May 21, 2015 Morning Consult: “New Cures, Old Problems: Poll Shows Drug Affordability Addles Americans” “The House Energy and Commerce Committee is slated to vote today on legislation that offers incentives to the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs and devices. But the bill does little immediately to address what a new Morning Consult poll found […]
May 20, 2015 “Prescription drug prices climb into the stratosphere” by Trudy Lieberman, Rural Health News Service Note: Article originally printed in Sterling Journal-Advocate. There’s no getting around it. Americans are using more medications and spending more for them. The latest evidence just came from Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefit manager, which acts as a middleman […]
ICYMI – May 15, 2015 ***** The New England Journal of Medicine: “The $2.6 Billion Pill — Methodologic and Policy Considerations” “Of course, it is extremely expensive and risky to develop a new medication…but as risky as drug development is, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries remain among the most profitable sectors of the U.S. economy and actually […]
May 14, 2015 The House Energy and Commerce Committee released an updated draft of the 21st Century Cures bill last night in a last minute effort to address concerns over drug exclusivity, interoperability and tele health before today’s markup. However, many organizations are still concerned about Congress’ lack of legislation to address high drug costs. Pew Charitable Trusts […]
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 […]