This Drug is Defying a Rare Form of Leukemia - And it Keeps Getting Pricier

Novartis introduced a breakthrough leukemia medication, Gleevec, 15 years ago with a list price of over $26,000 for a year; today, despite common market standards that expect competition to lead to price reduction, a year of Gleevec costs over $120,000. Unlike drugs sparking outrage with sudden, unexplained price increases, Novartis chose to gradually increase the cost of Gleevec on a year-over-year basis, oftentimes with the release of competitors to the market. The rarity of the form of leukemia treated by Gleevec was, according to Novartis, a partial explanation for the high cost; if more patients took the drug, they would be able to lower the cost and still recoup expenses. Today, Gleevec’s effectiveness has increased the population of individuals living with the cancer by 300% but Novartis’ original pricing explanation remains unseen. Novartis’ run with Gleevec has likely come to an end, though, as the drug lost patent protection last month.

Read the Washington Posts article about it here.

A Recent White House Budget Proposal Would Require More Transparency From Drug Makers

The White House budget proposal, released earlier this month, includes a requirement for pharmaceutical companies to disclose various business measures, including the cost of research and development; a requirement that would either prove or lay to rest to pharma’s continued argument that drug prices are directly related to their R&D costs. The measures mimic those proposed by states across the country and received similar backlash from industry lobbyists – including assertions that the requirement would stifle innovation, ignores R&D failures, and requires the disclosure of confidential information. That final argument is likely countered by an existing statute in the Affordable Care Act.

Read the coverage from Pharmalot's Ed Silverman here.

Study Finds that Some Drugs Approved for Other Uses Have Antibiotic Actions

As bacterial infections are becoming increasingly resistant to existing antibiotics, the University of Illinois has released promising research regarding the dual use of multiple drugs, including those used to treat parasitic infections and cancers. In fighting their intended diseases, many FDA-approved drugs also kill bacteria, work as uncouplers to destroy bacterial energy production and, in some cases, inhibit enzyme production and disrupt the cell membrane. Testing has primarily focused on the treatment of tuberculosis and staph infections. The researchers are also investigating tweaking the biology of certain drugs that are metabolized within the cell (eg. Heartburn drugs) to create an added level of uncoupling and, ultimately, cell death of bacteria.

Is your PBM competitive? Proven? Known? We are. Visit Script Care's website to learn more about who WE ARE.

www.scriptcare.com/WeAre.cfm

Gilead Put Profit Ahead of Hepatitis C Patients: U.S. Senate Report Says

The Senate Finance Committee has determined that the prices charged by Gilead for the Hepatitis C drugs, Sovaldi and Harvoni, do not reflect the actual research or cost incurred in producing the drugs and is officially accusing Gilead of placing profits ahead of affordability and accessibility. In 2014, Medicare and Medicaid spent more than $5 billion on Sovaldi and Harvoni. Gilead released a statement saying that with available rebates and discounts the cost is actually less expensive than that of prior treatments, and, additionally, the improved efficacy of their drugs reduce the cost of future medical complications.

To read the full Reuters article click here.

Pfizer to Buy Allergan in $160 Billion Deal

Pfizer’s announcement that it will buy Allergen (the producer of Botox) will shift the manufacturer’s headquarters to Ireland and help reduce their incurred domestic taxes by an estimated 8%. The deal will make Pfizer the largest company in the industry, as well as mark the largest instance of an international acquisition to lower a U.S.-based company’s taxes – and has earned direct criticism from President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump. Both companies saw a drop in their stock prices after the announcement.

Read Reuter's article on it here.

Statins May Dampen Protective Powers of Flu Vaccines

Two new studies highlight a potential relationship between statin use and flu vaccine effectiveness in seniors; however, experts warn that studies are preliminary and the benefits of both medications outweigh any negative interactions. The findings, however, add to the list of questionable side effects of the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs, associating statin use with muscle pain, liver damage and memory loss. One study found that vaccine-recipients taking statins had 38-67% fewer flu antibodies than those not taking statins (with natural statins appearing to be less detrimental than synthetic.)  The second study more specifically identified an inflammatory interaction between statins (thought to improve cardiac health by reducing inflammation) and the vaccine (priming the body to avoid the flu through increased inflammation.) Alternatively, the reduced inflammation of statins may help fight the flu once it is infected.  These findings indicate that additional research will be needed before conclusive results can be published.

Read the article here: consumer.healthday.com