CMS proposes changes to Medicare coverage, a move which many criticize. The Trump administration continues it war on drug pricing, while new studies demonstrate the effectiveness by which cancer drugs reach specific cells. This and more in this week’s Innovation Partners BioBlog.
Trump slams Pfizer after July 1 drug price hikes
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke out against Pfizer and other drugmakers after a price increase on July 1, 2018. He promised that his administration would act swiftly against the increase. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar responded with his own tweet saying that drugmakers who have raised prices have created a tipping point in U.S. drug pricing policy. Trump and his administration have been waging a vocal battle against what they perceive as unfair price increases through the pharmaceutical industry.
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Pricing transparency law in California having effect, drug makers nix planned increases
Bloomberg states that some drug firms have cancelled plans to increase pricing for certain products or have rolled back hikes in response to a new law in California aimed at pricing transparency. The law, requiring drug makers to give advance notice of significant price increases, is designed to pressure companies to keep prices down. It appears to be working. Pharma companies are far from accepting the new reality, however. Its lobbying group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, is challenging the law in court.
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CMS expected to propose cuts to more 340B providers
CMS is expected to expand the number of 340B health facilities that will be affected by payment cuts for all physician-administered drugs. The proposed rule would cut Medicare Part B drug payments to 340B hospital outpatient facilities offsite by about 30%. This is similar to cuts that took effect in January but were limited to locations physically connected to participating hospitals.
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Staggering Prices Slow Insurers’ Coverage Of CAR-T Cancer Therapy
CAR T-cell therapy offers hope to patients for whom other cancer drugs do not work. Two approved therapies are facing obstacles from insurance companies. With price tags in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per drug, insurance companies are denying claims.
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Many Low-Risk Patients Receive High-Cost Procedures That Are Not Recommended
Recommended scans for women diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer vary widely. Some forgo the annual mammogram while others undergo costly, and radiation-intense, full body scans. Researchers looked at both practices and could find no pattern among them except what the local hospital or physicians’ groups recommended to patients. According to experts in this study, age and therapy make the most sense for which recommendation doctors give, but it appears to be based more on locality than other factors. A look at why some women receive high cost procedures and others don’t.
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CMS proposes change in the drug payment amount under Medicare Part B
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday proposed a change in the payment amount for new drugs under its Part B program. This change comes just as the Trump administration’s attempts to tackle escalating prices of drugs ratcheted up a notch. Medicare Part B covers medicines patients receive in a doctor’s office, such as infusions.
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New method reveals how well cancer drugs hit their targets
A new technique allows scientists to measure how well cancer drugs reach their intended target inside the body. Scientists can watch cancer cells in a tumor in real time. Noting which cells interact with the drug and which ones don’t. If they don’t interact, it indicates that the drug failed to reach those cells. These findings, published in Nature Communications, could help clinicians decide the best course and delivery of treatment for cancer patients.
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