This week’s Innovation Partners BioBlog offers unique perspectives on the issues facing the healthcare industry today. Some CEOs, for example, believe that a “Medicare for all” type of health insurance system would improve the economy by decoupling health insurance from the cost of hiring workers. Other perspectives include an interview with FDA Director Janet Woodcock, a look at the new Senate bill, and more.

FDA’s Woodcock defends accelerated approvals and talks of culture shift in clinical trials

This article features an interview with FDA Director Janet Woodcock. Woodcock holds the position of Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and has over three decades of experience working in the FDA. Among the topics covered in the interview are accelerated approval, the future of clinical trials, and more.
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FDA approves first chemoimmunotherapy regimen for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin-piiq), in combination with the chemotherapy bendamustine and a rituximab product (a combination known as “BR”), to treat adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that has progressed or returned after at least two prior therapies. Polivy is a novel antibody-drug conjugate, and DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. More than 18,000 people are diagnosed with DLBCL each year in the U.S. Although it can be cured, about 30 to 40% of patients suffer relapse. This type of cancer grows quickly in the lymph nodes and may affect the bone marrow, spleen, liver or other organs. Signs and symptoms of DLBCL may include swollen lymph nodes, fever, recurring night sweats and weight loss.
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Massachusetts puts transparency demands on PBMs as drug spend jumps 4%

A new study from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) looks at the recent jump in prescription drug pricing, putting a large part of the blame on spread pricing by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The study examined pricing for generic drugs in Massachusetts Medicaid and commercial market plans and found that total prescription drug spending in Massachusetts grew 4.1%, regardless of additional rebates and discounts, in 2017. This represents one of the state’s highest growth areas in healthcare spending.
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Industry Voices—How a Senate bill could actually lower healthcare costs

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committeereleased “The Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 on May 23 this year. It offers new perspectives on ways to approach pervasive, longtime issues within the U.S. healthcare system. Healthcare pricing, technology, and transparency are addressed in the bill, including the prescription drug supply chain. It also attempts to tackle so-called ‘surprise medical billing’ by insisting that out-of-network facilities accept in-network rates.
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Why some CEOs figure ‘Medicare for All’ is good for business

Business owners argue that decoupling health insurance from businesses by making a “Medicare for All” type of national health insurance would be good for entrepreneurship and business. Many in the business community agree, arguing that rising healthcare costs are forcing them to seek manufacturing labor overseas, for example. A look at the debate swirling around expanding national healthcare coverage.
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Industry Voices—The value of registries goes beyond quality. Cost savings is one potential benefit

The change to shift to value-based payment in healthcare is fueling the rise of clinical data registry participation. The average U.S. healthcare facility participates in five to 10 registries, and the 20 largest registries are expected to increase in participation at an average of 7% each year until 2021. Hospitals, however, may be missing out on the benefits. A look at why hospitals should participate in more clinical data registries.
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