On the heels of recent moves in the Trump administration to require list prices in direct-to-consumer advertisements for drugs, PhRMA President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl discussed how member companies are planning to move forward. PhRMA says including list prices in advertisements could potentially […]
Orphan Drugs: European Payer Perspectives
Via FirstWord European payers are concerned about orphan drugs citing unjustified high prices and a lack of evidence of utility and value. Pharma has a trust issue with payers, so how can the industry get back on track and gain European payer support for the expanding orphan drug sector? Payers […]
AHIP President: PBMs Not the Problem on Drug Prices
Matthew Eyes, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, says a recent blog post on pharmacy benefit managers and their role in drug prices misses on key fact: pharma companies set the prices. Eyes' blog post on Health Affairs was in response to Michael Carrier's Aug. 30 post, "A […]
Merck CEO Criticizes Middlemen in Supply Chain
Kenneth Frazier, pharma giant Merck's chief executive, criticized middlemen in the supply chain and discussed rising drug costs during an hour-long interview with the Economic Club of New York. Frazier says after a drugmaker publishes its list price, pharmacy benefit managers receive discounts, […]
Republican Lobbying Firm Behind APMI
The CGCN Group, a Republican lobbying firm, tells STAT that the Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation, a new pro-pharma advocacy group, is one of their clients. According to STAT, the group on Thursday said it had received "seed money from people inside the [drug] industry." CGCN Group Partner […]
AstraZeneca Chief Talks Brexit, Salary
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot in recent interviews discussed the company's recent moves as Brexit and EU customs talks continue, as well as his salary compared to his peers, according to a PMLiVE report. Soriot in interviews with the Times and Sunday Times said the company had boosted its medicine […]
Expert says PBMs Have Little Transparency
ActiveRADAR CEO David Henka tells Healthcare Finance the relationship between drugmakers and pharmacy benefit managers involves little transparency, which plays a significant role in pharmacy costs. "Nobody knows in terms of a plan sponsor what those contracts are, how much those rebates really […]
Opinions Divided on CVS Program
CVS Health's new drug coverage program that lets self-funded insurers exclude coverage for drugs with a launch price of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year has led to a schism of opinions in the industry. CVS executives Troyen Brennan and Syra Singh recently defended the program in a Health […]
Nostrum CEO Defends Massive Price Hike on Antibiotic
Nostrum Laboratories CEO Nirmal Mulye said "it is a moral requirement to make money when you can" in response to his decision to hike the price of an antibiotic by some 400 percent, according to a Financial Times report. Nostrum in August raised the price of one bottle of nitrofurantoin, an […]
Pressure Mounts for Pharma Over Transparency
The pharmaceutical industry is under constant pressure from governments across the globe to develop more transparent drug pricing practices, according to an article published on PharmaTimes. On the home front, President Donald Trump's "American Patients First" blueprint, along with recent […]
