year.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the treatment, called Zolgensma, for all children under age 2 who are confirmed by a genetic test to have any of the four types of the disease. The therapy is a one-time infusion that takes about an hour.
Novartis said it will let insurers make payments over five years, at $425,000 per year, and will give partial rebates if the treatment doesn't work.
The one other medicine for the disease approved in the U.S. is a drug called Spinraza. Instead of a one-time treatment, it must be given every four months. Biogen, Spinraza's maker, charges a list price of $750,000 for the first year and then $350,000 per year after that.
The independent nonprofit group Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which rates the value of expensive new medicines, calculated that the price of the new gene therapy is justifiable at a cost of $1.2 million to $2.1 million because it "dramatically transforms the lives of families affected by this devastating disease."
...Zolgensma works by supplying a healthy copy of the faulty gene, which allows nerve cells to then start producing the needed protein. That halts deterioration of the nerve cells and allows the baby to develop more normally.
In patient testing, babies with the most severe form of the disease who got Zolgensma within 6 months of birth had limited muscle problems. Those who got the treatment earliest did best.
Babies given Zolgensma after six months stopped losing muscle control, but the medicine can't reverse damage already done.
It is too early to know how long the benefit of the treatment lasts, but doctors' hopes are rising that they could last a lifetime...
Early diagnosis is crucial, so Novartis has been working with states to get genetic testing for newborns required at birth. It expects most states will have that requirement by next year...
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-fda-2m-medicine-expensive.html
52margd
Doctors Slow To Adopt Tech Tools That Might Save Patients Money On Drugs
Phil Galewitz | july 5, 2019
...a growing number of health systems and insurers (are) providing real-time drug pricing information to physicians so they can help patients avoid "sticker shock" at the pharmacy.
The pricing tool, which is embedded in each participating physician's electronic health records and prescribing system, shows how much patients can expect to pay out-of-pocket, based on their insurance and the pharmacy they choose.
It also allows the doctor to find a cheaper alternative, when possible, and start the process of getting authorization for a drug, if the insurer requires that...
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/05/738283044/doctors-slow-to-a...
Phil Galewitz | july 5, 2019
...a growing number of health systems and insurers (are) providing real-time drug pricing information to physicians so they can help patients avoid "sticker shock" at the pharmacy.
The pricing tool, which is embedded in each participating physician's electronic health records and prescribing system, shows how much patients can expect to pay out-of-pocket, based on their insurance and the pharmacy they choose.
It also allows the doctor to find a cheaper alternative, when possible, and start the process of getting authorization for a drug, if the insurer requires that...
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/05/738283044/doctors-slow-to-a...
53margd
Drug distributor employees emailed a parody song about ‘pillbillies,’ documents show
Meryl Kornfield | May 23, 2020
As the opioid epidemic raged in 2011, employees of drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp., shared an email: a parody of the theme song for “The Beverly Hillbillies,” describing how “pillbillies” drove south to obtain drugs at Florida pill mills.
“Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed/ A poor mountaineer, barely kept his habit fed,” the song begins, chronicling how Jed goes to Florida, which is described as having a “lax attitude” about pills, or “Hillbilly Heroin.”
...The parody lyrics make light of the ease with which people got opioids from these clinics, because of loose enforcement at the time in Florida.
“Well now its time to say Howdy to Jed and all his kin. And they would like to thank Rick Scott fer kindly inviting them,” the lyrics continue. “They’re all invited back again to this locality/ To have a heapin helpin of Florida hospitality/ Pill Mills that is. Buy some pills. Take a load home. Y’all come back now, y’hear?”...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/drug-distributor-employees-emailed-a-par...
Meryl Kornfield | May 23, 2020
As the opioid epidemic raged in 2011, employees of drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp., shared an email: a parody of the theme song for “The Beverly Hillbillies,” describing how “pillbillies” drove south to obtain drugs at Florida pill mills.
“Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed/ A poor mountaineer, barely kept his habit fed,” the song begins, chronicling how Jed goes to Florida, which is described as having a “lax attitude” about pills, or “Hillbilly Heroin.”
...The parody lyrics make light of the ease with which people got opioids from these clinics, because of loose enforcement at the time in Florida.
“Well now its time to say Howdy to Jed and all his kin. And they would like to thank Rick Scott fer kindly inviting them,” the lyrics continue. “They’re all invited back again to this locality/ To have a heapin helpin of Florida hospitality/ Pill Mills that is. Buy some pills. Take a load home. Y’all come back now, y’hear?”...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/drug-distributor-employees-emailed-a-par...
55margd
An Indian drug mogul says Americans will pay too much for the Covid vaccine—and wants to change that
SARAH WHEATON | 07/19/2020
Adar Poonawalla...Indian vaccine entrepreneur plans to save the world from coronavirus – and then radically remake the international pharma landscape.
...strategizing from the Indian city of Pune to bring the same low-cost efficiency with which he makes 1.5 billion vaccine doses a year for the developing world into mass-producing a Covid-19 vaccine for the entire world.
Little known in the West until this year, the 39-year-old Poonawalla’s company is, by doses sold, the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer, making 1.5 billion doses a year to protect against diseases including meningitis, measles and tetanus. Now, with rich and poor countries alike hungry for huge volumes of a vaccine to treat the novel coronavirus, he’s on a mad dash to work out deals with the most promising coronavirus vaccine developers to manufacture the immunizations on a global scale. But that also means achieving his long-sought goal of barreling past the patent protections and monopoly rights that have long blocked inexpensive copy-cat vaccines from the U.S. and European markets, protections jealously guarded by Big Pharma.
...Right now, Poonawalla is ramping up his cooperation with brand-name pharma companies, inking a deal with AstraZeneca to produce a billion doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine, earmarked for developing countries. It’s one of five coronavirus immunizations the Indian company is working on to provide Covid protections on a global scale — three are partnerships to manufacture vaccines conceived by other companies, while two are in-house formulas.
...In the case of AstraZeneca, the deal is to use Poonawalla’s production facilities to manufacture coronavirus immunizations for use, if approved, in India and poorer nations. AstraZeneca, meanwhile, has signed agreements with the U.S., U.K. and EU countries to set aside hundreds of millions of doses for their citizens. For now, AstraZeneca is promising to sell the shots at cost, about $2 a dose. But after the pandemic is over, all bets are off.
...The U.S. pharma industry, which has strong allies on both sides of the aisle in Congress, has successfully resisted most efforts to loosen patent and importation rules, and so far the Trump administration’s promises to allow cheaper drugs to be reimported from Canada have gone nowhere.
Poonawalla cites Bill Gates as his mentor, for his work helping bring affordable drugs to poor countries, and the Microsoft mogul’s charity has pumped cash into the Serum Institute, crediting the company with helping eliminate meningitis in hard-hit parts of Africa. But Gates, through his charity and Microsoft, has been a staunch defender of intellectual property rights, saying that charging higher prices in the Western world is the key to delivering low-cost protections in the developing world. (The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation declined to discuss the Serum Institute beyond providing a list of their collaborations.)
“We fund research and we actually ourselves or our partners create intellectual property so that anything that is invented with our foundation money that goes to richer countries, we’re actually getting a return on that money,” Gates said in 2011. “By doing that we have more money to devote for research into neglected diseases and the diseases of the poor.”
The U.S. drug makers’ lobby is also adamant in opposing Poonawalla’s call for reforms to patent laws and protections for intellectual property, which give companies sole control over the scientific products they develop, in some cases for decades.
...“Even if you have better coronavirus vaccines coming out in ’21, ’22, we might not, as people of this planet, get access to that, he said. “Because if you don't have the manufacturing to do it, how the hell are you going to get it out?"
And for all his praise of Trump’s drug pricing ambitions, Poonawalla isn’t a fan of the U.S. government’s approach to tying up coronavirus vaccines.
“It shouldn't be that the wealthiest nations who buy up all the IP and technology then restrict the other nations from being able to produce and have equitable access for vaccines,” he said. “Your survival shouldn't be determined by where you live."
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/07/19/coronavirus-vaccine-price-big-...
SARAH WHEATON | 07/19/2020
Adar Poonawalla...Indian vaccine entrepreneur plans to save the world from coronavirus – and then radically remake the international pharma landscape.
...strategizing from the Indian city of Pune to bring the same low-cost efficiency with which he makes 1.5 billion vaccine doses a year for the developing world into mass-producing a Covid-19 vaccine for the entire world.
Little known in the West until this year, the 39-year-old Poonawalla’s company is, by doses sold, the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer, making 1.5 billion doses a year to protect against diseases including meningitis, measles and tetanus. Now, with rich and poor countries alike hungry for huge volumes of a vaccine to treat the novel coronavirus, he’s on a mad dash to work out deals with the most promising coronavirus vaccine developers to manufacture the immunizations on a global scale. But that also means achieving his long-sought goal of barreling past the patent protections and monopoly rights that have long blocked inexpensive copy-cat vaccines from the U.S. and European markets, protections jealously guarded by Big Pharma.
...Right now, Poonawalla is ramping up his cooperation with brand-name pharma companies, inking a deal with AstraZeneca to produce a billion doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine, earmarked for developing countries. It’s one of five coronavirus immunizations the Indian company is working on to provide Covid protections on a global scale — three are partnerships to manufacture vaccines conceived by other companies, while two are in-house formulas.
...In the case of AstraZeneca, the deal is to use Poonawalla’s production facilities to manufacture coronavirus immunizations for use, if approved, in India and poorer nations. AstraZeneca, meanwhile, has signed agreements with the U.S., U.K. and EU countries to set aside hundreds of millions of doses for their citizens. For now, AstraZeneca is promising to sell the shots at cost, about $2 a dose. But after the pandemic is over, all bets are off.
...The U.S. pharma industry, which has strong allies on both sides of the aisle in Congress, has successfully resisted most efforts to loosen patent and importation rules, and so far the Trump administration’s promises to allow cheaper drugs to be reimported from Canada have gone nowhere.
Poonawalla cites Bill Gates as his mentor, for his work helping bring affordable drugs to poor countries, and the Microsoft mogul’s charity has pumped cash into the Serum Institute, crediting the company with helping eliminate meningitis in hard-hit parts of Africa. But Gates, through his charity and Microsoft, has been a staunch defender of intellectual property rights, saying that charging higher prices in the Western world is the key to delivering low-cost protections in the developing world. (The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation declined to discuss the Serum Institute beyond providing a list of their collaborations.)
“We fund research and we actually ourselves or our partners create intellectual property so that anything that is invented with our foundation money that goes to richer countries, we’re actually getting a return on that money,” Gates said in 2011. “By doing that we have more money to devote for research into neglected diseases and the diseases of the poor.”
The U.S. drug makers’ lobby is also adamant in opposing Poonawalla’s call for reforms to patent laws and protections for intellectual property, which give companies sole control over the scientific products they develop, in some cases for decades.
...“Even if you have better coronavirus vaccines coming out in ’21, ’22, we might not, as people of this planet, get access to that, he said. “Because if you don't have the manufacturing to do it, how the hell are you going to get it out?"
And for all his praise of Trump’s drug pricing ambitions, Poonawalla isn’t a fan of the U.S. government’s approach to tying up coronavirus vaccines.
“It shouldn't be that the wealthiest nations who buy up all the IP and technology then restrict the other nations from being able to produce and have equitable access for vaccines,” he said. “Your survival shouldn't be determined by where you live."
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/07/19/coronavirus-vaccine-price-big-...
56margd
Trump hasn't shared Hail Mary executive orders on drug prices with public--and may not have even signed them.
In the past Canada has said it does not have enough drugs in its contracts to supply the US.
Big Pharma doesn't care whether Medicare patients receive the discounts, but pharmacies do. ( Azar's idea?)
He is looking for a deal with pharmaceutical industry re pricing Medicare Part B (hospital) drugs the same as in other countries.
...YAWN...
Trump Signs Executive Orders On Drug Prices
Sydney Lupkin | July 24, 2020
The Trump Administration has announced four executive orders to lower drug prices, but health policy experts say they will likely offer patients only minimal relief and may take months to implement, if they're implemented at all.
The orders signed Friday afternoon included allowing certain drugs to be imported from Canada and making changes to the way discounts negotiated by middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers are passed on to Medicare patients.
The most radical order involves requiring Medicare to pay the same price for some drugs — the ones patients receive in the hospital as part of Medicare Part B — that other countries pay. However, Trump said he is giving the pharmaceutical industry until Aug. 24 to make a deal with him before he implements it.
"We may not need to implement the fourth executive order, which is a very tough order," he said.
The administration did not send this executive order to reporters and it was not immediately clear whether the president signed it. Trump said he will be meeting with pharmaceutical executives on Tuesday...
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/24/895290378/trump-signs-executive-orders-on-drug-pr...
In the past Canada has said it does not have enough drugs in its contracts to supply the US.
Big Pharma doesn't care whether Medicare patients receive the discounts, but pharmacies do. ( Azar's idea?)
He is looking for a deal with pharmaceutical industry re pricing Medicare Part B (hospital) drugs the same as in other countries.
...YAWN...
