Author: Peter

The Biden administration is facing mounting pressure from states to let them import medicine from Canada to help lower prescription drug costs...Colorado...became at least the fourth state to seek federal permission to use the strategy, following Florida, New Hampshire, and New Mexico...President Joe Biden has endorsed the approach, but his administration has yet to greenlight a state plan...“States have done the work, and the only thing preventing them from going ahead is the Biden administration,”...Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told KHN (Kaiser Health News)...that the Biden administration welcomed applications for drug importation programs from Colorado and other states. But he would not pledge that the FDA would rule on any application in 2023...READ MORE

Pharma rep access to HCPs across specialties rose to an average of 60% in the U.S., from a 20% low during the pandemic...The increasing number of clinicians willing to meet virtually has driven the rate of rep-friendly physicians to a record high of 60% in the U.S...That figure, a cross-specialty tally, is up from an average of about 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report shows the extent to which in-person visits, long a staple of the typical drugmaker’s marketing playbook, have been complemented by virtual meetings in the engagement mix. With more than half of all accessible physicians using video in combination with in-person, video is supporting its offline cousin, not supplanting it...READ MORE

On the heels of several high-profile acquisitions, Walgreens aims to be a point of entry for consumers for healthcare services ranging from urgent care to specialty care and even in-home health...Walgreen's VillageMD unit recently announced it was buying another urgent and primary care chain, Summit Health-CityMD, in a deal worth close to $9 billion. The VillageMD-Summit Health deal will expand Walgreen's reach into primary, specialty and urgent care. Combined, VillageMD and Summit Health will operate more than 680 provider locations in 26 markets...READ MORE

Third quarter earning reports have brought news of layoffs from at least six biotechnology companies this week as a weak market continues to weigh on smaller drugmakers...Through Wednesday, Tricida, Freeline Therapeutics, Harpoon Therapeutics, Adamis Pharmaceuticals, Neoleukin Therapeutics and NexImmune have all announced workforce reductions. The cuts range from 30% of employees at NexImmune to 57% of staff at Tricida, putting scores of workers out of a job...READ MORE

In a development in what’s being billed as one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes ever, a federal grand jury yesterday convicted the owner of a laboratory that performs sophisticated genetic tests of bilking Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars...The crime involved telemarketers allegedly lying to Medicare recipients by ensuring them that they were covered for expensive genetic cancer tests...Telemedicine physicians allegedly approved the tests even though they hadn’t treated the patients and, in many cases, hadn’t even spoken to them. The DOJ said dozens of suspects might be involved in the scheme in which $463 million in questionable claims were made to Medicare...READ MORE

The convicted ex-CEO of blood-testing startup Theranos got a multi-year prison term Friday. Prosecutors had sought a term with deterrent effect...Elizabeth Holmes, who was convicted 10 months ago of defrauding investors in the blood-testing startup Theranos, was sentenced Friday to 11 years and two months in prison followed by three years of supervised release...Judge Edward Davila, who also presided over Holmes’ four-year criminal fraud case and her four-month trial in U.S. District Court in San Jose, said the case was “troubling on so many levels,” as he handed down the sentence...“Failure is normal. But failure by fraud is not OK,”...READ MORE

Amazon has rolled out a new virtual medical clinic that aims to treat common conditions like allergies, hair loss and skin conditions...The message-based virtual health service connects consumers with licensed clinicians who can diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for a range of common health and lifestyle conditions...Amazon Clinic partners with third-party telehealth providers including SteadyMD and HealthTap, powered by Wheel, to provide virtual consultation services. Consumers will see upfront pricing for care and an estimated response time. The service creates synergies with Amazon Pharmacy to fill and deliver any medications Amazon Clinic users are prescribed...Amazon Clinic will be cash pay and does not yet accept insurance...READ MORE

Our Northern Nevada pharmacies are being impacted by the countrywide Adderall shortage...According to Quest Counseling, a local mental health clinic, they haven’t had to inform anyone that they can’t fill their prescription, but the scarcity has affected how long it takes to have them filled. That means consumers must search for pharmacies that have it, which may be a time-consuming procedure...“We have our APRN coordinator who’s handling that for patients and it’s very time consuming,” said Amanda Brock with Quest Counseling. “Sometimes they’re calling 10 pharmacies per patient and, with 200 patients, do the math on that. It’s a lot of legwork.”...The shortfall may be more more difficult for people on Medicaid...READ MORE

The reference to “maximum fair price” in the act bodes poorly for manufacturers and suggests more of a take-it-or-leave-it situation rather than a negotiation where clinical evidence would be the prevailing factor in determining price...Now that the dust has settled over enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act, leaders across the industry should be taking stock and assessing how the law will impact their product portfolios and the bottom line. Although several open questions remain, pharmaceutical manufacturers can take actions to best position their organizations to either benefit from — or mitigate repercussions — of the new law. Specifically, executives should lay out strategies for addressing revenue optimization, evidence development planning and portfolio optimization...READ MORE

To encourage sponsor application for over-the counter naloxone, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a Federal Register notice, “Safety and Effectiveness of Certain Naloxone Hydrochloride Drug Products for Nonprescription Use,” that could help facilitate the development and potential approval of nonprescription naloxone drugs...“Today’s action supports our efforts to combat the opioid overdose crisis by helping expand access to naloxone,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD. “The agency will keep overdose prevention and reduction in substance use disorders as a key priority and area of intense strategic focus for action as rapidly as possible.”...READ MORE