President Trump’s self-imposed deadline to advance a yet unseen most-favored nation executive order passed midnight Tuesday, with lots of talk, no real news. Pharma, meanwhile, reportedly floated a flimsy counteroffer, which the president must reject. Trump should advance the most-favored nation proposal to help stop Americans from paying the highest drug prices in the world. While this approach is short of a solution to the drug pricing crisis writ large — most Americans won’t experience savings if it’s implemented — it’s a step in the right direction. — (KHN)
2. There has been no “dramatic action” on drug pricing
No, drug prices are not falling. No, dramatic action has not been taken. Drug prices are rising during a global pandemic. — (NBC)
3. Profiteering on a Pandemic
Oxford University once pledged to donate the rights to its promising COVID-19 vaccine contender. Instead, the university signed an exclusive deal granting AstraZeneca sole rights to sell the vaccine, in a contract that would also allow the university to receive millions in royalties. In the midst of an unprecedented health crisis, we all remain at the mercy of drug corporations’ unfettered pricing power. — (KHN)
4. Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Pharma wants the COVID-19 pandemic to revive its bottomed-out image, but companies like Pfizer are already signaling to investors that prices will rise in the likely scenario that COVID-19 vaccinations become a seasonal event. It’s business as usual for Big Pharma. — (Bloomberg)
5. Crackdown Continues
The U.S. Justice Department dropped conspiracy charges on Teva Pharmaceuticals following an investigation into price fixing for drugs to treat conditions like heart disease. It’s the seventh drug maker charged in the department’s ongoing criminal antitrust probe. — (Reuters)
1. Moderna Sees Potential for Jackpot
Moderna revealed it could pocket up to $8.125 billion from the U.S. government for 500 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine. The set-up is clear: Taxpayers are on the hook for exorbitant amounts of money for a vaccine we’ve already 100 percent funded. — (FiercePharma)
2. Business as Usual
A new report from AnalySource shows it is business as usual for Big Pharma in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drug manufacturers in July raised prices for 65 brand-name drugs by 3.62 percent, matching almost exactly Big Pharma’s July 2019 price hikes. — (AnalySource)
3. Acts of Desperation
Insulin prices continue to skyrocket, and with it, some patients are forced to purchase their black-market insulin on sites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. The three insulin manufacturers are holding patients hostage, and Americans are desperate for relief. — (Sinclair Broadcast Group)
4. Pervasive Profiteering
The federal government sued pharma giant Teva, accusing the corporation of violating Medicare anti-kickback laws by funneling money to two “independent” patient assistance programs for the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone. In the alleged scheme, Teva quadrupled the price of the drug to $73,326 a year between 2006 and 2015 and charged taxpayers via Medicare. We can’t say we’re surprised — this lawsuit is just the latest in a litany of bad behavior from Big Pharma. — (Reuters)
5. Pharma’s Statehouse Stampede
State lawmakers across the country are moving to cap out-of-pocket insulin prices, but drug company lobbyists are working overtime to water down the bills and protect pharma’s bottom line. The hundreds of thousands of dollars spent lobbying legislators underscore the lengths pharma will go to continue charging the highest possible prices for life-saving medications. — (Fair Warning, NBC News)
Who’s having a busier week? Big Pharma or Maya Rudolph?