Trump Signs Executive Orders On Drug Prices
Sydney Lupkin | July 24, 2020
The Trump Administration has announced four executive orders to lower drug prices, but health policy experts say they will likely offer patients only minimal relief and may take months to implement, if they're implemented at all.
The orders signed Friday afternoon included allowing certain drugs to be imported from Canada and making changes to the way discounts negotiated by middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers are passed on to Medicare patients.
The most radical order involves requiring Medicare to pay the same price for some drugs — the ones patients receive in the hospital as part of Medicare Part B — that other countries pay. However, Trump said he is giving the pharmaceutical industry until Aug. 24 to make a deal with him before he implements it.
"We may not need to implement the fourth executive order, which is a very tough order," he said.
The administration did not send this executive order to reporters and it was not immediately clear whether the president signed it. Trump said he will be meeting with pharmaceutical executives on Tuesday...
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/24/895290378/trump-signs-executive-orders-on-drug-pr...
57margd
>56 margd: "The administration did not send this executive order to reporters and it was not immediately clear whether the president signed it. Trump said he will be meeting with pharmaceutical executives on Tuesday..."
No meeting Tuesday, apparently:
Pfizer CEO says Trump’s executive orders overhauling U.S. drug pricing will cause ‘enormous destruction’
Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | Jul 28 2020
...“Overall, I’m disappointed with this executive order,” (Pfizer CEO Albert) Bourla said during a conference call discussing the company’s second-quarter earnings. “They pose enormous destruction in a time when the industry needs to be completely focused on developing a potential Covid-19 vaccine or treatment.”
...The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called the executive orders a “reckless distraction.”
The comment by Bourla came after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and raised its outlook for 2020. The outlook was raised despite a 32% drop in profit. Pfizer said the coronavirus shaved about $500 million, or 4%, off its quarterly revenue as more people worked from home and got fewer new prescriptions and vaccinations...
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/pfizer-ceo-says-trumps-executive-orders-overhaul...
No meeting Tuesday, apparently:
Pfizer CEO says Trump’s executive orders overhauling U.S. drug pricing will cause ‘enormous destruction’
Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | Jul 28 2020
...“Overall, I’m disappointed with this executive order,” (Pfizer CEO Albert) Bourla said during a conference call discussing the company’s second-quarter earnings. “They pose enormous destruction in a time when the industry needs to be completely focused on developing a potential Covid-19 vaccine or treatment.”
...The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called the executive orders a “reckless distraction.”
The comment by Bourla came after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and raised its outlook for 2020. The outlook was raised despite a 32% drop in profit. Pfizer said the coronavirus shaved about $500 million, or 4%, off its quarterly revenue as more people worked from home and got fewer new prescriptions and vaccinations...
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/pfizer-ceo-says-trumps-executive-orders-overhaul...
58margd
Eric Feigl-Ding @DrEricDing | 6:29 AM · Aug 6, 2020
HIGHWAY ROBBERY:
Remdesivir, made by @GileadSciences, has now set the price -- $2,300 to $3,100 per patient.
So how much does it cost to produce each vial? -- Just $1.
US taxpayers also had paid for the drug’s NIH trial.
Borderline criminal drug pricing.
HIGHWAY ROBBERY:
Remdesivir, made by @GileadSciences, has now set the price -- $2,300 to $3,100 per patient.
So how much does it cost to produce each vial? -- Just $1.
US taxpayers also had paid for the drug’s NIH trial.
Borderline criminal drug pricing.
59margd
Fact check: Biden administration delays implementation of Trump rule on insulin, EpiPens
Lee Rood | Jan 30, 2021
...In July 2020, President Donald Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reining in prescription drug costs. One required that federally qualified health centers, which purchase insulin and epinephrine through what's called the 340B drug program, pass along any savings they receive from discounted drug prices to medically underserved patients.
The rule blocks health centers from receiving future federal grants unless they charge patients no more than their acquisition price for insulin and EpiPens — epinephrine auto-injectors — plus a small administration fee.
At the time, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the move would increase access to insulin and EpiPens for the 28 million patients who visit community health centers annually, over 6 million of whom are uninsured.
On the campaign trail last year, Trump made repeated claims that, because of the executive orders, he was succeeding in his promise to lower drug prices.
HHS approved the rule affecting community health centers in December, and it was to go into effect Jan. 22.
...Biden's White House chief of staff, Ronald Klain, announced a regulatory freeze of “any new and pending rules” as Biden took office on Jan. 20. The freeze on the insulin and epinephrine rule is effective until March 22.
According to Bloomberg Law, "A regulatory pause is a common tradition among incoming presidents to ensure that the unfinished policies from the prior administration align with the new one."
...Our ruling: Missing context
We rate this claim about the Biden administration's action to be MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research. Some patients who use insulin and EpiPens — the fraction who are served by federally qualified health centers — may benefit from Trump's order, but others could suffer if it results in decreased access for the centers to the 340B drug discount program. Also, the freeze through March 22 does not represent final action on the program, so it's premature to call it a "reversal."...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/01/30/fact-check-biden-freeze...
Lee Rood | Jan 30, 2021
...In July 2020, President Donald Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reining in prescription drug costs. One required that federally qualified health centers, which purchase insulin and epinephrine through what's called the 340B drug program, pass along any savings they receive from discounted drug prices to medically underserved patients.
The rule blocks health centers from receiving future federal grants unless they charge patients no more than their acquisition price for insulin and EpiPens — epinephrine auto-injectors — plus a small administration fee.
At the time, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the move would increase access to insulin and EpiPens for the 28 million patients who visit community health centers annually, over 6 million of whom are uninsured.
On the campaign trail last year, Trump made repeated claims that, because of the executive orders, he was succeeding in his promise to lower drug prices.
HHS approved the rule affecting community health centers in December, and it was to go into effect Jan. 22.
...Biden's White House chief of staff, Ronald Klain, announced a regulatory freeze of “any new and pending rules” as Biden took office on Jan. 20. The freeze on the insulin and epinephrine rule is effective until March 22.
According to Bloomberg Law, "A regulatory pause is a common tradition among incoming presidents to ensure that the unfinished policies from the prior administration align with the new one."
...Our ruling: Missing context
We rate this claim about the Biden administration's action to be MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research. Some patients who use insulin and EpiPens — the fraction who are served by federally qualified health centers — may benefit from Trump's order, but others could suffer if it results in decreased access for the centers to the 340B drug discount program. Also, the freeze through March 22 does not represent final action on the program, so it's premature to call it a "reversal."...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/01/30/fact-check-biden-freeze...
60margd
Get Rid of the Patents on COVID-19 Vaccines Already
Jean-Luc Mélenchon*, Rafael Correa*, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva*| Feb 27, 2021
The spread of COVID-19 anywhere on the planet threatens us all, yet Big Pharma’s monopoly on the vaccine supply ensures that people in most of the world aren't getting inoculated. In this appeal, left-wing figures like Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Rafael Correa, and former Brazilian president Lula call on governments to lift the patents and ensure vaccines are distributed as cheaply and quickly as possible...
https://jacobinmag.com/2021/02/open-letter-covid-vaccine-melenchon-correa-lula
* Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a member of France's National Assembly and is the founder of La France Insoumise.
Rafael Correa was president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon*, Rafael Correa*, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva*| Feb 27, 2021
The spread of COVID-19 anywhere on the planet threatens us all, yet Big Pharma’s monopoly on the vaccine supply ensures that people in most of the world aren't getting inoculated. In this appeal, left-wing figures like Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Rafael Correa, and former Brazilian president Lula call on governments to lift the patents and ensure vaccines are distributed as cheaply and quickly as possible...
https://jacobinmag.com/2021/02/open-letter-covid-vaccine-melenchon-correa-lula
* Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a member of France's National Assembly and is the founder of La France Insoumise.
Rafael Correa was president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.
612wonderY
PFIZER, MODERNA, AND other coronavirus vaccine makers have said repeatedly that they intend to hike prices on vaccines as early as this year, as the potential need for additional booster shots and future demand could lead to an unprecedented financial windfall.
One estimate projects that if Pfizer raised the price of its coronavirus vaccine from $19.50 to $175 per dose, as one Pfizer executive recently suggested, and if every adult American were to take it, the cost would be $44.7 billion — nearly 10 percent of all U.S. drug spending.
But the federal government, which funded crucial biomedical research to develop the patented messenger RNA technology behind the leading Covid-19 vaccines, is on the verge of eliminating a legal mechanism to control the prices of key medical products, including vaccines.
Next week, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, will wrap up a comment period to modify the rules governing the Bayh-Dole Act, a law that regulates the transfer of federally funded inventions into commercial property. Under the current interpretation of the law, the government may “march in” and suspend the use of patents developed via government-funded inventions if it determines that the products are excessively priced.
IN THE TWILIGHT weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency, his administration released a NIST rule designed to undercut the Bayh-Dole Act and weaken the government’s authority to march in and seize control of a patent when drugmakers fail to make medicine “available to the public on reasonable terms.”
https://theintercept.com/2021/04/02/covid-vaccine-price-hikes/
One estimate projects that if Pfizer raised the price of its coronavirus vaccine from $19.50 to $175 per dose, as one Pfizer executive recently suggested, and if every adult American were to take it, the cost would be $44.7 billion — nearly 10 percent of all U.S. drug spending.
But the federal government, which funded crucial biomedical research to develop the patented messenger RNA technology behind the leading Covid-19 vaccines, is on the verge of eliminating a legal mechanism to control the prices of key medical products, including vaccines.
Next week, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, will wrap up a comment period to modify the rules governing the Bayh-Dole Act, a law that regulates the transfer of federally funded inventions into commercial property. Under the current interpretation of the law, the government may “march in” and suspend the use of patents developed via government-funded inventions if it determines that the products are excessively priced.
IN THE TWILIGHT weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency, his administration released a NIST rule designed to undercut the Bayh-Dole Act and weaken the government’s authority to march in and seize control of a patent when drugmakers fail to make medicine “available to the public on reasonable terms.”
https://theintercept.com/2021/04/02/covid-vaccine-price-hikes/
63margd
Big drugmakers just raised their prices on 500 prescription drugs
Khristopher J. Brooks | January 5, 2021
Drug companies are ringing in the new year with another round of hikes in prescription drug prices, which continue to climb year after year, according to 46brooklyn Research, a nonprofit company that seeks to improve public access to U.S. drug pricing data.
AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and other major pharmaceutical companies are raising their prices by a median of 4.6%, according to the analysis from 46brooklyn. All told, over 500 drugs will cost more this year, the research firm's data shows.
Drug prices are higher in the U.S. than in other developed countries, where governments typically negotiate with manufacturers to control costs. In a post on its website, 46brooklyn said it created the analysis to fight "the lack of transparency" in drug pricing, particularly in drugmaker Wholesale Acquisition Costs (WACs), which it sees as the root cause of the "American-made drug pricing crisis."
"There have been limited instances of state-required disclosures and federal legislative efforts that would fix this, but until something meaningful, all-encompassing and timely passes, the list prices drugmakers set are hidden behind paywalls," the nonprofit explained in a blog post...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prescription-drug-prices-rise-2021/
Khristopher J. Brooks | January 5, 2021
Drug companies are ringing in the new year with another round of hikes in prescription drug prices, which continue to climb year after year, according to 46brooklyn Research, a nonprofit company that seeks to improve public access to U.S. drug pricing data.
AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and other major pharmaceutical companies are raising their prices by a median of 4.6%, according to the analysis from 46brooklyn. All told, over 500 drugs will cost more this year, the research firm's data shows.
Drug prices are higher in the U.S. than in other developed countries, where governments typically negotiate with manufacturers to control costs. In a post on its website, 46brooklyn said it created the analysis to fight "the lack of transparency" in drug pricing, particularly in drugmaker Wholesale Acquisition Costs (WACs), which it sees as the root cause of the "American-made drug pricing crisis."
"There have been limited instances of state-required disclosures and federal legislative efforts that would fix this, but until something meaningful, all-encompassing and timely passes, the list prices drugmakers set are hidden behind paywalls," the nonprofit explained in a blog post...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prescription-drug-prices-rise-2021/
64margd
ArjunGupta et al. Projected 30- day out-of-pocket costs and total spending on pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) under Medicare Part D☆ Pancreatology (Available online 11 May 2021) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pan.2021.05.002 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1424390321001538
...Discussion
In this analysis of 2020 Medicare Part D plans, the estimated 30-day out-of-pocket cost for PERT was high— more than $100 in the catastrophic phase and approximately $1000 in the initial phase. Common indications for PERT in a Medicare population are pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis, disease states already associated with heavy symptom burden and distress. In this setting, the financial burden from supportive care interventions, such as PERT, can be underappreciated.
...Discussion
In this analysis of 2020 Medicare Part D plans, the estimated 30-day out-of-pocket cost for PERT was high— more than $100 in the catastrophic phase and approximately $1000 in the initial phase. Common indications for PERT in a Medicare population are pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis, disease states already associated with heavy symptom burden and distress. In this setting, the financial burden from supportive care interventions, such as PERT, can be underappreciated.
65margd
Rep. Katie Porter @RepKatiePorter | 2:40 PM · May 18, 2021:
Big Pharma says they need to charge astronomical prices to pay for research and development.
Yet, the amount they spend on manipulating the market to enrich shareholders completely eclipses what's spent on R&D.
