Author: Peter

The Washington lobbying group for the pharmaceutical industry may kick out a drugmaker that introduced a high-priced version of an older medicine that had been available much more cheaply...Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America...is reviewing its membership criteria after Marathon Pharmaceuticals LLC...said it would introduce a drug for a rare, deadly muscle disease at the cost of $89,000 a year. A version of the drug had been available for about $1,000 a year overseas and many U.S. patients were allowed to import it...Marathon’s...recent actions are not consistent with the mission of our organization...The leadership of the PhRMA board of directors has begun a comprehensive review of our membership criteria to ensure we are focused on representing research-based biopharmaceutical companies that take significant risks to bring new treatments and cures to patients…

After being blocked by a federal court, Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. have decided to terminate their $37 billion merger deal...The health insurance giants said...that, with the move, Aetna will pay Humana a $1 billion breakup fee...In January...the...District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Department of Justice’s request to enjoin the Aetna-Humana merger. The government claimed that the combination of the two health insurers would lessen competition, harming seniors who buy private Medicare coverage and some consumers who buy health insurance on public exchanges...The consolidation wave hitting the health insurance sector has been seen as a byproduct of the Affordable Care Act. The mega-deals would provide fast access to the millions of people who have gained health coverage under the ACA and would be a vehicle for capturing Medicaid business, which has expanded dramatically under the health reform law...the climate for mergers and acquisitions in the health care sector has become uncertain. Besides the DOJ’s opposition to the mega-mergers, the Trump administration and Republican leaders in Congress have begun efforts to dismantle the ACA. That has cast a cloud on the health insurance marketplace, since it remains unclear what would replace the ACA and how consumers who have obtained coverage via the exchanges would continue to receive benefits.

The state medical board has launched a new website designed to help Nevadans understand the impacts of using opioid-based medications...The knowyourpainmeds.com website created by the state Board of Medical Examiners will also serve as a portal for consumers to file a complaint if they feel their medical provider is not acting appropriately related to the prescribing of medications...We feel that the launch of this new informational tool clearly demonstrates the board’s commitment to creating awareness and our efforts to address this problem...Opioid abuse is expected to be a significant issue for the Nevada Legislature this session...

Nevada’s medical community is largely in agreement with Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budgetary priorities to improve health care in the state over the next two years...Now comes the hard part: Finding funds to adequately address those issues during the legislative session...without creating new gaps in the state’s strained health care system...Sandoval and medical organizations have reached a general consensus on three main issues:

• ...the state’s continuing opioid abuse problem…Sandoval said he’ll introduce the Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Act this year to provide “more training and reporting and heightened protocols for medical professionals” for prescribing pain-relieving but addictive opioids.
• ...funding for the UNLV School of Medicine…The proposed budget includes an additional $10 million in graduate medical education funding to increase medical residency and fellowship programs in the Silver State…
• ...an increase in Medicaid reimbursement to physicians...Sandoval’s proposed budget for the next biennium includes $8.6 million in increased reimbursement for specific groups of health care providers, including those in assisted living facilities, adult day cares and pediatric surgical services. When matched with federal dollars, that will amount to a spending increase of nearly $34 million...

Kelly Walsh, PTNN. This weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

The U.S. medical technology industry saw its jobs ranks fall by nearly 29,000 while the medical device excise tax was in effect, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Specifically, from 2012 to 2015, the number of U.S. medtech jobs declined from 401,472 to 372,638—a loss of 28,834 jobs or a 7.2% decrease for the time period...These numbers reveal just how devastating of an impact the device tax had on our industry and underscore the urgent need for permanent repeal…American device manufacturers are ready to grow and create jobs, the best message this Congress and the Administration can send is through a full and permanent repeal... Bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate are on record in support of full and permanent repeal...

The first Southern Nevada case of Zika virus disease not related to travel was confirmed this week in Clark County, according to the Southern Nevada Health District...A woman was tested Dec. 28, and results released Wednesday confirm that she tested positive for Zika virus disease. The health district’s website indicates the virus was transmitted to the woman by sexual contact...No local mosquitoes have tested positive for the presence of Zika virus, and the woman did not have a travel history that would indicate she was infected in another region…

Last week, Express Scripts released its 2016 Drug Trend Report for the commercial market…For 2016, drug trend—the year-over-year change in spending—was a mere 3.8% for Express Scripts’ commercial plan sponsor customers. The Express Scripts data also highlight how drug prices were only part of the reason behind moderating drug spend. Contrary to the public rhetoric, increased utilization was a bigger influence than higher prices for both specialty and traditional drugs...The new Express Scripts report deconstructs year-over-year changes in drug spending into its two primary components:

• Unit costs—the payer’s cost per unit of therapy. Unit costs vary with: 1) the rate of inflation in brand-name drug prices, 2) shifts to different drug options within a therapeutic class, 3) a shift in mix of therapeutic classes utilized by beneficiaries, and 4) the substitution of generic drugs for brand-name drugs. Note that for the second year in a row, the Express Scripts unit cost data account for the value rebates shared with payers.
• Utilization—the total quantity of drugs obtained by a payer’s beneficiaries. Utilization varies with: 1) the number of people on drug therapy, 2) the degree to which people adhere to their drug therapy, and 3) the average number of days of treatment.

Indian drugmaker Aurobindo is heeding the call of President Donald Trump and is planning on establishing additional manufacturing in the United States...Aurobindo, which is India’s fourth largest drugmaker by sales, already has a manufacturing site in New Jersey and also has a presence in North Carolina...the company is expecting to expand the New Jersey site to include manufacturing of injectables. Currently the site is used to make tablets...the president’s call has worried drug manufacturers in India. That country provides approximately 30 percent of drugs sold in the United States and relies heavily on U.S. markets for its businesses...India’s pharmaceutical businesses contribute about $15 billion annually to that nation’s economy….it would be prudent for the company to look into opening another manufacturing site in the U.S. Aurobindo generates more than half its revenue in the United States...

A nip here, a tuck there — Las Vegas Valley’s medical industry has been evolving for years...And as the region continues to advertise to tourists as a destination for medical services, one sector in particular has blossomed: plastic surgery…Las Vegas has become an international hot spot for plastic surgery, with people traveling to find the doctor who best suits them. That means local doctors are working to keep up with international trends and the latest innovations...For procedures that don’t require hospitalization, patients often book vacations and consider surgery just one of the many activities they’ll do while in town...Another potential benefit of a Las Vegas procedure for tourists is privacy. Clients who don’t want friends or family to know about their procedures or see them with bandages and bruises can enjoy the city, stay for follow-ups and take in the sights without running into someone they know...