The Week in Review in Prescription Drug Pricing

The week in drug pricing has been marked with dormant dashboards, broken promises and bloated CEO salaries.

So, let’s get to it.

1. Dormant drug dashboards

• HHS has not updated the databases that tell the public how much money the government is paying for drugs. The inaction follows repeated promises from President Trump that “one of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs.” — (CNN)

2. “We were forced to file for bankruptcy to afford my insulin.”

• A patient speaks in Colorado. — (The Daily Sentinel)

3. Piles of gold skimmed off the backs of the sick and dying.

• Eye-popping CEO salaries that are, umm, not investments in R&D? — (Axios) 

4. Kickback schemes at Novartis?

• The accusations flying are sick, and yet, not surprising. — (STAT)

5. The Vertex CEO said a few things he might regret.

• For example, CEO Jeffrey Leiden noted that Vertex now “has a nice problem of accumulating cash very rapidly.” He forgot to mention that his company is holding dying children in a variety of countries hostage over its insane prices. — (Motley Fool)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. See you next week!

Shkreli begs for minimum security. Pharma lobbies Congress to sweeten the donut hole. And the Catholic health community gets a call for help.

Welcome to the week in review in drug pricing!

1. How will Shkreli fare in prison? Jury’s out

• Inmates weigh in. — (VICE)

2.  Congress is considering caving to pharma

• Will it lower drug corporations’ costs in the donut hole or hold strong for patients? (Politico)

3. Drugmakers ‘derelict’ if they don’t tackle this issue: Waxman

• Agreed. — (STAT)

4. Give patients a seat at the table

• They must be heard in the spaces occupied previously by industry stakeholders. And, the Catholic health care community can help! — (Journal of the Catholic Health Association of the United States)

5. Heads are snappin’ at health care consolidations

• But will these mergers help patients? Hmmm…— (L.A. Times)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. See you next week!