Drug Makers Have Tripled the Prices of Top Medicare Drugs
The top 25 costliest drugs for Medicare Part D plans earned their lofty rankings largely through exorbitant price hikes — increases that, on average, more than tripled their list prices since they entered the market, according to a new analysis by AARP.
For nearly all the drugs, the price hikes far outstripped the rate of inflation, with increases ranging from 20% to 739% during the drugs’ lifetimes on the market. Only one of the top 25 drugs — Trelegy Ellipta, an inhaler for asthma and chronic lung conditions — had price increases that were below the rate of inflation during its time on the market. Since its initial release in 2017, Trelegy Ellipta’s price increased only 20%, compared with a general inflation rate of 23%.
Overall, the average lifetime price increase for the top 25 drugs was 226%. The highest increases were seen in drugs that have been on the market the longest. For example, drugs that were on the market for under 12 years had an average lifetime price increase of 58%, while those on the market for 20 or more years had an average lifetime increase of 592%.
The drug in the analysis with the largest lifetime price increase was Lantus, a Sanofi-made, long-acting insulin for diabetes. Since its introduction in 2000, Sanofi has hiked the list price by 739%, the analysis found. The general inflation rate during that time period was 71%.
From Drug Shortages to High Prices, U.S. System’s Shortcomings Have Deep Roots
American medicine is a tragic paradox. An example: Cancer patients are likely dying as a result of drug shortages that occurred partly because generic chemotherapies have been allowed to become too cheap. At the same time, other patients are suffering, and perhaps dying, because the financial burden brought on by the expensive medicines they need is too high.
Sit with that like a terrible Zen koan: Medicines are both too cheap and too expensive.
How is that possible? A lot of it goes back to the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act, which set up the ecosystem that determines the process by which drugs go from being expensive brands to cheap generics in the U.S.
U.S. FDA Identifies Recall of Philips’ Respiratory Devices as Most Serious
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday classified the recall of Philips’ (PHG.AS) respiratory machines as its most serious type, as their use could cause serious injuries or death.
The Dutch medical devices maker started the process on March 29 and has recalled 73,000 devices in the United States. The ventilators being recalled include Trilogy Evo, Evo O2 and EV300, among others. These devices help people with respiratory conditions to keep breathing at a regular rhythm.
Philips was recalling the ventilators after detecting contaminants such as dust and dirt from the environment in the air path of some devices.
The company has received 542 reports about this issue, according to the FDA. The health agency said there are currently two reported injuries and one death attributable to the issue.
U.K. to Offer Weight-Loss Drugs via App-Based Prescriptions
The United Kingdom has paved the way for easy access to weight-loss jabs by recommending prescriptions through online apps — preparing for the arrival of the new drug Wegovy.
The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has compiled guidance on the use of four weight-management programs that would enable users to access weight-loss drugs.
By downloading one of four apps — Liva, Oviva, Roczen and Second Nature — patients can connect with National Health Service specialists who can provide support as well as treatment.
The technologies may also “reduce the demand on face-to-face specialist weight management programs,” NICE adds in its guidance, releasing resources and potentially reducing waiting times.
How Advocates Pushed Big Pharma to Cut Tuberculosis Drug Prices
Millions of people are about to gain access to a lifesaving medicine for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). A few weeks ago, after years of both quiet and noisy pressure, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) opened the door to inexpensive generic versions of its patented TB drug bedaquiline in several low- and middle-income countries. The new generic medications could cost just $8 per month.
The arrangement was announced in mid-July right after John Green, a young adult novelist and YouTube star — whose channel, which he hosts with his brother Hank Green, has 3.7 million subscribers — spurred an online campaign to hold J&J accountable for “evergreening” its patent, a way to maintain high prices.
Within days, the J&J generic deal was made public. But while many have speculated the online campaign played a decisive role, people deeply involved in the negotiations say it was mainly a result of months of quiet pressure rather than high-profile social media moves.
Still, some TB advocates argue the new Global Drug Facility arrangement is only a limited victory. J&J will still control drug access and be able to charge higher prices in countries excluded from the deal, such as Ukraine and South Africa, they point out. Nevertheless, experts say this deal and the public campaign could serve as an important model for future partnerships between pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates.
Drug Marketing Regulator Sounds the Alarm Over Novartis’ Entresto Podcast Claims
Novartis has been consistently pushing the boundaries in digital pharma for years. However, the company has now encountered the intricate challenges associated with navigating regulatory guidelines. This has become evident as the Big Pharma has been hit with the U.K.’s most serious drug marketing breach.
This latest case surrounds a podcast show called “Heart to Heart,” which was developed specifically for heart failure specialist nurses (HFSN). In one of the episodes, Novartis presented a series of efficacy claims and, even more significantly, safety claims. These assertions caught the attention of the PMCPA, the organization responsible for overseeing drug marketing regulations in the U.K.
The claims that drew the PMCPA’s concern involved the assertion that Entresto could potentially lead to an increase in energy levels. Notably, this claim was tied to the act of dressing and the energy expended during this activity. The PMCPA deemed the claim “misleading as it was incapable of substantiation.”
This breach for Novartis is the second in as many months for Entresto as it comes after the PMCPA also wrapped the Big Pharma for not fully showing the drug’s safety risks on the therapy’s website.
Source: Drug Makers Have Tripled the Prices of Top Medicare Drugs + More • Children’s Health Defense