Today, I confronted a CEO about the industry's lies, with visuals
2:10 ( https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1394724627566391297 )
Big Pharma says they need to charge astronomical prices to pay for research and development.
Yet, the amount they spend on manipulating the market to enrich shareholders completely eclipses what's spent on R&D.
Today, I confronted a CEO about the industry's lies, with visuals
2:10 ( https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1394724627566391297 )
662wonderY
>65 margd: some impressive numbers there. Hadn’t even heard of that company.
67Limelite
>65 margd:
That. Was. Absolutely. Brilliant.
Crucified his a$$.
Pres. Biden should definitely move on lowering drug prices and advertise his proposal with a Katie Porter clip of how much this example company pays for R&D vs spends on stock buy-backs and dividend payments to shareholders.
That. Was. Absolutely. Brilliant.
Crucified his a$$.
Pres. Biden should definitely move on lowering drug prices and advertise his proposal with a Katie Porter clip of how much this example company pays for R&D vs spends on stock buy-backs and dividend payments to shareholders.
68margd
Vincent Rajkumar ( Prof Mayo Clinic) @VincentRK | 11:37 AM · May 22, 2021
Why are prescription drug prices so high in the US?
Let us start with insulin as an example. Insulin is the Achilles heel. If we understand insulin, we understand why it's so hard to fix our broken system.
1/ Existence of a vulnerable population needing a lifesaving medicine
Image-cartoon ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128088224894982/photo/1 )
2/ Monopoly
3 companies control the market for insulin. In a monopoly with significant regulatory and legal barriers to entry of competing products, the seller can set the price however high they want.
Here, the monopoly is not over a luxury item, but a lifesaving medicine.
3/ Patent Evergreening:
Making patent life extremely long & preventing competition.
Covert: By making newer version of a drug and patenting it (see insulin below)
Overt: Filing multiple new patents on same drug to stretch patent life, pay for delay schemes, lawsuits.
Image-chronology ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128094700908549/photo/1 )
4/ Planned Obsolescence
When Pharma introduces new drugs, the new one is marketed as so much better, that using an older drug is not good clinical practice.
With insulin it's ok. But in other fields, new "me-too" drugs often provide minimal incremental value to justify cost.
Image-iPhone example ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128100103098372/photo/1 )
Image-NEJM cover page why no generic insulin? ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128100103098372/photo/2 )
5/ Biosimilar and Generic drug approval process is slow, expensive, and complicated. Numerous regulatory and legal barriers.
Studies show you need 4 or more competing biosimilars/generics to have an effect on price. One is not enough.
Image-cover where generic insulins hiding? ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128104343613442/photo/1 )
6/ Price "Collusion"
Absent true (competition), if just 2 companies make similar products they can choose to increase prices in lock step. Both benefit. With insulin for years prices of competing drugs increased almost on same day to same level. It is not overt collusion. But...
Image-graphs price hikes ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128108869263368/photo/1 )
7/ The Middlemen
Everyone in the supply chain from Pharma to Wholesaler to Pharmacy Benefit Manager to Pharmacy benefits from a higher price, except the patient. Profit is proportional to list price, which means it's in everyone's interest to have a high price.
Image-e.g. Mylan Epi-Pen ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128113902473216/photo/1 )
8/ Influence of the Pharma Lobby
Pharmaceutical companies spend a lot on lobbying. Which is why nothing ever gets done.
Plus the factors for high price (#1-7) are many, and it's easy to point fingers.
Image-title, Fortune article on lobbying ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128118063124481/photo/1 )
9/ There are also other factors that make prices insanely high that are unique to the US:
Medicare must buy, but cannot negotiate.
Prescribers of meds administered in doctors offices stand to gain more by prescribing a more expensive option.
Image-PPT slide ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128123385700354/photo/1 )
10/ So what are the solutions?
Every western nation has value based pricing. A maximum price that is negotiated for new drugs proportional to the value they provide. This ensures a reasonable launch price, & prevents the type of crazy price increases that are possible in the US
Image-PPT slide ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128128368586762/photo/1 )
11/ Medicare must be able to negotiate for prices.
@ASlavitt once said almost 90% of Americans agree that Medicare should negotiate for drug prices, and 90% of Americans agree on very few things!
Image--PPT slide 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128133766602754/photo/1 )
12/ Reform regulatory and patent process to make it easier for generics and biosimilars to end the market.
We cannot allow patent evergreening by repeated new patents filed on the same drugs as is the case with analog insulins and many new drugs.
Image-graph, generic competition and drug prices ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128139017863170/photo/1 )
13/ Eliminate reimbursement for drugs administered in doctors offices from a % of sales price to a fixed reimbursement. The current system encourages the use of a more expensive alternative when an equivalent cheaper one is available.
Imagee.g., a Medicare Part B drug ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128144294350851/photo/1 )
14/ Reforms to ensure that price increases are not related to rebates and lack of transparency in deals between Pharma and PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers).
Many ways to do this. Including transparency, ending practice of rebates or passing rebates to patients. There will be many trade offs. It's complex.
15/ What can individual doctors do?
Help patients find the lowest cost options. Always prefer generics and biosimilars if possible.
For patients paying cash, prices of common drugs can vary dramatically. @GoodRx helps find the lowest price.
Image--examples of prices at various outlets ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396129546416627712/photo/1 )
16/ Talk to patients about cost and affordability. Take cost and cost effectiveness into account when prescribing.
17/ I have discussed this in detail in a talk I gave @MayoClinic and you can access it here if interested. The problem of prescription drug prices is complex and unless we recognize the myriad factors and how they interact it is hard to fix.
Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Why are prescription drugs so expensive and what can we do? (41:35
Mayo Clinic • Mar 13, 2019
In this lecture, Dr. Rajkumar addresses the many reasons why prescription drug costs are so high in the United States. Even old drugs such as insulin have become unaffordable. He discusses the major policy changes that can reduce the cost of prescription drugs, and lists ways in which physicians can help patients find affordable treatments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb9y6bBaEzo / https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128146483818496
cc: @hasanminhaj -- You have spoken about many of these issues on Patriot Act
My article on insulin pricing and what we can do about it. @MayoProceedings :
S. Vincent Rajkumar 2020. The High Cost of Insulin in the United States: An Urgent Call to Action.
Mayo Clinic proceedings. Commentary| Volume 95, ISSUE 1, P22-28, January 01, 2020. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.11.013 https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(19)31008-0/abstract
Why are prescription drug prices so high in the US?
Let us start with insulin as an example. Insulin is the Achilles heel. If we understand insulin, we understand why it's so hard to fix our broken system.
1/ Existence of a vulnerable population needing a lifesaving medicine
Image-cartoon ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128088224894982/photo/1 )
2/ Monopoly
3 companies control the market for insulin. In a monopoly with significant regulatory and legal barriers to entry of competing products, the seller can set the price however high they want.
Here, the monopoly is not over a luxury item, but a lifesaving medicine.
3/ Patent Evergreening:
Making patent life extremely long & preventing competition.
Covert: By making newer version of a drug and patenting it (see insulin below)
Overt: Filing multiple new patents on same drug to stretch patent life, pay for delay schemes, lawsuits.
Image-chronology ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128094700908549/photo/1 )
4/ Planned Obsolescence
When Pharma introduces new drugs, the new one is marketed as so much better, that using an older drug is not good clinical practice.
With insulin it's ok. But in other fields, new "me-too" drugs often provide minimal incremental value to justify cost.
Image-iPhone example ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128100103098372/photo/1 )
Image-NEJM cover page why no generic insulin? ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128100103098372/photo/2 )
5/ Biosimilar and Generic drug approval process is slow, expensive, and complicated. Numerous regulatory and legal barriers.
Studies show you need 4 or more competing biosimilars/generics to have an effect on price. One is not enough.
Image-cover where generic insulins hiding? ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128104343613442/photo/1 )
6/ Price "Collusion"
Absent true (competition), if just 2 companies make similar products they can choose to increase prices in lock step. Both benefit. With insulin for years prices of competing drugs increased almost on same day to same level. It is not overt collusion. But...
Image-graphs price hikes ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128108869263368/photo/1 )
7/ The Middlemen
Everyone in the supply chain from Pharma to Wholesaler to Pharmacy Benefit Manager to Pharmacy benefits from a higher price, except the patient. Profit is proportional to list price, which means it's in everyone's interest to have a high price.
Image-e.g. Mylan Epi-Pen ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128113902473216/photo/1 )
8/ Influence of the Pharma Lobby
Pharmaceutical companies spend a lot on lobbying. Which is why nothing ever gets done.
Plus the factors for high price (#1-7) are many, and it's easy to point fingers.
Image-title, Fortune article on lobbying ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128118063124481/photo/1 )
9/ There are also other factors that make prices insanely high that are unique to the US:
Medicare must buy, but cannot negotiate.
Prescribers of meds administered in doctors offices stand to gain more by prescribing a more expensive option.
Image-PPT slide ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128123385700354/photo/1 )
10/ So what are the solutions?
Every western nation has value based pricing. A maximum price that is negotiated for new drugs proportional to the value they provide. This ensures a reasonable launch price, & prevents the type of crazy price increases that are possible in the US
Image-PPT slide ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128128368586762/photo/1 )
11/ Medicare must be able to negotiate for prices.
@ASlavitt once said almost 90% of Americans agree that Medicare should negotiate for drug prices, and 90% of Americans agree on very few things!
Image--PPT slide 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128133766602754/photo/1 )
12/ Reform regulatory and patent process to make it easier for generics and biosimilars to end the market.
We cannot allow patent evergreening by repeated new patents filed on the same drugs as is the case with analog insulins and many new drugs.
Image-graph, generic competition and drug prices ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128139017863170/photo/1 )
13/ Eliminate reimbursement for drugs administered in doctors offices from a % of sales price to a fixed reimbursement. The current system encourages the use of a more expensive alternative when an equivalent cheaper one is available.
Imagee.g., a Medicare Part B drug ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128144294350851/photo/1 )
14/ Reforms to ensure that price increases are not related to rebates and lack of transparency in deals between Pharma and PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers).
Many ways to do this. Including transparency, ending practice of rebates or passing rebates to patients. There will be many trade offs. It's complex.
15/ What can individual doctors do?
Help patients find the lowest cost options. Always prefer generics and biosimilars if possible.
For patients paying cash, prices of common drugs can vary dramatically. @GoodRx helps find the lowest price.
Image--examples of prices at various outlets ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396129546416627712/photo/1 )
16/ Talk to patients about cost and affordability. Take cost and cost effectiveness into account when prescribing.
17/ I have discussed this in detail in a talk I gave @MayoClinic and you can access it here if interested. The problem of prescription drug prices is complex and unless we recognize the myriad factors and how they interact it is hard to fix.
Dr. Vincent Rajkumar: Why are prescription drugs so expensive and what can we do? (41:35
Mayo Clinic • Mar 13, 2019
In this lecture, Dr. Rajkumar addresses the many reasons why prescription drug costs are so high in the United States. Even old drugs such as insulin have become unaffordable. He discusses the major policy changes that can reduce the cost of prescription drugs, and lists ways in which physicians can help patients find affordable treatments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb9y6bBaEzo / https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1396128146483818496
cc: @hasanminhaj -- You have spoken about many of these issues on Patriot Act
My article on insulin pricing and what we can do about it. @MayoProceedings :
S. Vincent Rajkumar 2020. The High Cost of Insulin in the United States: An Urgent Call to Action.
Mayo Clinic proceedings. Commentary| Volume 95, ISSUE 1, P22-28, January 01, 2020. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.11.013 https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(19)31008-0/abstract
69margd
! Manchin...Epi-pens!
