More women are headed to Washington. Women are disproportionately impacted by high drug prices, so increased representation is a good thing!
1. Patients won. Drug prices won.
Healthcare — and prescription drug prices in particular — moved voters to the polls. — (The Washington Post)
2. What’s Next? Getting Results.
Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and Nancy Pelosi all mentioned drug prices as an area of focus for the 116th Congress. — (STAT)
3. Big Pharma Campaign Cash –– Rejected
“This year, 72 percent of Red to Blue candidates — from all ideological factions — have made the same commitment [to reject corporate PAC money].” — (CQ Roll Call)
4. Respect your elders, PhRMA
The drug lobby wants seniors to pay more so drug companies can juice their record profits. Good luck explaining that one to Grandma at Thanksgiving. — (Bloomberg)
5. Duck Tales
Want to know our lame duck focus? Read about it here. — (STAT)
“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” –– How Americans feel when reacting to the price of prescription drugs.
1. We have been saying this all along
Drug pricing is important. Voters care. — (Forbes)
2. MEMO: Investigate the insulin cartel
Physicians asked the FTC to investigate insulin price hikes. Three companies hold a oligopoly over insulin, which has tripled in price. — (The Hill)
3. Outgunned, Outmanned, Outnumbered, (but not) Outplanned
There are more pharmaceutical lobbyists than lawmakers on Capitol Hill. This year, lobbyists are on track to break their own spending record, with more than $21 million spent. –– (NYT)
4. States take matters into own hands
Instead of waiting for Big Brother to get the job done, state lawmakers have taken matters into their own hands –– turning drug prices into a signature local campaign issue. — (STAT)
5. Worse for women
Women use therapeutic drugs at a higher rate than men and are more likely to be single parents, so they’re most impacted by the high costs of prescription drugs. — (Ms. Magazine)
Straight to pumpkin carving after this.
Welcome to the week in review in prescription drug pricing.
1. Par-tAy around Part B reforms
The Trump administration took aim at lowering the cost of the most expensive drugs in Medicare Part B. Drug makers pushed back, but we’ve heard their tired arguments before. Let’s do this. — (AP)
2. Pharma’s worst nightmare
The drug lobby contemplates a strange future in which the left aligns with Trump to bring down drug prices. — (NYT)
3. Pharma’s sworn enemy?
Claire McCaskill has made prescription drug affordability central to her campaign as she fights for re-election. — (STAT)
4. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again
Only pharmaceutical companies set drug prices. Middlemen must be more transparent, but Pharma’s ploy to blame them is played out. — (Forbes)
5. Precision medicine raises tough questions
“Modern medicine gives us many gifts. But for many of us, those gifts are out of reach.” — (MIT Technology Review)
Direct-to-consumer drug ads: Trick or Treat?
1. That’s On Point
2. Minnesota, leading the way
3. The list price is not right
4. This plan sounds wicked awesome
5. This is why she should stay in the U.S. Senate
Kanye and two drug pricing bills made a trip to the president’s office this week. Guess which made more news?
Welcome to the Week in Review in Drug Pricing.
1. Gag clauses — ✌️out
2. THIS IS NOT OK
3. Fingers crossed, cheaper insulin
4. Kickbacks make a comeback
5. Evers coming up with a plan
Pumpkin spice lattes flowed. Oprah covered her own magazine. A presidential text lit up our phones. Meanwhile, in the world of drug pricing…
1. Get your popcorn
2. XOXO, Gossip Girl…
3. It’s cheaper for this patient to go to the ER than to buy an EpiPen
4. Hello, Texas. Hello, Florida
5. The drug industry loves a good hurdle to generic entry
Does anyone have space in their brains this week for drug pricing news? If so, we’ve got you covered:
1. Big Pharma bailout?
2. We’ll take it!
3. Undercover nurses
4. “His words underpin the mentality of an entire industry.”
5. Who’s going to tell him?
A greedy drug company CEO incites a mass cringe. States keep pushing for change. And a Big Pharma CEO’s political ads play fast and loose with the facts.
Welcome to the week in review in prescription drug pricing!
1. We guess ‘morality’ means different things to different people
A CEO expresses his belief that it is a “moral requirement” to charge patients high prices for a drug from the 1950s. I’m sorry, what? — (CNN)
2. No one believes in the system
Alex Azar isn’t counting on pharma to rein in drug costs. He’s taking action. Same here.— (Business Insider)
3. Anybody out there remember submitting a 340B comment?
Some patients who sent comments opposing 340B don’t remember sending the comments at all. Half of the thousands of comments were sent anonymously. Hmm… — (Kaiser Health News)
4. Big Pharma: kicking and screaming to keep prices high
States like Maryland, Nevada, and California have been trying to pass laws that will challenge high drug prices, as they have become a huge financial strain on state budgets. — (Fierce Healthcare)
5. Fact Check!
As the New Jersey senate race between Bob Hugin and Bob Menendez heats up, a reporter puts ad claims under the microscope. — (STAT)