May 12, 2015 InsideHealthPolicy.com Health Reform Insider: “As E&C Prepares Cures Bill Markup, Negative Press On Drug Prices On The Increase” Note: subscription required to view full article on InsideHealthPolicy.com “The House Energy & Commerce Committee will begin marking up 21st Century Cures legislation Thursday (April 14), but those paying for drugs worry that speeding drug and […]
May 11, 2015 The Wall Street Journal: “Vertex’s Cystic-Fibrosis Drug Faces Big Test” The FDA meeting, to be held in Gaithersburg, Md., will be closely watched by health insurers and pharmacy-benefit managers who are concerned that Orkambi will be the latest high-priced blockbuster to strain their budgets. Vertex hasn’t announced a price yet, but J.P. Morgan […]
Weekly Update – 5/8/2015 We learned this week that worldwide spending on cancer medicines reached $100 billion in 2014, an increase of 10.3 percent from 2013. And let’s not forget about last week’s multiple sclerosis study noting that there has been an “alarming rise” in the cost of these drugs, coming in between $50,000 and […]
ICYMI: May 7, 2015 PharmaExec.com: “Take a Breath” on the Specialty Drug Pricing Issue…? “…for anyone who thinks the players involved in this specialty drug pricing confrontation will actually “take a breath” and voluntarily work towards better access and lower prices, I am sorry. You’re not being realistic. Here’s the truth: As long as we have […]
ICYMI: May 6, 2015 National Journal: Washington’s Interest in Precision Drugs is Innovation, Not Cost “There are so many people now concerned about [high drug costs], and the perception is that prices are completely out of control,” said John Rother, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care. “The sheer volume of new drug […]
ICYMI May 5, 2015 The New York Times: Runaway Drug Prices How companies set prices of specialty drugs for these and other complex diseases, like cancer and AIDS, has been a mystery to the patients who need them.” “The drug and biotech companies contend that high prices are justified to cover the large costs of bringing […]
April 28, 2015 Note: Distributing the New York Times article below is not an endorsement for President Obama’s proposed initiative. New York Times: Obama Proposes That Medicare Be Given the Right to Negotiate the Cost of Drugs “Five years after passage of the Affordable Care Act, drug prices are emerging again as a political issue. On a […]
Are Skyrocketing Drug Prices Really Needed for Innovation? Amgen’s earnings report today indicates that R&D costs fell 14% while drug prices continue to climb. Enbrel’s price increased 19% while the price of Neulasta continued to climb as well. “The pharmaceutical industry’s argument about needing high prices to fund innovation through R&D fall flat. It’s clear there […]
This morning, the National Journal published an article regarding an increase in public concern over the high cost of prescription drugs. The article references CSRxP’s white paper, “Specialty Drug Hyperinflation: The Risk to Patients and the Health Care System.”
The American College of Physicians, the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in the United States, has joined the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP), a broad-based coalition working for solutions to skyrocketing prescription medicine prices.