Neva @NLong72 | 7:22 PM · Jun 8, 2021:
https://twitter.com/NLong72/status/1402405755668643846
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1402405755668643846.html
The Manchin family
1/ Reminder @Sen_JoeManchin was Governor of WV before he was Senator
-As Governor, Manchin appointed his wife Gayle to the WV Board of Education
-Meanwhile, Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch is typing labels for Mylan Pharmaceuticals generic drug co
2/ The Manchin’s
-Before typing labels at Mylan—Heather Bresch, Manchin’s daughter received her undergraduate degree in Poli Sci and International Relations at WVU
The scandal👇
3/ -Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, lied about having an MBA, falsifying her resume
-2007 – While Manchin was Governor of WV and Gayle (Heather’s mom) was on the WV Board of Education WVU gave Heather Bresch an MBS degree although she only finished 28 of the 46 hrs required
4/ Manchin family scandals
- In 2008, professors on the panel who voted to grant Manchin’s daughter an MBA had to retire under vote of no-confidence, and WVU rescinded her degree
-Plus WVU’s president, Michael Garrison, resigned from his position over the controversy
5/ Manchin family
-In 2009 Manchin’s daughter was appointed president of Mylan (Manchin was still Gov of WV)
-In 2010 Bresch proposed to lawmakers the Generic Drug Act
-Under the law the generics industry would pay the FDA fees of $300 million to get their drugs approved
6/ Manchin family
-When Manchin’s daughter got lawmakers approval to give fees to the FDA for generic approval
Manchin became Senator
-Manchin won the 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd’s death
7/ -Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, was appointed CEO in 2011 and took over in Jan 2012
Then this👇
-Now Senator Manchin’s wife and now Mylan CEO Bresch’s mom—Gayle (who was on WV Board of Ed) took over the NATIONAL Association of State Boards of Education
8/ Manchin’s
-CEO of Mylan lobbies Congress to require schools and businesses to have EpiPen’s in hand as a public safety measure
Then Manchin’s wife-Heather’s mom did this👇
9/Manchins
-After Gayle Manchin took over the National Association of State Boards of Education in 2012 and daughter Heather Bresch became Mylan CEO (also 2012)—mom Gayle spearheaded an unprecedented effort that encouraged states to require EpiPens in schools
10/ Senator Manchin’s wife, Gayle Mansion, created a monopoly for Mylan’s EpiPen for WV schools
-As a result—schools were required to keep two Epi-Pens at all times
And
-Schools had to sign a contract saying they would only use Epi-Pen brand from Mylan-daughter’s company
11/ Manchins
-After Gayle Manchin (as head of National Board of Ed) created an EpiPen monopoly requiring only Mylan’s EpiPens in all WV schools—daughter Bresch Mylan’s CEO increased the price of an EpiPen two-pack nearly 550 percent from $101 to $608
12/ Manchin
-At the same time Bresch increased EpiPen price 550% from $101 to $608
-Joe Manchin’s daughter Heather Bresch gave herself a 671% increase on salary
-Bresch’s total compensation went from $2,453,456 to $18,931,068
13/ Manchin’s EpiPen scandal
-Bresch gave herself a 26M increase in salary and
-the Mylan Pharma board of directors rewarded chairman and the former CEO Robert Coury with $98 million
Why?
-Mylan announces $465 million settlement over whether EpiPen qualifies as generic
14/ Manchin’s Mylan EpiPen
-In 2017 it was determined that Mylan violated the False Claims Act by knowingly misclassifying EpiPen as a generic drug to avoid paying rebates owed primarily to Medicaid
-Mylan announced a $465M settlement over whether EpiPen qualifies as generic
15/ Manchin EpiPen scandal
-Back to former Mylan Bd Chairman Robert Coury who Mylan gave 98M to in 2016
Why?
Turns out in 2019 UpJohn-Pfizer announced it will absorb Mylan and make a new generic company—Viatris
-Viatris is now led by Mylan’s Chairman Robert J. Coury
16/ Manchin EpiPen scandal
-As one last harrah for Mylan, Trump gave Mylan a contract to produce in its WV facility 50 million chloroquine tablets for Covid
-Senator Manchin’s daughter netted a 5 million dollar raise in her final full year as Mylan’s CEO
17/
-2019/20 Pfizer buys out Manchin’s daughter’s company Mylan
-Past Mylan Board chair (given 98M) Robert Coury stayed on with the new company Viatris
and
President Rajiv Malik is named in the generics price-fixing suit brought by state attorneys general-not Bresch
18/
-Manchin’s daughter Heather Bresch retires and avoids being named in the lawsuit
-In addition to a 5M bonus her final year, Bresch collected about $37.6 million with the change in leadership
19/
What’s happening now
-1,500 employees working in WV’s Mylan plant are to be laid off by mid-2021 in a plant shutdown
-Senator Manchin’s daughter’s company Mylan will be closing its Morgantown plant by mid-2021
Today—June 8th 2021--Mylan employees protested at WV Capitol
20/ Receipts/Sources...
21/ Receipts/Sources...
____________________________________________________
Biden nominates Gayle Manchin to run Appalachian Regional Commission
Jeff Jenkins | March 26, 2021
https://wvmetronews.com/2021/03/26/biden-nominates-gayle-manchin-to-run-appalach...
Neva @NLong72 | 7:22 PM · Jun 8, 2021:
https://twitter.com/NLong72/status/1402405755668643846
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1402405755668643846.html
The Manchin family
1/ Reminder @Sen_JoeManchin was Governor of WV before he was Senator
-As Governor, Manchin appointed his wife Gayle to the WV Board of Education
-Meanwhile, Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch is typing labels for Mylan Pharmaceuticals generic drug co
2/ The Manchin’s
-Before typing labels at Mylan—Heather Bresch, Manchin’s daughter received her undergraduate degree in Poli Sci and International Relations at WVU
The scandal👇
3/ -Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, lied about having an MBA, falsifying her resume
-2007 – While Manchin was Governor of WV and Gayle (Heather’s mom) was on the WV Board of Education WVU gave Heather Bresch an MBS degree although she only finished 28 of the 46 hrs required
4/ Manchin family scandals
- In 2008, professors on the panel who voted to grant Manchin’s daughter an MBA had to retire under vote of no-confidence, and WVU rescinded her degree
-Plus WVU’s president, Michael Garrison, resigned from his position over the controversy
5/ Manchin family
-In 2009 Manchin’s daughter was appointed president of Mylan (Manchin was still Gov of WV)
-In 2010 Bresch proposed to lawmakers the Generic Drug Act
-Under the law the generics industry would pay the FDA fees of $300 million to get their drugs approved
6/ Manchin family
-When Manchin’s daughter got lawmakers approval to give fees to the FDA for generic approval
Manchin became Senator
-Manchin won the 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd’s death
7/ -Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, was appointed CEO in 2011 and took over in Jan 2012
Then this👇
-Now Senator Manchin’s wife and now Mylan CEO Bresch’s mom—Gayle (who was on WV Board of Ed) took over the NATIONAL Association of State Boards of Education
8/ Manchin’s
-CEO of Mylan lobbies Congress to require schools and businesses to have EpiPen’s in hand as a public safety measure
Then Manchin’s wife-Heather’s mom did this👇
9/Manchins
-After Gayle Manchin took over the National Association of State Boards of Education in 2012 and daughter Heather Bresch became Mylan CEO (also 2012)—mom Gayle spearheaded an unprecedented effort that encouraged states to require EpiPens in schools
10/ Senator Manchin’s wife, Gayle Mansion, created a monopoly for Mylan’s EpiPen for WV schools
-As a result—schools were required to keep two Epi-Pens at all times
And
-Schools had to sign a contract saying they would only use Epi-Pen brand from Mylan-daughter’s company
11/ Manchins
-After Gayle Manchin (as head of National Board of Ed) created an EpiPen monopoly requiring only Mylan’s EpiPens in all WV schools—daughter Bresch Mylan’s CEO increased the price of an EpiPen two-pack nearly 550 percent from $101 to $608
12/ Manchin
-At the same time Bresch increased EpiPen price 550% from $101 to $608
-Joe Manchin’s daughter Heather Bresch gave herself a 671% increase on salary
-Bresch’s total compensation went from $2,453,456 to $18,931,068
13/ Manchin’s EpiPen scandal
-Bresch gave herself a 26M increase in salary and
-the Mylan Pharma board of directors rewarded chairman and the former CEO Robert Coury with $98 million
Why?
-Mylan announces $465 million settlement over whether EpiPen qualifies as generic
14/ Manchin’s Mylan EpiPen
-In 2017 it was determined that Mylan violated the False Claims Act by knowingly misclassifying EpiPen as a generic drug to avoid paying rebates owed primarily to Medicaid
-Mylan announced a $465M settlement over whether EpiPen qualifies as generic
15/ Manchin EpiPen scandal
-Back to former Mylan Bd Chairman Robert Coury who Mylan gave 98M to in 2016
Why?
Turns out in 2019 UpJohn-Pfizer announced it will absorb Mylan and make a new generic company—Viatris
-Viatris is now led by Mylan’s Chairman Robert J. Coury
16/ Manchin EpiPen scandal
-As one last harrah for Mylan, Trump gave Mylan a contract to produce in its WV facility 50 million chloroquine tablets for Covid
-Senator Manchin’s daughter netted a 5 million dollar raise in her final full year as Mylan’s CEO
17/
-2019/20 Pfizer buys out Manchin’s daughter’s company Mylan
-Past Mylan Board chair (given 98M) Robert Coury stayed on with the new company Viatris
and
President Rajiv Malik is named in the generics price-fixing suit brought by state attorneys general-not Bresch
18/
-Manchin’s daughter Heather Bresch retires and avoids being named in the lawsuit
-In addition to a 5M bonus her final year, Bresch collected about $37.6 million with the change in leadership
19/
What’s happening now
-1,500 employees working in WV’s Mylan plant are to be laid off by mid-2021 in a plant shutdown
-Senator Manchin’s daughter’s company Mylan will be closing its Morgantown plant by mid-2021
Today—June 8th 2021--Mylan employees protested at WV Capitol
20/ Receipts/Sources...
21/ Receipts/Sources...
____________________________________________________
Biden nominates Gayle Manchin to run Appalachian Regional Commission
Jeff Jenkins | March 26, 2021
https://wvmetronews.com/2021/03/26/biden-nominates-gayle-manchin-to-run-appalach...
70margd
Canada: Price of asthma inhaler Flovent Diskus: $27
United States: Price of asthma inhaler Flovent Diskus: $242
There is no rational reason — other than greed — for the pharmaceutical industry to charge the American people nearly 10x what the people of Canada pay for the exact same prescription.
- US Sen Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders | 12:30 PM · Oct 29, 2021
________________________________________________
Big pharma has spent $26 million in advertising this year alone to try and stop legislation to lower prescription drug prices.
If they can afford that, they can afford to lower prices. The people are on our side.
- US Sen Amy Klobuchar @amyklobuchar | 9:21 PM · Oct 29, 2021
United States: Price of asthma inhaler Flovent Diskus: $242
There is no rational reason — other than greed — for the pharmaceutical industry to charge the American people nearly 10x what the people of Canada pay for the exact same prescription.
- US Sen Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders | 12:30 PM · Oct 29, 2021
________________________________________________
Big pharma has spent $26 million in advertising this year alone to try and stop legislation to lower prescription drug prices.
If they can afford that, they can afford to lower prices. The people are on our side.
- US Sen Amy Klobuchar @amyklobuchar | 9:21 PM · Oct 29, 2021
71margd
Democrats Reach Deal to Control Drug Prices in Social Policy Bill
The provision would, for the first time, allow the government to negotiate prices for some medicines covered by Medicare.
Jonathan Weisman and Emily Cochrane | Nov. 2, 2021
...The prescription drug deal is limited. Starting in 2023, negotiations could begin on what Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon called the most expensive drugs — treatments for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as anticoagulants. Most drugs would still be granted patent exclusivity for five years before negotiations could start, and more advanced drugs, called biologics, would be protected for 12 years.
But for the first time, Medicare would be able to step in after those periods, even if drug companies secure patent extensions or otherwise game the patent system.
...The final deal includes a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket expenditures by older Americans facing catastrophic health issues, a strict $35 monthly cap on insulin expenses and automatic rebates on drugs whose prices rise faster than inflation.
But the pharmaceutical industry won its share of concessions...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/us/politics/democrats-drug-prices-deal.html
The provision would, for the first time, allow the government to negotiate prices for some medicines covered by Medicare.
Jonathan Weisman and Emily Cochrane | Nov. 2, 2021
...The prescription drug deal is limited. Starting in 2023, negotiations could begin on what Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon called the most expensive drugs — treatments for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as anticoagulants. Most drugs would still be granted patent exclusivity for five years before negotiations could start, and more advanced drugs, called biologics, would be protected for 12 years.
But for the first time, Medicare would be able to step in after those periods, even if drug companies secure patent extensions or otherwise game the patent system.
...The final deal includes a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket expenditures by older Americans facing catastrophic health issues, a strict $35 monthly cap on insulin expenses and automatic rebates on drugs whose prices rise faster than inflation.
But the pharmaceutical industry won its share of concessions...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/us/politics/democrats-drug-prices-deal.html
72margd
Pharmaceutical industry likely to shatter its lobbying record as it works to shape Democrats’ spending bill
A years-long battle over prescription drug prices reaches its apex as the industry spends tens of millions to alter the plan.
Yeganeh Torbati and Jonathan O'Connell | November 5, 2021
...Brian Newell, a spokesman for PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s chief lobbying arm... “Like most industries and associations, PhRMA engages with groups and organizations that have a wide array of opinions and priorities, including those who do not want the government to come between patients and their medicines.”
... a Democratic proposal to lower the cost of prescription drugs by empowering the federal government to negotiate their prices... became a focal point of the $1.75 trillion spending package Democrats are trying to move through Washington. The measure was in, then out, then watered down, going through a fierce ping-pong of backroom negotiations that is likely to continue once the Senate considers the bill in coming weeks.
...The influence campaign at times worked through groups whose funding sources are hidden. At least 20 different advertisements were run on television and online across the country. The advertisements were augmented by a campaign by PhRMA, which spent nearly $23 million on lobbying through the first nine months of 2021, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets, which tracks corporate spending and political influence. That puts PhRMA on track this year to beat its own spending recording of $29.3 million in 2019.
...The intense effort is reflective of just how much many companies have at stake in the Democrats’ evolving tax-and-spending bill. This article, which is based on interviews, documents and lobbying and ad spending data, offers a window into the efforts one sector took to shape the bill, much of which was crafted in secret.
