Pricing Debate

Editors from the Pink Sheet and Medtech Insight discuss the retirement of Jeff Shuren, PBM executives again appear unscathed after another Capitol Hill appearance, and the growing push to ensure the FDA’s rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program is renewed.

The CDC’s ACIP again punted a decision on whether to make a pneumococcal vaccine available to all adults 50 and older amid concerns over cost and equity tradeoffs, as well as unknowns about the length of vaccine protection. 

Second generation combination products may become more appealing as companies navigate the complexities of the Medicare price negotiation program.

The House Oversight Committee held its third hearing on pharmacy benefit manager reforms in 14 months, but could not elicit an admission from executives that they are responsible for increasing drug prices.

A number of diabetes drugs are also expected to be targeted in the next cycle of the price negotiation program, led by Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic.

But the overall impact of the Supreme Court decision may not seem as “immediate” in 340B compared to other federal programs.

Akebia says its price for Vafseo at about $15,500 per year, meant to reflect its potential value in dialysis as well as eventually in non-dialysis patients.

A new act in Germany does not go far enough to address the deeply unpopular “guardrail” link between Amnog benefit assessment ratings and price negotiations, which can deter companies from launching.

The US Federal Trade Commission’s focus on potential anti-competitive behavior by pharmacy benefit managers picks up steam as Chair Lina Khan approaches the end of her term.

The US Federal Trade Commission’s focus on potential anti-competitive behavior by pharmacy benefit managers picks up steam as Chair Lina Khan approaches the end of her term.

Patient advocacy groups suggest US state and federal agencies are trying to exclude them from certain conversations due to drug industry connections and perceived bias. 

Two targeted treatments for six different types of cancer and two antifungal drugs are the first products that Pharmac has proposed should be funded after it received a boost to its budget in June. Separately, the government is seeking feedback on a bill to repeal the sweeping new therapeutic products law that was passed by its predecessor.

The US Medicaid agency says states representing more than 80% of sickle cell patients are interested in a centralized contracting program, but House Republicans want legislation, not administrative interventions, to shape value-based payment for curative therapies.

A PhRMA study takes a narrow view of the beneficiary savings that Part D reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act could produce, sparking the Biden Administration to question its conclusions and the industry's motives.

Scrip spoke with Amgen’s senior VP of US business operations about the impact of drug pricing and reimbursement pressures coming from government policy changes and commercial payers.