October 31, 2014—Orphan drugs will account for almost 20 percent of total worldwide drug sales (excluding generics) by the end of the decade, with year-to-year sales growth more than double that of the overall prescription drug market, the market intelligence firm EvaluatePharma says in a new report. … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2014
Hospitals Protest Genentech’s Deeming Cancer Drugs as Specialty Meds
State Medicaid chiefs, meanwhile, say Sovaldi might need federal price controlsOctober 30, 2014—Hospital groups are protesting Genentech's decision to make them buy three very expensive and much-used cancer drugs exclusively through specialty distributors, saying the change is raising their costs and potentially compromising patient care without enhancing patient safety or supply-chain security. … [Read more...]
Superb Critique of a Flawed 340B Study and its Unfounded Conclusions
Madeline Carpinelli Wallack's response to the recent study in Health Affairs on hospitals' alleged misuse of 340B drug discounts scores a direct hit on a highly flawed piece of research. We wrote about SNHPA's and AHA's reactions to the Health Affairs study earlier this month. Researchers Rena Conti and Peter Bach said they found that "that hospital-affiliated clinics that … [Read more...]
Infographic: 340B DSH Hospitals Have Huge Low-Income Patient Loads and Uncompensated Care Costs
Pass it along. … [Read more...]
Hospitals Applaud HRSA for Telling Drugmakers to Repay 340B Orphan Drug Overcharges
No word yet on how manufacturers are responding to agency's recent lettersOctober 21, 2014—Hospital groups are applauding federal health officials for telling drugmakers they owe rural and freestanding cancer hospitals refunds for overcharges on orphan drugs. … [Read more...]
Rising Specialty Drug Costs Worry Nonprofit Health Plans
Marketplace about to explode as more high-cost, handle-with-care drugs come online, group warnsOctober 20, 2014—While specialty drugs account for less than 1 percent of all U.S. prescriptions, they accounted for more than 25 percent of the country's total pharmacy costs last year, the Alliance of Community Health Plans notes in a new issue brief. ACHP recently held briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss its findings and to offer perspectives on escalating specialty drug … [Read more...]
Lawmakers Demand HHS Action on Rising Generic Drug Prices
Hospital, other providers, and federal health care programs are being squeezed, they sayOctober 17, 2014—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services yesterday what her department is doing to address "staggering increases" in generic drug prices. … [Read more...]