The drug pricing provision agreed to by House Democrats this week does not go as far as many Democrats including Kim had hoped. But it still delivers reforms that could cut costs for millions of Americans by capping out-of-pocket spending for seniors at $2,000 a year, capping insulin costs, preventing price increases that exceed the rate of inflation, and allowing Medicare to begin negotiating prices for some drugs.
...Other industries, including tobacco and electric vehicles, have worked aggressively to pare down or reshape parts of the bill in their favor, too. But the effort to fight back on drug-price increases stands out because of the enormous scope of the campaign waged by the pharmaceutical industry and its allies, which have derailed similar proposals for the past two decades, despite how popular many of the changes are with voters, according to polling data.
...The industry made $90.6 million of political contributions during the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets, 61 percent of that to Democratic candidates and groups.
The industry’s focus on drug pricing has increased dramatically in recent years as the issue became more top-of-mind for voters. In 2012, lobbyists registered to work on the issue of “drug prices” 69 times for 20 different clients. In 2021 so far, they have filed to lobby on the issue 1,192 times for 242 different clients, according to OpenSecrets data.
While the industry lobbies on many different issues in a given year, the Democratic bill H.R. 3 that would have given the government more expansive power to negotiate drug prices was the bill PhRMA cited most often for lobbying; the bill appeared in its reports 35 times so far this year, OpenSecrets found.
...Many of the backers of these efforts are difficult to identify because of rules allowing anonymous funding of political groups...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/05/pharmaceutical-industry-drug-...
A years-long battle over prescription drug prices reaches its apex as the industry spends tens of millions to alter the plan.
Yeganeh Torbati and Jonathan O'Connell | November 5, 2021
...Brian Newell, a spokesman for PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s chief lobbying arm... “Like most industries and associations, PhRMA engages with groups and organizations that have a wide array of opinions and priorities, including those who do not want the government to come between patients and their medicines.”
... a Democratic proposal to lower the cost of prescription drugs by empowering the federal government to negotiate their prices... became a focal point of the $1.75 trillion spending package Democrats are trying to move through Washington. The measure was in, then out, then watered down, going through a fierce ping-pong of backroom negotiations that is likely to continue once the Senate considers the bill in coming weeks.
...The influence campaign at times worked through groups whose funding sources are hidden. At least 20 different advertisements were run on television and online across the country. The advertisements were augmented by a campaign by PhRMA, which spent nearly $23 million on lobbying through the first nine months of 2021, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets, which tracks corporate spending and political influence. That puts PhRMA on track this year to beat its own spending recording of $29.3 million in 2019.
...The intense effort is reflective of just how much many companies have at stake in the Democrats’ evolving tax-and-spending bill. This article, which is based on interviews, documents and lobbying and ad spending data, offers a window into the efforts one sector took to shape the bill, much of which was crafted in secret.
The drug pricing provision agreed to by House Democrats this week does not go as far as many Democrats including Kim had hoped. But it still delivers reforms that could cut costs for millions of Americans by capping out-of-pocket spending for seniors at $2,000 a year, capping insulin costs, preventing price increases that exceed the rate of inflation, and allowing Medicare to begin negotiating prices for some drugs.
...Other industries, including tobacco and electric vehicles, have worked aggressively to pare down or reshape parts of the bill in their favor, too. But the effort to fight back on drug-price increases stands out because of the enormous scope of the campaign waged by the pharmaceutical industry and its allies, which have derailed similar proposals for the past two decades, despite how popular many of the changes are with voters, according to polling data.
...The industry made $90.6 million of political contributions during the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets, 61 percent of that to Democratic candidates and groups.
The industry’s focus on drug pricing has increased dramatically in recent years as the issue became more top-of-mind for voters. In 2012, lobbyists registered to work on the issue of “drug prices” 69 times for 20 different clients. In 2021 so far, they have filed to lobby on the issue 1,192 times for 242 different clients, according to OpenSecrets data.
While the industry lobbies on many different issues in a given year, the Democratic bill H.R. 3 that would have given the government more expansive power to negotiate drug prices was the bill PhRMA cited most often for lobbying; the bill appeared in its reports 35 times so far this year, OpenSecrets found.
...Many of the backers of these efforts are difficult to identify because of rules allowing anonymous funding of political groups...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/05/pharmaceutical-industry-drug-...
73margd
They deserve Nobel prize for humanity...
ALERT: Patent free COVID vaccine from Texas proves innovation does not require obscene drug pricing
Egberto Willies | Saturday January 01, 2022
A small team of Texas researchers is being hailed for developing an unpatented Covid-19 vaccine to share with the world without personal profit, with some advocates asking, if they can do it, why can't Big Pharma?
Dubbed "the World's Covid vaccine," the inoculation—formally called Cobervax—is an open-source alternative to Big Pharma's patent-protected vaccines. Instead of being produced for profit, this shot could ultimately be manufactured around the world and made cheaply available to all without governmental or private legal retribution.
Common Dreams reported this week that Cobervax—developed jointly by Texas Children's Hospital, Houston's Baylor College, and the Indian pharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited—was authorized for emergency use in India amid a surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Texas Children's Hospital says the new vaccine is at least 90% effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and 80% or more effective against its Delta variant.
"We're not trying to make money," Peter Hotez, who led the Texas Children's Hospital team, told The Washington Post. "We just want to see people get vaccinated."....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/1/1/2072178/-ALERT-Patent-free-COVID-vacci...
ALERT: Patent free COVID vaccine from Texas proves innovation does not require obscene drug pricing
Egberto Willies | Saturday January 01, 2022
A small team of Texas researchers is being hailed for developing an unpatented Covid-19 vaccine to share with the world without personal profit, with some advocates asking, if they can do it, why can't Big Pharma?
Dubbed "the World's Covid vaccine," the inoculation—formally called Cobervax—is an open-source alternative to Big Pharma's patent-protected vaccines. Instead of being produced for profit, this shot could ultimately be manufactured around the world and made cheaply available to all without governmental or private legal retribution.
Common Dreams reported this week that Cobervax—developed jointly by Texas Children's Hospital, Houston's Baylor College, and the Indian pharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited—was authorized for emergency use in India amid a surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Texas Children's Hospital says the new vaccine is at least 90% effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and 80% or more effective against its Delta variant.
"We're not trying to make money," Peter Hotez, who led the Texas Children's Hospital team, told The Washington Post. "We just want to see people get vaccinated."....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/1/1/2072178/-ALERT-Patent-free-COVID-vacci...
74margd
Billionaire Mark Cuban Opens Online Pharmacy To Provide Affordable Generic Drugs
Lisa Kim | Jan 20, 2022
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban launched an online pharmacy Thursday that offers more than 100 generic drugs at an affordable price with a goal of being “radically transparent” in its price negotiations with drug companies.
Key Facts
The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company (MCCPDC) is a registered pharmaceutical wholesaler and purchases drugs directly from manufacturers, bypassing middlemen to lower the price of more than 100 medications, it said in a statement.
For example, the leukemia drug imatinib is priced at $47 a month on MCCPDC compared to the $9,657 retail price.
The online pharmacy’s prices for generics factor in a 15% margin on top of actual manufacturer prices and a $3 pharmacist fee, the statement said.
The markup on generics average “at least” 100%, the MCCPDC said, while the Wall Street Journal reports in some cases it exceeds 1,000%.
The company doesn’t process insurance claims and requires customers to pay for their medications out of pocket, noting its drugs cost less than most insurance plans’ deductible and copay requirements.
Customers have to request a new prescription from their provider to place an order for medications on the MCCPDC website...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2022/01/20/billionaire-mark-cuban-opens-onl...
Lisa Kim | Jan 20, 2022
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban launched an online pharmacy Thursday that offers more than 100 generic drugs at an affordable price with a goal of being “radically transparent” in its price negotiations with drug companies.
Key Facts
The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company (MCCPDC) is a registered pharmaceutical wholesaler and purchases drugs directly from manufacturers, bypassing middlemen to lower the price of more than 100 medications, it said in a statement.
For example, the leukemia drug imatinib is priced at $47 a month on MCCPDC compared to the $9,657 retail price.
The online pharmacy’s prices for generics factor in a 15% margin on top of actual manufacturer prices and a $3 pharmacist fee, the statement said.
The markup on generics average “at least” 100%, the MCCPDC said, while the Wall Street Journal reports in some cases it exceeds 1,000%.
The company doesn’t process insurance claims and requires customers to pay for their medications out of pocket, noting its drugs cost less than most insurance plans’ deductible and copay requirements.
Customers have to request a new prescription from their provider to place an order for medications on the MCCPDC website...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2022/01/20/billionaire-mark-cuban-opens-onl...
75margd
Mark Cuban’s Online Pharmacy Projected To Disrupt The Prescription Drug Market, But There Are A Few Caveats (Update)
Joshua Cohen | Feb 3, 2022
...First, MCCPDC only applies to generics...
...Second, there are several limitations regarding the online pharmacy’s scope. As of now, the number of products offered – 100 – is comparatively small. More importantly, Cuban’s company does not accept prescription insurance...
...MCCPDC also doesn’t tackle the much larger problem of traditional pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) dominance. Three PBMs – CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum Rx - control over 80% of the market...
...Billionaire Mark Cuban is to be commended for tackling the lack of transparency...
Moreover, by offering improved access to certain lifesaving drugs that patients depend on, MCCDPC is providing a valuable service...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2022/02/03/mark-cubans-online-pharmacy-...
Joshua Cohen | Feb 3, 2022
...First, MCCPDC only applies to generics...
...Second, there are several limitations regarding the online pharmacy’s scope. As of now, the number of products offered – 100 – is comparatively small. More importantly, Cuban’s company does not accept prescription insurance...
...MCCPDC also doesn’t tackle the much larger problem of traditional pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) dominance. Three PBMs – CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum Rx - control over 80% of the market...
...Billionaire Mark Cuban is to be commended for tackling the lack of transparency...
Moreover, by offering improved access to certain lifesaving drugs that patients depend on, MCCDPC is providing a valuable service...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2022/02/03/mark-cubans-online-pharmacy-...
76margd
Vincent Rajkumar (Mayo Clinic) @VincentRK | 7:25 PM · Feb 18, 2022:
What do you pay for your meds in the US? I checked commonly used med prices on @GoodRx. Prices vary a lot!
@Lisa_L_Gill did this analysis a few years ago.
I added @costplusdrug @mcuba to the list.
Table-drugs, costs, outlets ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1494830347648999425/photo/1 )
What do you pay for your meds in the US? I checked commonly used med prices on @GoodRx. Prices vary a lot!
@Lisa_L_Gill did this analysis a few years ago.
I added @costplusdrug @mcuba to the list.
Table-drugs, costs, outlets ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1494830347648999425/photo/1 )
77margd
President Biden @POTUS | 9:36 PM · Mar 1, 2022
United States government official
Let’s cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month so every family can afford it.
United States government official
Let’s cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month so every family can afford it.
78margd
Nonprofit co-founded by Mayo Clinic announces plan to manufacture affordable insulin
Heather Carlson Kehren | March 3, 2022
Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic drug company, announced plans on Thursday, March 3, to manufacture and distribute affordable insulin. Mayo Clinic joined a coalition of seven hospitals to launch Civica Rx in 2018. The goal was to help patients by addressing supply shortages and high prices for medications.
The availability of affordable insulin will benefit people with diabetes who have been forced to choose between life-sustaining medications and living expenses, particularly those uninsured and underinsured, as they often pay the most out of pocket for their medications. Civica plans to set a recommended price to the consumer of no more than $30 per vial and no more than $55 for a box of five pen cartridges. This is a significant discount to the prices people who are uninsured pay today...
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/nonprofit-co-founded-by-mayo-clini...
Heather Carlson Kehren | March 3, 2022
Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic drug company, announced plans on Thursday, March 3, to manufacture and distribute affordable insulin. Mayo Clinic joined a coalition of seven hospitals to launch Civica Rx in 2018. The goal was to help patients by addressing supply shortages and high prices for medications.
The availability of affordable insulin will benefit people with diabetes who have been forced to choose between life-sustaining medications and living expenses, particularly those uninsured and underinsured, as they often pay the most out of pocket for their medications. Civica plans to set a recommended price to the consumer of no more than $30 per vial and no more than $55 for a box of five pen cartridges. This is a significant discount to the prices people who are uninsured pay today...
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/nonprofit-co-founded-by-mayo-clini...
79margd
House Passes Bill to Limit Cost of Insulin to $35 a Month
Margot Sanger-Katz | March 31, 2022
WASHINGTON — A bill to limit the cost of insulin to $35 a month for most Americans who depend on it passed the House on Thursday, raising Democrats’ hopes that the party could take at least one step toward fulfilling its promise of lowering drug costs.
The bill attracted unanimous support from Democrats who voted, as well as from 12 Republicans, making it a rare piece of bipartisan policy legislation.
To become law, the bill will need to attract at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. Some lawmakers involved in the effort have expressed optimism that such a coalition might be possible, but few Republican senators have publicly endorsed the bill yet. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, has been working with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, on a broader bill related to insulin prices...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/health/insulin-price-house-bill-democrats.htm...
