Perspectives: Trump Makes Strides In Combating High Drug Prices, But The System Is Still Broken

Stat: It’s Time For Drug Prices To Stop Going Up. We Can Achieve That
Two years ago this month, President Trump promised the American people that he would stop drug companies from “getting away with murder” with their annual ritual of price increases. Since then, his historic actions on drug pricing have produced historic results. One official measure of drug price inflation was actually negative in 2018, for the first time in almost 50 years. But many problems remain. This January, drug companies once again announced large price increases — by one analysis averaging around 6 percent per drug. This annual practice of large price hikes must stop, and prices must come down. (Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, 1/29)

Arizona Republic: Both Parties Want Lower Drug Prices But Gridlock Prevents Reform
Why do the pharmaceutical companies raise prices? Not because of increased manufacturing costs. And not because they have to cover additional research expenses, the excuse they trot out at every opportunity. They raised prices for only one reason: They could. (Ted Kaufman, 1/27)

The Hill: To Lower Drug Prices, We Should Pursue Price Transparency 
Today, both the House Oversight Committee and Senate Finance Committee are holding hearings on prescription drug prices. This is welcome action to address a major national problem. According to Kaiser Health, about one-quarter of Americans say they or their family have not filled a prescription or skipped doses because of cost. At my private practice in Louisiana, I hear complaints from my patients almost daily about how high drug costs impact their pocketbooks, retirement savings and even health. (Gerard Gianoli, 1/29)

The Hill: Proposed Drug Importation Bill Would Expose Americans To Counterfeit Meds
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) just introduced legislation to legalize the importation of prescription drugs. The “Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2019” would enable Americans to purchase cheap medicines from Canadian pharmacies for their own personal use. The lawmakers believe the bill would reduce patients’ spending at the pharmacy counter.Lowering drug costs is a noble goal, but importation is not the answer. At best, the bill would yield little savings. At worst, it could endanger American lives by opening the floodgates to harmful counterfeit drugs. (Peter J. Pitts, 1/23)

Stat: It’s Time To Get Serious About The Economics Of Expanded Access
As the winds of change blow away the lingering odors of the “right to try” miasma, it’s time to get serious about expanded access 2.0. Last week, more than 500 people from industry, academia, government, and patient advocacy groups convened at the National Press Club in Washington to discuss, debate, and develop what comes next for expanded access, also known as compassionate use. The first voice to be heard was Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a “fireside chat” I had the honor to moderate. Woodcock shared her belief that expanded access programs are only an iterative step towards more regular and robust use of platform trials. (Peter J. Pitts, 1/30)

Roll Call: A Patient’s Perspective: 3 Ways Congress Can Tackle Our Drug Pricing Crisis
Cancer literally broke my back. It also taught me a powerful lesson: The prescription drug pricing system in the U.S. is rigged against patients. I have an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. I was diagnosed when the cancer ate through one of my vertebra, and I couldn’t move. Every four weeks, I have a cocktail of drugs infused into my body. It takes five hours, and the price is more than $325,000 a year. (David Mitchell, 1/29)

Forbes: Big Pharma Should Accept Cap On Drug Price Increases
The biopharmaceutical industry has made stunning progress in discovering and developing breakthrough medications. Last year proved phenomenal with 59 FDA approvals – an all-time best.  But the industry’s success is more than numbers as the quality of these drugs is impressive. The drugs approved in 2018 cover a broad range of diseases including various cancers (breast, lung, prostate, thyroid), infectious diseases (small pox, malaria, flu, HIV) and many rare diseases. Past predictions of the coming of a golden age of miraculous medicines seems finally to have been realized. (John LaMattina, 1/28)

Stat: Biosimilars And Interchangeability: FDA’s Approach Makes Sense
The old adage “haste makes waste” usually makes sense. The Food and Drug Administration is following that adage in its thorough and thoughtful approach to building the ground rules for a successful biosimilars market in the United States.Some in the pharmaceutical industry are calling for a faster solution to bringing biosimilars into the market. I think that would be a mistake. (Richard Markus, 1/23)

Austin American-Statesman: HHS’ Solution To Drug Prices? Sabotaging Patient Access
To drive down drug costs, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar proposed sweeping changes to Medicare.The proposal isn’t the solution patients have been waiting for. The reform would lower drug costs, but only by making it harder for underserved communities, including minority and low-income patients, to secure the best treatments. (Mario Lopez, 1/21)