1. $2.5 Billion Reasons Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Price Is Too High
Moderna cut a $1.5 billion deal with the U.S. government this week to produce 100 million doses of the corporation’s COVID-19 vaccine. The latest deal brings taxpayer contributions to Moderna to $2.5 billion, for a calculated price of $25 a dose. This follows Moderna’s admissions that its vaccine contender is 100 percent funded by U.S. taxpayers and that the company may be joint owners of the vaccine’s patents with the NIH. Our lawmakers need to step up their game and stop price gouging plans before we have a vaccine. — (Reuters)
2. New Jerseyans Push For Drug Pricing Reforms
New Jerseyans are struggling to afford prescription medications and nearly everyone agrees drug prices need to come down, a new surveyfound. That’s why government leaders and advocates — including Lisa Ann Wetzel-Trainor, a P4ADNow patient advocate — joined forces this week to push for reforms to America’s rigged drug pricing system. — (NJTV)
3. Big Pharma Pandemic Profiteers
Historic windfalls await Big Pharma if we allow the industry to move forward with its plans to rip off America in the COVID-19 era. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Congress must protect the public from pharma’s pandemic profiteering. Weekend reading ➡️ — (Rolling Stone)
4. Connecting with Cash
STAT’s in-depth reporting and data visualizations will let you follow the money to see how pharma showers members of Congress with cash. Drug companies and their trade groups have contributed $11 million to political funds for more than two-thirds of sitting members of Congress ahead of the 2020 election. — (STAT)
5. Pharma Blame Game Debunked
Remember how pharma loves to pretend PBMs are to blame for high drug prices? Axios found that while PBMs and pharma are both bad actors in the drug pricing world, pharma captured the lion’s share of proceeds — $50 billion in 2019 for just 10 blockbuster drugs. — (Axios)
1. Moderna’s Money Grab
In a conference call with investors Wednesday, the Moderna CEO hinted all bets are off on pricing for its 100 percent taxpayer-funded vaccine candidate once the current outbreak subsides. And, bad news, COVID-19 is likely here to stay. *But that’s not all.* Moderna also plans to charge the highest price yet of the vaccine candidates, at $32 to $37 per dose. Business as usual can’t stand in the COVID-19 era. — (NPR)
2. Patents Protecting Profits
Thirty-one state attorneys general pressured the federal government to ensure affordable prices for Gilead’s COVID-19 drug, remdesivir, by invoking a law to break the company’s patent hold on the drug. With a price tag of $3,120, Americans are going to pay 33 percent more than the rest of the world for a drug with only modest benefits for COVID-19 patients, even though U.S. taxpayers have pumped more than $70 millioninto its development. We’re glad to see Gilead’s opportunism being called out, but Americans won’t be protected until lawmakers pass legislation to prevent price gouging. — (USA Today)
3. Once Again, Paying Twice
The U.S. government agreed to pay $1 billion for 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, on top of its previous commitment of $456 million for research and development. In a public health crisis, Americans are paying twice for essential vaccines and therapeutics. This cannot remain the norm. — (CNBC)
Well, Kodak certainly widened its aperture this week. Welcome to the Week In Review!
1. Pattern of Profiteering
Moderna is reportedly looking to price its potential COVID-19 vaccine at $50 to $60 per course, even after accepting nearly $1 billion in taxpayer support to float R&D. The news came a week after Pfizer announced a price of nearly $20 per dose of its COVID-19 vaccine. The companies have started a dangerous pattern of maximizing profits on the backs of Americans. — (Reuters)
2. Corporate Insiders Cash in on a Crisis
As drug companies’ stock values have skyrocketed thanks to progress on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, pharma executives are making a killing by selling their shares. While Americans are forced to make sacrifices, drug company executives see the pandemic as an opportunity to pocket hundreds of millions of dollars. — (The New York Times)
3. Another Injection of Funding
In the largest Operation Warp Speed contract yet, the U.S. government agreed to provide $2.1 billion for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate jointly developed by pharma giants Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. Over half of the funding is allocated to vaccine development, and the remainder will pay for 100 million doses for the United States. Let’s say it one more time: Taxpayers are underwriting the risk of development. We deserve fair prices when vaccines come to market. — (Bloomberg)
4. Stalled Drug Pricing Discussions
Pharma executives couldn’t be bothered to show up at a White House meeting Tuesday to discuss an executive order that would link drug prices in the U.S. to prices paid in other countries. The Trump administration should immediately advance its plans to lower prescription drug prices. We’ve already waited for too long. — (Politico)
5. We Shouldn’t Have to Worry
A recent Gallup poll found that nearly a third of non-white U.S. adults reported a time when they or a member of their household could not afford their medications in the last year. That’s compared to just one-fifth of white adults who reported the same. That disparity amplifies the importance of addressing drug pricing for all Americans. — (Gallup/West Health)
The president announced executive orders late Friday – like an international pricing index and Canadian drug importation – claiming that the moves would lower drug prices. The ultimate fate of the orders remains to be seen as the president plans to meet with pharmaceutical executives on Tuesday and implementation details remain in flux. — (Axios)
2. “That would be devastating for me”
In a new video, patients from across the country make their voices heard: The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t made the issue of high drug prices go away, it has made it worse. And they deliver a message of hope and support as they call for drug pricing reform. — (P4AD)
3. It’s Apparent Now
Pfizer signed a $1.95 billion contract with the U.S. government to produce 100 million doses of the company’s potential COVID-19 vaccine — about $20 a dose. That price is more than six times what AstraZeneca plans to charge for its vaccine. What Americans have suspected for months is now out in the open: Pfizer plans to profiteer off a pandemic. — (CNN)
4. The Pledges are PR Stunts
At a Congressional hearing Tuesday, executives from giant drug corporations developing COVID-19 vaccines refused to promise to not profit over their coronavirus vaccines. If ever there were a time for Big Pharma to find its conscience, it would be now. Congress must take action to ensure pharmaceutical manufacturers don’t profiteer on the backs of patients in a pandemic. — (The New York Times)
5. States March Onward
State legislatures continue to work on drug pricing bills, focusing on areas like transparency and the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers. We’re glad to see that states are setting up guardrails to defend patients from high drug prices, and we stand ready to assist in any way we can. — (FiercePharma)
We cut into pharma. It is cake. Welcome to the Week In Review.