Margot Sanger-Katz | March 31, 2022
WASHINGTON — A bill to limit the cost of insulin to $35 a month for most Americans who depend on it passed the House on Thursday, raising Democrats’ hopes that the party could take at least one step toward fulfilling its promise of lowering drug costs.
The bill attracted unanimous support from Democrats who voted, as well as from 12 Republicans, making it a rare piece of bipartisan policy legislation.
To become law, the bill will need to attract at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. Some lawmakers involved in the effort have expressed optimism that such a coalition might be possible, but few Republican senators have publicly endorsed the bill yet. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, has been working with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, on a broader bill related to insulin prices...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/health/insulin-price-house-bill-democrats.htm...
80margd
Rich companies are using a quiet tactic to block lawsuits: bankruptcy
Brian Mann | April 2, 20227:00 AM ET
...Johnson & Johnson, which is headquartered in New Jersey, is valued at more than $400 billion. But in October 2021, the company used a controversial legal maneuver in bankruptcy court to freeze ... some 38,000 lawsuits claiming that trace amounts of asbestos contamination in Johnson's baby powder caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma...
...Here's how the maneuver worked. First, last October, J&J spun off a subsidiary in Texas called LTL.
Then, using a wrinkle in Texas state law, J&J was able to transfer all of the potential liability linked to the tsunami of baby powder asbestos claims into the shell of the new company, while keeping valuable assets separate.
LTL then quickly filed for bankruptcy in North Carolina. That move immediately halted the baby powder cases, which could remain on hold for months or years.
...Lindsey Simon, who teaches bankruptcy law at the University of Georgia...was one of the first to raise alarm about the practice in a legal paper called "Bankruptcy Grifters" that was widely circulated before being published this month in the Yale Law Journal.*
"These 'bankruptcy grifters' act as parasites," Simon wrote. They get many of the benefits of actual bankruptcy while experiencing "only a fraction of the associated burdens."
These bankruptcy maneuvers have quietly reshaped some of the most important legal cases of recent years.
Members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma aren't themselves bankrupt. But they're expected to piggyback on the bankruptcy of their insolvent drug company.
Under terms of the deal, they would pay roughly $6 billion in exchange for sweeping protections from lawsuits that accused them of marketing OxyContin in ways that fueled the opioid epidemic.
Critics say that payment, while substantial, doesn't achieve the kind of justice and accountability that many victims of OxyContin hoped for...
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/02/1082871843/rich-companies-are-using-a-quiet-tacti...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lindsey D. Simon. 2022. Bankruptcy Grifters. The Yale Law Journal. VOLUME 131 2021-2022, NUMBER 4. February 2022.
1062-1384. https://www.yalelawjournal.org/article/bankruptcy-grifters
Abstract.
Grifters take advantage of situations, latching on to others for benefits they do not deserve. Bankruptcy has many desirable benefits, especially for mass-tort defendants. Bankruptcy provides a centralized proceeding for resolving claims and a forum of last resort for many companies to aggregate and resolve mass-tort liability. For the debtor-defendant, this makes sense. A bankruptcy court’s tremendous power represents a well-considered balance between debtors who have a limited amount of money and many claimants seeking payment.
But courts have also allowed the Bankruptcy Code’s mechanisms to be used by solvent, nondebtor companies and individuals facing mass-litigation exposure. These “bankruptcy grifters” act as parasites, receiving many of the substantive and procedural benefits of a host bankruptcy, but incurring only a fraction of the associated burdens. In exchange for the protections of bankruptcy, a debtor incurs the reputational cost and substantial scrutiny mandated by the bankruptcy process. Bankruptcy grifters do not. This dynamic has become evident in a number of recent, high-profile bankruptcies filed in the wake of pending mass-tort litigation, such as the Purdue Pharma and USA Gymnastics suits.
This Article is the first to call attention to the growing prevalence of bankruptcy grifters in mass-tort cases. By charting the progression of nondebtor relief from asbestos and product-liability bankruptcies to cases arising out of the opioid epidemic and sex-abuse scandals, this Article explains how courts allowed piecemeal expansion to fundamentally change the scope of bankruptcy protections. This Article proposes specific procedural and substantive safeguards that would deter bankruptcy-grifter opportunism and increase transparency, thereby protecting victims as well as the bankruptcy process.
Brian Mann | April 2, 20227:00 AM ET
...Johnson & Johnson, which is headquartered in New Jersey, is valued at more than $400 billion. But in October 2021, the company used a controversial legal maneuver in bankruptcy court to freeze ... some 38,000 lawsuits claiming that trace amounts of asbestos contamination in Johnson's baby powder caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma...
...Here's how the maneuver worked. First, last October, J&J spun off a subsidiary in Texas called LTL.
Then, using a wrinkle in Texas state law, J&J was able to transfer all of the potential liability linked to the tsunami of baby powder asbestos claims into the shell of the new company, while keeping valuable assets separate.
LTL then quickly filed for bankruptcy in North Carolina. That move immediately halted the baby powder cases, which could remain on hold for months or years.
...Lindsey Simon, who teaches bankruptcy law at the University of Georgia...was one of the first to raise alarm about the practice in a legal paper called "Bankruptcy Grifters" that was widely circulated before being published this month in the Yale Law Journal.*
"These 'bankruptcy grifters' act as parasites," Simon wrote. They get many of the benefits of actual bankruptcy while experiencing "only a fraction of the associated burdens."
These bankruptcy maneuvers have quietly reshaped some of the most important legal cases of recent years.
Members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma aren't themselves bankrupt. But they're expected to piggyback on the bankruptcy of their insolvent drug company.
Under terms of the deal, they would pay roughly $6 billion in exchange for sweeping protections from lawsuits that accused them of marketing OxyContin in ways that fueled the opioid epidemic.
Critics say that payment, while substantial, doesn't achieve the kind of justice and accountability that many victims of OxyContin hoped for...
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/02/1082871843/rich-companies-are-using-a-quiet-tacti...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lindsey D. Simon. 2022. Bankruptcy Grifters. The Yale Law Journal. VOLUME 131 2021-2022, NUMBER 4. February 2022.
1062-1384. https://www.yalelawjournal.org/article/bankruptcy-grifters
Abstract.
Grifters take advantage of situations, latching on to others for benefits they do not deserve. Bankruptcy has many desirable benefits, especially for mass-tort defendants. Bankruptcy provides a centralized proceeding for resolving claims and a forum of last resort for many companies to aggregate and resolve mass-tort liability. For the debtor-defendant, this makes sense. A bankruptcy court’s tremendous power represents a well-considered balance between debtors who have a limited amount of money and many claimants seeking payment.
But courts have also allowed the Bankruptcy Code’s mechanisms to be used by solvent, nondebtor companies and individuals facing mass-litigation exposure. These “bankruptcy grifters” act as parasites, receiving many of the substantive and procedural benefits of a host bankruptcy, but incurring only a fraction of the associated burdens. In exchange for the protections of bankruptcy, a debtor incurs the reputational cost and substantial scrutiny mandated by the bankruptcy process. Bankruptcy grifters do not. This dynamic has become evident in a number of recent, high-profile bankruptcies filed in the wake of pending mass-tort litigation, such as the Purdue Pharma and USA Gymnastics suits.
This Article is the first to call attention to the growing prevalence of bankruptcy grifters in mass-tort cases. By charting the progression of nondebtor relief from asbestos and product-liability bankruptcies to cases arising out of the opioid epidemic and sex-abuse scandals, this Article explains how courts allowed piecemeal expansion to fundamentally change the scope of bankruptcy protections. This Article proposes specific procedural and substantive safeguards that would deter bankruptcy-grifter opportunism and increase transparency, thereby protecting victims as well as the bankruptcy process.
81margd
Vincent Rajkumar (Mayo) @VincentRK | 11:19 AM · Apr 10, 2022:
Prescription drug cost in the US can vary greatly based on which pharmacy you use. Sometimes paying cash may be cheaper than insurance copay. Always check.
We need more efforts like @costplusdrugs @mcuban
I updated a table @Lisa_L_Gill published a few years ago. 👇
Table drug costs per outlet ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1513174764994666498/photo/1 )
Prescription drug cost in the US can vary greatly based on which pharmacy you use. Sometimes paying cash may be cheaper than insurance copay. Always check.
We need more efforts like @costplusdrugs @mcuban
I updated a table @Lisa_L_Gill published a few years ago. 👇
Table drug costs per outlet ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1513174764994666498/photo/1 )
82margd
So grateful for meds that control my son's seizures, but they are not without significant side-effects, and so, expensive new drugs, if safer, would be serious enticement... Individual's response can even vary with different generics...
Cost of brand-name epilepsy drugs increased by 277% over 8 years
Kara Gavin | June 21, 2022
The American Academy of Neurology
...he cost of all brand-name drugs for epilepsy paid by the Medicare system increased by 277% from 2010 to 2018...
During that same time, the amount that Medicare paid for generic drugs for epilepsy decreased by 42%...
Brand-name drugs made up 79% of total epilepsy drug costs, even though they made up only 14% of pills prescribed for the condition to Medicare participants.
“The costs for brand-name antiseizure medications have consistently increased since 2010, particularly boosted by increased prescriptions for the drug lacosamide in addition to a steep increase in the cost per pill, with brand-name drugs costing 10 times more than their generic counterparts. The really interesting thing is that total brand name costs decreased from 2008 to 2010 as on key player (Keppra) became generic (levetiracetam), but then shot back up after 2010 as brand name drugs became more expensive per pill and a new brand-only drug (lacosamide, sold as Vimpat (patent expires in March 20222) ) entered the market erasing the initial cost gains,” said lead author Samuel Waller Terman, M.D., M.S., of the Michigan Medicine Department of Neurology.
...The cost of brand-name drugs to treat each patient’s seizures rose from $2,800 per year in 2008 to $10,700 per year in 2018, while the cost of generic drugs decreased from $800 per year to $460 per year during that time.
...Many new drugs for epilepsy have been introduced in the last several decades. Doctors must tailor the drug selection to the individual, and there is no single best drug. Many drugs for epilepsy can have interactions with other drugs as well as side effects such as cognitive problems...
Paper cited: “Changes in the Use of Brand Name and Generic Medications and Total Prescription Cost Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Epilepsy,” Neurology. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200779
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/industry-dx/cost-of-brand-name-epilepsy-drugs-inc...
Cost of brand-name epilepsy drugs increased by 277% over 8 years
Kara Gavin | June 21, 2022
The American Academy of Neurology
...he cost of all brand-name drugs for epilepsy paid by the Medicare system increased by 277% from 2010 to 2018...
During that same time, the amount that Medicare paid for generic drugs for epilepsy decreased by 42%...
Brand-name drugs made up 79% of total epilepsy drug costs, even though they made up only 14% of pills prescribed for the condition to Medicare participants.
“The costs for brand-name antiseizure medications have consistently increased since 2010, particularly boosted by increased prescriptions for the drug lacosamide in addition to a steep increase in the cost per pill, with brand-name drugs costing 10 times more than their generic counterparts. The really interesting thing is that total brand name costs decreased from 2008 to 2010 as on key player (Keppra) became generic (levetiracetam), but then shot back up after 2010 as brand name drugs became more expensive per pill and a new brand-only drug (lacosamide, sold as Vimpat (patent expires in March 20222) ) entered the market erasing the initial cost gains,” said lead author Samuel Waller Terman, M.D., M.S., of the Michigan Medicine Department of Neurology.
...The cost of brand-name drugs to treat each patient’s seizures rose from $2,800 per year in 2008 to $10,700 per year in 2018, while the cost of generic drugs decreased from $800 per year to $460 per year during that time.
...Many new drugs for epilepsy have been introduced in the last several decades. Doctors must tailor the drug selection to the individual, and there is no single best drug. Many drugs for epilepsy can have interactions with other drugs as well as side effects such as cognitive problems...
Paper cited: “Changes in the Use of Brand Name and Generic Medications and Total Prescription Cost Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Epilepsy,” Neurology. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200779
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/industry-dx/cost-of-brand-name-epilepsy-drugs-inc...
83lriley
>82 margd: The lenalidomide (Revlimid) I take for multiple myeloma would cost me between $250 and $300 K a year if it were all out of pocket. If that were the case it would deplete savings, home and other assets in pretty short order. I don't personally have any complaints against our health insurance provider because we've paid our premiums for some years and since I got this they have pretty much covered everything including travel, hotels, food whether take out or grocery. I don't think I'm more than a couple hundred out of pocket in the 20 months or so I've been doing this.
That said a large % of our population either cannot afford to be insured or have much shakier coverage than I've been lucky to have. People should not be left out in the cold to be bankrupted because they've gotten sick or been injured badly. Begging for money on Go fund me because they can't afford that $500 or higher surprise. We would be so much better off as a society and a nation if we had a national health care program that would take these worries away from everyone......and I really don't understand all the poorer conservatives and right wingers who don't have a pot to piss in or the proverbial window to throw it out---who'd rather lose what little they have because they think they're fighting this battle against socialism when all they're really doing is making wealthy people/entities richer off their own misery. There has long been this counter intuitiveness on the right--it shows up in workers rights all the time as in anti-living wage battles or anti-union horseshit.
