Slow news week. ?
1. Debunked
- A new analysis published in JAMA undercuts one of pharma’s most misleading figures. All told, four studies and a handful of editorials in the influential journal’s special issue show there is plenty of room to reduce prices, maintain R&D, and provide a fair profit for these companies. — (BioPharma Dive)
2. Shareholders before R&D
- A ? new analysis from Axios shows Big Pharma used a tax windfall to juice executive and investor payoffs instead of investing in R&D or lowering drug prices. May the data help fuel reforms. — (Axios)
3. We want our money back, Mallinckrodt
- The Justice Department is suing Mallinckrodt, accusing it of defrauding Medicaid out of hundreds of millions of dollars in rebates for its blockbuster drug Acthar Gel. The drug has also cost Medicare billions and families in the epilepsy community have dealt with a 97,000 percent price spike since 2001. — (FiercePharma)
4. Guilty!
- A Novartis generics unit will pay a $195 million fine — the largest the DOJ has ever levied — in a federal antitrust suit. Oh, and as part of the resolution, the pharmaceutical corporation could share with the feds its dealings with co-conspirators. — (AP)
5. Attorneys take on drug prices
- In Texas, the Harris County Attorney filed a lawsuit accusing generic drug manufacturers of price fixing. Meanwhile, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed an amicus brief arguing for state regulation of pharmacy benefit managers. — (Houston Chronicle)