1. Empty Promises
Some drug makers in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine have pledged to forgo a profit, without offering any details as to what that means. We’ve been doing this long enough to know we can’t trust pharma to make good on their promises. Lawmakers must pass legislation to guarantee fair prices and protect Americans from being price gouged for vaccines we’re paying to create. — (Politico)
2. We Demand a Say
Moderna could make a profit of $5 billion if its COVID-19 vaccine candidate costs $50 per dose, with the potential to rake in more than $20 billion if priced higher, Wall Street analysts predict. Meanwhile, U.S. taxpayers have funded the potential vaccine every step of the way, from government scientists who helped develop the technology to ongoing clinical trials. As Wall Street and pharma work together to push up prices, it’s clearer than ever that we can’t allow them to hold all the cards. — (FiercePharma)
3. Highway Robbery in Ohio
Ohio is suing pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts for overcharging taxpayers by millions. Alleged tactics include mislabeling generics as brand-name drugs and failing to deliver on promised discounts. Lawsuits like Ohio’s illuminate the myriad of ways drug manufacturers and PBMs work together to increase their own profit margins at the expense of the rest of us. — (Ohio Capital Journal)
4. Monopoly Money
Big Pharma poster child AbbVie has secured dozens of patents on the cancer drug Imbruvica, extending its monopoly and staving off lower-priced competitors for nine years beyond its government-granted period of exclusivity, according to a new report from patent abuse watchdog I-MAK. The estimated cost of Imbruvica to taxpayers and patients over those nine years? $41 billion. Pharma is holding us all hostage. — (I-MAK)
5. New Hampshire Stands Strong
States continue to take the lead on drug pricing reform. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu included a comprehensive bill that would address high drug prices for the state’s patients. It’s long past time for the federal government to advance proposals to lower drug prices for ALL Americans. — (The Conway Daily Sun)
In the middle of a pandemic, pharmaceutical companies hiked the prices of 42 drugs, including important medications for conditions like heartburn, respiratory illnesses, and ADHD. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and health insurance and are forced to pay even higher prices — all while pharma continues to line their pockets. — (Politico)
2. More Taxpayer Funds for Pharma
The U.S. government signed the largest Operation Warp Speed contract yet with a commitment of $1.6 billion to Novavax for its potential COVID-19 vaccine. The same day, the government announced a $450 million contract with Regeneron, its first Warp Speed contract for a COVID-19 treatment. As American taxpayers continue to fund these important drugs, we need Congressional action more than ever to ensure we won’t pay twice for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. — (Reuters)
3. Transparency Law Shows Skyrocketing Prices
A new report, required each year thanks to a 2017 Nevada prescription drug price transparency law, revealed that nearly 120 essential diabetes drugs have seen a significant price increase in the last two years. The average price hike in 2019 was 11.2 percent. This report proves once again that, when left unchecked, drug companies will keep raising prices as patients suffer. — (The Nevada Independent)
4. Novartis Sales Rep Blows Whistle
A former Novartis sales representative shone a federal spotlight on the pharmaceutical giant’s practices of bribing doctors with lavish parties, appealing speaker series, and large gift cards to prescribe its drugs. An investigation led by the Department of Justice revealed that Novartis made at least $40 million off the tactics. To no one’s surprise, pharma will do anything to earn another buck. — (NBC News)
5. Held Hostage by Big Pharma
As the United States continues to face the devastation of the COVID-19 crisis, the need for a vaccine only grows. The federal government has invested billions into pharmaceutical companies’ research and development of vaccines for the virus, but there are no guarantees that they will be priced fairly. We need drug pricing reform now. — (Kaiser Health News)