That said a large % of our population either cannot afford to be insured or have much shakier coverage than I've been lucky to have. People should not be left out in the cold to be bankrupted because they've gotten sick or been injured badly. Begging for money on Go fund me because they can't afford that $500 or higher surprise. We would be so much better off as a society and a nation if we had a national health care program that would take these worries away from everyone......and I really don't understand all the poorer conservatives and right wingers who don't have a pot to piss in or the proverbial window to throw it out---who'd rather lose what little they have because they think they're fighting this battle against socialism when all they're really doing is making wealthy people/entities richer off their own misery. There has long been this counter intuitiveness on the right--it shows up in workers rights all the time as in anti-living wage battles or anti-union horseshit.
84margd
Medicare Part D Spending on Top Brand Name Drugs Greatly Exceeds the Costs Associated with Drug Development
Leigh Purvis | May 10, 2022
...On average, total Part D spending on the top 10 drugs over the five-year period (2016-2020) was more than five times higher than the average cost to develop a new drug...
https://blog.aarp.org/thinking-policy/medicare-part-d-spending-on-top-brand-name...
Leigh Purvis | May 10, 2022
...On average, total Part D spending on the top 10 drugs over the five-year period (2016-2020) was more than five times higher than the average cost to develop a new drug...
https://blog.aarp.org/thinking-policy/medicare-part-d-spending-on-top-brand-name...
85margd
Pharma group leader says Dems who vote for reconciliation bill 'won't get a free pass'
Megan R. Wilson | 08/04/2022
...(Steve) Ubl’s group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, and its 31 board members sent a letter to every member of Congress on Thursday afternoon, urging them to vote against the package.
PhRMA, not accustomed to losing legislative fights, has waged a multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign against the drug pricing measures, and is crafting contingency plans if they fail. In addition to hinting at running campaign ads against Democrats in tough races this fall, the industry is assessing its legal options and pondering future regulatory or legislative fixes.
...Thursday’s letter largely reiterates arguments the industry has made throughout the process, with the executives from companies including Pfizer and Merck saying that passing the legislation would lead to fewer treatments and cures — particularly for tough illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease that can be difficult and costly to develop.
...The stakes are high for the drug industry: allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of high-price drugs is expected to save the federal government more than $100 billion. ...
PhRMA has spent millions of dollars lobbying on Democrats’ drug pricing reform measures over the past two years, and millions more on TV and digital advertisements trying to sway public opinion. In the first six months of 2022, the group’s overall lobbying operation spent more than $14.4 million...
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/04/head-of-top-pharma-group-says-dems-who-...
Megan R. Wilson | 08/04/2022
...(Steve) Ubl’s group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, and its 31 board members sent a letter to every member of Congress on Thursday afternoon, urging them to vote against the package.
PhRMA, not accustomed to losing legislative fights, has waged a multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign against the drug pricing measures, and is crafting contingency plans if they fail. In addition to hinting at running campaign ads against Democrats in tough races this fall, the industry is assessing its legal options and pondering future regulatory or legislative fixes.
...Thursday’s letter largely reiterates arguments the industry has made throughout the process, with the executives from companies including Pfizer and Merck saying that passing the legislation would lead to fewer treatments and cures — particularly for tough illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease that can be difficult and costly to develop.
...The stakes are high for the drug industry: allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of high-price drugs is expected to save the federal government more than $100 billion. ...
PhRMA has spent millions of dollars lobbying on Democrats’ drug pricing reform measures over the past two years, and millions more on TV and digital advertisements trying to sway public opinion. In the first six months of 2022, the group’s overall lobbying operation spent more than $14.4 million...
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/04/head-of-top-pharma-group-says-dems-who-...
86margd
Keith Boykin @keithboykin | 10:52 AM · Aug 7, 2022:
Author • Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America
Senate fails to get 60 votes to include insulin cap in Inflation Reduction Act. It will now be removed from the bill. All 50 Democrats voted for inclusion along with 7 Republicans (Cassidy, Collins, Hawley, Hyde-Smith, Kennedy, Murkowski, Sullivan).
(0:19) C-Span ( https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1556292192448045056 )
My take is that McConnell (sitting in the front row during the entire vote) knew he already the votes to kill the insulin cap, so he allowed a few Republicans to vote in the affirmative so Democrats couldn’t say all Republicans were against it.
_____________________________________________
GOP partially strips out insulin cap from Dems’ climate, tax and health care bill
Marianne LeVine, Burgess Everett, Jordain Carney and Caitlin Emma | 08/07/2022
Republicans successfully challenged Democrats’ proposed price cap on insulin for private insurers, the GOP’s only victory during the “vote-a-rama” as it hit the 12-hour mark.
...Though the GOP effectively stripped out a $35 monthly cap on insulin prices in the private market, Democrats’ goal to lower insulin prices for Medicare is now expected to become law....
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/07/democrats-senate-reconciliation-voteara...
Author • Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America
Senate fails to get 60 votes to include insulin cap in Inflation Reduction Act. It will now be removed from the bill. All 50 Democrats voted for inclusion along with 7 Republicans (Cassidy, Collins, Hawley, Hyde-Smith, Kennedy, Murkowski, Sullivan).
(0:19) C-Span ( https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1556292192448045056 )
My take is that McConnell (sitting in the front row during the entire vote) knew he already the votes to kill the insulin cap, so he allowed a few Republicans to vote in the affirmative so Democrats couldn’t say all Republicans were against it.
_____________________________________________
GOP partially strips out insulin cap from Dems’ climate, tax and health care bill
Marianne LeVine, Burgess Everett, Jordain Carney and Caitlin Emma | 08/07/2022
Republicans successfully challenged Democrats’ proposed price cap on insulin for private insurers, the GOP’s only victory during the “vote-a-rama” as it hit the 12-hour mark.
...Though the GOP effectively stripped out a $35 monthly cap on insulin prices in the private market, Democrats’ goal to lower insulin prices for Medicare is now expected to become law....
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/07/democrats-senate-reconciliation-voteara...
87jjwilson61
I don't understand this. The Democrats just need 50 votes to pass the bill because of reconciliation, but the republicans can add an amendment and the Democrats need 60 votes to kill it? How can any part of the bill survive the amendment process then?
88terriks
>87 jjwilson61: It's confusing, but the Senate parliamentarian did let them know in advance that she stripped the insulin cap from the reconciliation bill. From what I've read, they left it in anyway, giving them a chance to vote override her, and be able to add it back.
Most of the R's took advantage of this ruling to kill whatever they can in the bill. However, there were several R's who voted to keep it in. We'll see what happens, but hopefully there will be enough pushback and public outrage that it can be brought up later.
Most of the R's took advantage of this ruling to kill whatever they can in the bill. However, there were several R's who voted to keep it in. We'll see what happens, but hopefully there will be enough pushback and public outrage that it can be brought up later.
89margd
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 8:52 AM · Aug 10, 2022
(Mayo Clinic) Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Giants of Cancer Care Award; Myeloma; Cancer Research...
Once Medicare can negotiate, how much would I cut the list price of Top 10 drugs that Medicare spends a lot of money on?
90%.
Even if you slash prices by 90%, these drugs will still be far more expensive than in India (for same drug or generic).
Table. Medicare's top 10 drugs & expenditures
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557349076034895872/photo/1
______________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 8:55 AM · Aug 10, 2022
Forget India.
Take Europe. For #1 drug on the list Eliquis look at cost difference below. You could cut the price by half and the drug will still be twice as expensive in the US. Why Medicare should negotiate. https://statista.com/statistics/1134380/eliquis-list-price-by-country-per-dose/
Bar graph. Eliquis cost in Europe & Canada
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557349816795111432/photo/1
________________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 8:57 AM · Aug 10, 2022:
What about Revlimid the #2 drug we spend the most money on?
Well it’s about $18,000 a month in the US. $115 in India and you choose from ~18 generics.
But it’s not just India. See below.
https://statista.com/statistics/1237801/us-revlimid-price-comparison-with-other-...
Table. Revlimid price in US, Australia, Canada
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557350333470461954/photo/1
_________________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 9:02 AM · Aug 10, 2022
Need I talk about insulin? Two of the drugs on the list are insulins. Lists 10 times more in the US than other countries. The Senate bill caps the price to $35 for Medicare. But the proposal to do the same for private insurance was blocked. #Insulin4All https://rand.org/blog/rand-review/2021/01/the-astronomical-price-of-insulin-hurt...
Bar graph--Price vial insulin US and 6 developed countries
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557351716865155080/photo/1
So am I glad Medicare can now negotiate. Yes.
We are starting slow. Starting 2026, 10 drugs that have been on the market for a long time and cost Medicare a lot. And then add 15-20 each year.
Other developed countries do it at launch for all new drugs.
Medicare negotiation is important for many reasons. It will help the public get affordable meds.
It doesn’t matter how good your drug is if it is not affordable.
So when you hear Pharma protest that Medicare negotiation will hurt innovation they mean it will hurt profits.
If you can make a lot of $$ as long as your drugs squeaks past the competition & that’s the bar you have to cross, it’s easy to see why negotiation will cause concern.
It’s not only important to negotiate prices once. Then they can increase the price year after year like they have done so far. This phenomenon is unique to the US.
So I welcome capping price increases that is part of the new bill.
___________________________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 10:47 AM · Aug 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1555203655791509513
Cost of one year supply of new prescription drugs in USA (median):
$2115 in 2008
$180,000 in 2018
Shocked? Read on.
1/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prices of new drugs have soared. Will legislation be able to stop it?
The launch prices of new drugs rose, on average, by 11 percent every year from 2008 through 2021, researchers found (JAMA).
Kaitlin Sullivan | June 7, 2022
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna32138
Benjamin N. Rom et al. 2022. Trends in Prescription Drug Launch Prices, 2008-2021 (Research Letter). JAMA. 7 June 2022;327(21):2145-2147. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.5542 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2792986
Prescription drug spending in the US exceeded half a trillion dollars in 2020.1 Spending is driven by high-cost brand-name drugs, for which manufacturers freely set prices after approval. Rising brand-name drug prices often translate to payers restricting access, raising premiums, or imposing unaffordable out-of-pocket costs for patients. We evaluated recent trends in prices for newly marketed brand-name drugs.
(Mayo Clinic) Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Giants of Cancer Care Award; Myeloma; Cancer Research...
Once Medicare can negotiate, how much would I cut the list price of Top 10 drugs that Medicare spends a lot of money on?
90%.
Even if you slash prices by 90%, these drugs will still be far more expensive than in India (for same drug or generic).
Table. Medicare's top 10 drugs & expenditures
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557349076034895872/photo/1
______________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 8:55 AM · Aug 10, 2022
Forget India.
Take Europe. For #1 drug on the list Eliquis look at cost difference below. You could cut the price by half and the drug will still be twice as expensive in the US. Why Medicare should negotiate. https://statista.com/statistics/1134380/eliquis-list-price-by-country-per-dose/
Bar graph. Eliquis cost in Europe & Canada
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557349816795111432/photo/1
________________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 8:57 AM · Aug 10, 2022:
What about Revlimid the #2 drug we spend the most money on?
Well it’s about $18,000 a month in the US. $115 in India and you choose from ~18 generics.
But it’s not just India. See below.
https://statista.com/statistics/1237801/us-revlimid-price-comparison-with-other-...
Table. Revlimid price in US, Australia, Canada
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557350333470461954/photo/1
_________________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 9:02 AM · Aug 10, 2022
Need I talk about insulin? Two of the drugs on the list are insulins. Lists 10 times more in the US than other countries. The Senate bill caps the price to $35 for Medicare. But the proposal to do the same for private insurance was blocked. #Insulin4All https://rand.org/blog/rand-review/2021/01/the-astronomical-price-of-insulin-hurt...
Bar graph--Price vial insulin US and 6 developed countries
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1557351716865155080/photo/1
So am I glad Medicare can now negotiate. Yes.
We are starting slow. Starting 2026, 10 drugs that have been on the market for a long time and cost Medicare a lot. And then add 15-20 each year.
Other developed countries do it at launch for all new drugs.
Medicare negotiation is important for many reasons. It will help the public get affordable meds.
It doesn’t matter how good your drug is if it is not affordable.
So when you hear Pharma protest that Medicare negotiation will hurt innovation they mean it will hurt profits.
If you can make a lot of $$ as long as your drugs squeaks past the competition & that’s the bar you have to cross, it’s easy to see why negotiation will cause concern.
It’s not only important to negotiate prices once. Then they can increase the price year after year like they have done so far. This phenomenon is unique to the US.
So I welcome capping price increases that is part of the new bill.
___________________________________________________
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 10:47 AM · Aug 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1555203655791509513
Cost of one year supply of new prescription drugs in USA (median):
$2115 in 2008
$180,000 in 2018
Shocked? Read on.
1/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prices of new drugs have soared. Will legislation be able to stop it?
The launch prices of new drugs rose, on average, by 11 percent every year from 2008 through 2021, researchers found (JAMA).
Kaitlin Sullivan | June 7, 2022
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna32138
Benjamin N. Rom et al. 2022. Trends in Prescription Drug Launch Prices, 2008-2021 (Research Letter). JAMA. 7 June 2022;327(21):2145-2147. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.5542 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2792986
Prescription drug spending in the US exceeded half a trillion dollars in 2020.1 Spending is driven by high-cost brand-name drugs, for which manufacturers freely set prices after approval. Rising brand-name drug prices often translate to payers restricting access, raising premiums, or imposing unaffordable out-of-pocket costs for patients. We evaluated recent trends in prices for newly marketed brand-name drugs.
902wonderY
I’m suspicious when Pfizer is on social media promoting the Pasteur Act.
Here is the draft text:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3932
2nd paragraph:
A manufacturer of a Food and Drug Administration-approved antimicrobial drug may apply to HHS to have the drug designated as a critical-need antimicrobial, and HHS may enter into a subscription contract for such a critical-need antimicrobial. The bill imposes certain requirements related to such contracts, including a mechanism to lower payments under the contract in certain instances to limit the manufacturer's revenue from the drug.
Here is the draft text:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3932
2nd paragraph:
A manufacturer of a Food and Drug Administration-approved antimicrobial drug may apply to HHS to have the drug designated as a critical-need antimicrobial, and HHS may enter into a subscription contract for such a critical-need antimicrobial. The bill imposes certain requirements related to such contracts, including a mechanism to lower payments under the contract in certain instances to limit the manufacturer's revenue from the drug.
91margd
Eric Feigl-Ding (epidemiologist economist) @DrEricDing | 4:47 PM · Oct 14, 2023:
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1713295464580157674
⚠️Corrupt “SUE TO DELAY” big pharma shenanigan—➡️ Life saving cancer medicine lenalidomide (Revlimid) costs $720 per generic pill💊 in 🇺🇸. In 🇨🇦, same pill = $10. In Finland 🇫🇮, same pill = 2.5 Euros ($2.63)!!! Despite there being a generic drug, the brand maker Celgene sued to cap generic sales low until 2026–a corrupt pharma practice known as “sue to delay” deal. Meantime, until then, generic & brand drug makers collude and profit share to keep the drug price extremely high. Ever since lenalidomide generics emerged 13 years ago, there’s been plenty of lawsuits & back room collusion deals about it to keep prices inflated. Meanwhile, cancer patients suffer and die from delayed care from it. As a former childhood survivor of a life threatening tumor, this shit disgusts me, and I vow to go after this shit until the day I die. #BigPharma HT @VincentRK
Photo Revlimid ( https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1713295464580157674/photo/1 )
2) These corrupt pharma shenanigans of “sue to delay” price collision are well documented in many lawsuits. Here is one example:
'Monopoly' allowed Bristol Myers and generics makers to 'steal' from Revlimid purchasers, lawsuit says
Kevin Dunleavy | Nov 22, 2022
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/new-antitrust-lawsuit-says-monoploy-allowed-...
3) So we did the math. Medicare alone spends ***$5 billion*** on Revlimid each year. US could buy all of it for $20-$100 million (Finland/Canada prices)—saving $5 billion. Every year!! From just this one cancer drug alone!!! But instead, we cut food stamps & kids healthcare. 🔥
Thanks @VincentRK*
Table Medicare Part D Top 10 spend 2019 ( https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1713298767078654022/photo/1 )
------------------------------------------------------
* Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK
Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Myeloma and Cancer Research
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1713295464580157674
⚠️Corrupt “SUE TO DELAY” big pharma shenanigan—➡️ Life saving cancer medicine lenalidomide (Revlimid) costs $720 per generic pill💊 in 🇺🇸. In 🇨🇦, same pill = $10. In Finland 🇫🇮, same pill = 2.5 Euros ($2.63)!!! Despite there being a generic drug, the brand maker Celgene sued to cap generic sales low until 2026–a corrupt pharma practice known as “sue to delay” deal. Meantime, until then, generic & brand drug makers collude and profit share to keep the drug price extremely high. Ever since lenalidomide generics emerged 13 years ago, there’s been plenty of lawsuits & back room collusion deals about it to keep prices inflated. Meanwhile, cancer patients suffer and die from delayed care from it. As a former childhood survivor of a life threatening tumor, this shit disgusts me, and I vow to go after this shit until the day I die. #BigPharma HT @VincentRK
Photo Revlimid ( https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1713295464580157674/photo/1 )
2) These corrupt pharma shenanigans of “sue to delay” price collision are well documented in many lawsuits. Here is one example:
'Monopoly' allowed Bristol Myers and generics makers to 'steal' from Revlimid purchasers, lawsuit says
Kevin Dunleavy | Nov 22, 2022
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/new-antitrust-lawsuit-says-monoploy-allowed-...
3) So we did the math. Medicare alone spends ***$5 billion*** on Revlimid each year. US could buy all of it for $20-$100 million (Finland/Canada prices)—saving $5 billion. Every year!! From just this one cancer drug alone!!! But instead, we cut food stamps & kids healthcare. 🔥
Thanks @VincentRK*
Table Medicare Part D Top 10 spend 2019 ( https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1713298767078654022/photo/1 )
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* Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK
Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Myeloma and Cancer Research
92margd
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 9:11 AM · Oct 13, 2023:
Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Myeloma and Cancer Research
Slide I showed at #IMS23 {2023 International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting} that got people’s attention.
Myeloma treatment costs. #MedTwitter
Table myeloma treatment costs US v other countries ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1712818259135799717/photo/1 )
Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Myeloma and Cancer Research
Slide I showed at #IMS23 {2023 International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting} that got people’s attention.
Myeloma treatment costs. #MedTwitter
Table myeloma treatment costs US v other countries ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1712818259135799717/photo/1 )
93margd
...House Republicans have introduced legislation to repeal the $35/month cap on insulin that Democrats passed for seniors on Medicare...
- Pete Aguilar {Congressman, #3 D in House} @PeteAguilar | 6:30 PM · Feb 13, 2023
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caring 💙🇺🇸🌈✌🏻 @caringguy1957
The Senate won't even take it to the floor
margd: 2024 election ads write themselves
- Pete Aguilar {Congressman, #3 D in House} @PeteAguilar | 6:30 PM · Feb 13, 2023
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caring 💙🇺🇸🌈✌🏻 @caringguy1957
The Senate won't even take it to the floor
margd: 2024 election ads write themselves
94margd
Senator floats new models to manage costs of weight loss drugs like Ozempic
Sarah Owermohle | Nov. 9, 2023
...The explosive national demand for weight management therapies and diabetes drugs like Ozempic — all of which are indicated for indefinite use — has become central in an ongoing policy debate over high drug costs and controversial tactics to manage them, including President Biden’s plan to let the government negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies. Seventy percent of Americans could qualify for these medicines.
...(Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)) and various economists have warned that it is simply not cost-effective for federal health programs and commercial insurers to pay for lifelong use of weight loss therapies. Ozempic costs about $11,000 a year, while Wegovy’s list price is roughly $16,000. Eli Lilly will sell Zepbound, the latest obesity therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, at a list price of $1,059.87 per month...
https://www.statnews.com/2023/11/09/weight-loss-drugs-ozempic-costs/
Sarah Owermohle | Nov. 9, 2023
...The explosive national demand for weight management therapies and diabetes drugs like Ozempic — all of which are indicated for indefinite use — has become central in an ongoing policy debate over high drug costs and controversial tactics to manage them, including President Biden’s plan to let the government negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies. Seventy percent of Americans could qualify for these medicines.
...(Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)) and various economists have warned that it is simply not cost-effective for federal health programs and commercial insurers to pay for lifelong use of weight loss therapies. Ozempic costs about $11,000 a year, while Wegovy’s list price is roughly $16,000. Eli Lilly will sell Zepbound, the latest obesity therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, at a list price of $1,059.87 per month...
https://www.statnews.com/2023/11/09/weight-loss-drugs-ozempic-costs/
95bnielsen
>94 margd: Ah, it works because the price leaves you few if any money to buy food? (Novo Nordisk is a Danish company, so I'm biased :-)
96margd
>95 bnielsen: Not cheap, that's for sure! At least here in the US, unless one has diabetes and insurance pays. A Cdn cousin takes it for diabetes, and it has helped her keep the weight off, though many tries and failures previous. Made dinner for them this summer--Chinese hotpot so she could choose foods compatible with her latest diet--and she nibbled politely. Food loses its compulsion, she said.
These drugs have scientists taking closer look at GLP-1 role in obesity epidemic. Made hulled-barley pilaf the other night--need to repeat the experiment but it does seem to keep one feeling full!
{GLP-1. Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a 30- or 31-amino-acid-long peptide hormone deriving from the tissue-specific posttranslational processing of the proglucagon peptide. It is produced and secreted by intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells and certain neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem upon food consumption. Wikipedia}
These drugs have scientists taking closer look at GLP-1 role in obesity epidemic. Made hulled-barley pilaf the other night--need to repeat the experiment but it does seem to keep one feeling full!
{GLP-1. Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a 30- or 31-amino-acid-long peptide hormone deriving from the tissue-specific posttranslational processing of the proglucagon peptide. It is produced and secreted by intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells and certain neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem upon food consumption. Wikipedia}
97margd
Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK | 7:16 PM · Mar 5, 2024:
Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Oncologist; Cancer Research; {and longtime advocate of sane drug pricing}
One reason drug prices are high in America: PBMs*.
Here is @mcuban {Mark Cuban, Dunking on the pharma industry with @costplusdrugs.com, the lowest prices on meds anywhere} on PBMs.
1:38 ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1765169448305181007 )
From More Perfect Union
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* Pharmacy benefit management
In the United States, a pharmacy benefit manager is a third-party administrator of prescription drug programs for commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and state government employee plans. (Wikipedia)
Editor-in-Chief, Blood Cancer Journal; Oncologist; Cancer Research; {and longtime advocate of sane drug pricing}
One reason drug prices are high in America: PBMs*.
Here is @mcuban {Mark Cuban, Dunking on the pharma industry with @costplusdrugs.com, the lowest prices on meds anywhere} on PBMs.
1:38 ( https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1765169448305181007 )
From More Perfect Union
-----------------------------------------------
* Pharmacy benefit management
In the United States, a pharmacy benefit manager is a third-party administrator of prescription drug programs for commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and state government employee plans. (Wikipedia)
98margd
{Alabama} House committee approves $10.64 prescription tax, stirring major concerns
Staff | March 7, 2024
House Bill 238 would introduce a $10.64 tax on every prescription filled in the state...
...the legislation is set to affect all Alabamians with pharmacy benefit coverage, either through increased premiums or direct out-of-pocket expenses at the pharmacy. The proposed $10.64 levy on every prescription translates to an additional annual cost of approximately $275 per individual, or $1,100 for a typical family, escalating healthcare expenditures without addressing the underlying issue of high drug prices dictated by manufacturers...
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/03/07/house-committee-approves-10-64-prescriptio...
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...Proponents ... say The FAIR Meds Act, would ensure access to healthcare for patients, provide increased transparency in prescription drug pricing, enhance free market competition, and also give patients access to the pharmacy of their choice in Alabama.
...Robin Stone, executive director of the {Alliance of Alabama Healthcare Consumers}...“The Legislature should reject this proposal that increases costs on consumers while ignoring the real problem with skyrocketing prescriptions, which is the cost of drugs set by the manufacturers. HB238 will only encourage drug prices to go higher”...
“This legislation contains a camouflaged tax that would add $10.64 to every prescription dispensed in Alabama to any person who has pharmaceutical benefits,” he said. “That tax on prescriptions would be collected and re-distributed to pharmacies as a ‘dispensing fee.’ It will cost individuals an estimated $275 per person per year. A family of four would pay an additional $1,100 annually...The anticipated overall cost of this new tax is $800 million annually.”...
https://yellowhammernews.com/fair-meds-act-friend-or-foe-of-alabama-families/
Staff | March 7, 2024
House Bill 238 would introduce a $10.64 tax on every prescription filled in the state...
...the legislation is set to affect all Alabamians with pharmacy benefit coverage, either through increased premiums or direct out-of-pocket expenses at the pharmacy. The proposed $10.64 levy on every prescription translates to an additional annual cost of approximately $275 per individual, or $1,100 for a typical family, escalating healthcare expenditures without addressing the underlying issue of high drug prices dictated by manufacturers...
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/03/07/house-committee-approves-10-64-prescriptio...
------------------------------------------------
...Proponents ... say The FAIR Meds Act, would ensure access to healthcare for patients, provide increased transparency in prescription drug pricing, enhance free market competition, and also give patients access to the pharmacy of their choice in Alabama.
...Robin Stone, executive director of the {Alliance of Alabama Healthcare Consumers}...“The Legislature should reject this proposal that increases costs on consumers while ignoring the real problem with skyrocketing prescriptions, which is the cost of drugs set by the manufacturers. HB238 will only encourage drug prices to go higher”...
“This legislation contains a camouflaged tax that would add $10.64 to every prescription dispensed in Alabama to any person who has pharmaceutical benefits,” he said. “That tax on prescriptions would be collected and re-distributed to pharmacies as a ‘dispensing fee.’ It will cost individuals an estimated $275 per person per year. A family of four would pay an additional $1,100 annually...The anticipated overall cost of this new tax is $800 million annually.”...
https://yellowhammernews.com/fair-meds-act-friend-or-foe-of-alabama-families/
