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Canadian pharmaceutical industry lobby groups, in an effort to head off a planned crackdown on prescription drug prices, offered to give up C$8.6 billion ($6.6 billion) in revenue over 10 years, freeze prices or reduce the cost of treating rare diseases...Those industry offers did not impress federal officials, coming last year as Canada prepared to expand the powers of a little-known federal watchdog called the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board to reduce the cost of prescription drugs...The government proposals would change the countries Canada compares its prices to, dropping the United States where they are highest, and set a formula to assess cost-effectiveness of medicines...the new rules were scheduled to come into effect last month but have been delayed as the government reviews feedback, which has some wondering if they will ever be implemented...Unlike other countries with universal healthcare, Canada’s government-funded healthcare system does not cover prescription drugs. Most Canadians rely on an expensive patchwork of public and private insurance plans for that. Among industrialized nations, only the United States and Switzerland spend more on prescriptions per capita...

Attorney General Aaron Ford is seeking an outside firm to represent the state in a major lawsuit against some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers...members of the legislative Interim Finance Committee granted the attorney general’s office permission...to open up bidding for an outside law firm to represent the state in litigation against opioid manufacturers. Ford...who...worked for a private law firm that is representing numerous Nevada municipalities in class action lawsuits, also said...that he will recuse himself from selection of outside counsel...State Consumer Advocate Ernest Figueroa, who presented the request to lawmakers, gave few details on the proposed litigation beyond stating that approval from the interim body was a required step under state law. He cited a declaration of findings signed by Ford and Gov. Steve Sisolak on Jan. 23 saying the state likely required additional legal resources to pursue litigation against companies that engaged in “unlawful and deceptive practices marketing of prescription opioids.”

This is another way CVS and Walgreens are adding health services to their stores to keep people coming in, with more and more dollars being spent online...SmileDirectClub has opened six locations inside CVS stores to fit people’s teeth for invisible aligners...Walgreens has opened an Aspen Dental office in one of its Florida stores in December...You can already get checked and treated for strep throat at many drugstores. You can now get your teeth cleaned and straightened at some...People are shopping more online. That’s a problem for drugstores, so Walgreens and CVS are getting creative...It all boils down to trying to diversify what they’re offering in the front of the store...

Novartis has announced the execution of contingency plans, including the stockpiling of medicines that it provides in the UK, to ensure there is no disruption of supply to patients in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal...Amid increasing concerns over a no-deal Brexit, the Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant said that measures are being taken to maintain the provision of the 120 million packs it imports to the UK from Europe each year...The company added that patient access to Novartis, Sandoz and Alcon drugs and products will be its priority...the UK National Health Service provided pharmacists with contingency plans to ensure there is no disruption to medicines supply in the event of a no-deal Brexit...Novartis urged NHS trusts and pharmacists to follow the government’s advice and refrain from stockpiling medicines in order to manage the supply centrally and better address shortage risk...Roche and GlaxoSmithKline are also building up their inventories to tackle any shortages.

Putting together a student body that looks like Las Vegas is the outgrowth of a laser focus on recruiting students committed to the area and willing to help fill big gaps in the state’s health care-workforce. Nevada is chronically short on doctors...Nevada ranks 47th in the nation for the number of active doctors per 100,000 patients, and 48th in the country for its ratio of doctors to residents. In Southern Nevada, that averages out to just over 180 full-time physicians per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 303...The school of medicine (UNLV School of Medicine) is projected to have an economic impact of more than a billion dollars a year and create 8,000 jobs by the time it’s fully functional in 2030. But for now, it’s still growing up — the school is asking legislators this session for an additional $14.3 million to add two new cohorts of students, more residencies and additional faculty...One of the main requirements to enter the UNLV Medical School is that the students are originally from Nevada or have strong ties to the state...Although the UNLV School of Medicine doesn’t recruit students outside Nevada...“The reason is we feel like [it’s] more likely they’ll stay to practice here after graduation. People who apply that are not from Nevada we don’t even consider,” Joncich said. “This is what we need in Las Vegas. We need doctors to stay in Las Vegas and treat Las Vegans.”

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Walgreens Boots Alliance shareholders have instructed the company to explain how it’s monitoring and managing risks related to the opioid crisis, according to preliminary results announced...at Walgreens’ annual shareholders meeting...The measure requires Walgreens to prepare a report by June 30 detailing any changes the company has made to its corporate governance since 2012 in response to the opioid crisis. Investors want more specifics, including how Walgreens’ board oversees opioid-related programs and whether executive bonuses consider any opioid-related objectives like promoting ethical conduct...Walgreens’ board opposed the proposal, saying it already discloses how it’s handling the issue...Drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies have all come under scrutiny for their role in the crisis...Lax prescribing and monitoring of prescription painkillers is widely seen as fueling opioid addiction. Now these companies face lawsuits from thousands of state and local governments.

Two powerful U.S. lawmakers sent letters to the three leading insulin manufacturers...requesting information on why its cost has skyrocketed in recent years and how much the companies profit from the life-sustaining diabetes treatment...Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Diana DeGette, the chairman and a top-ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively, wrote to the heads of Eli Lilly and Co, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, the long-time leading manufacturers of insulin. The drugmakers have all raised the price of insulin at similar rates over the last several years...“Despite the fact that it has been available for decades, prices for insulin have skyrocketed in recent years, putting it out of reach for many patients,” the lawmakers wrote...

The IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science today released a new report that reveals important realities about U.S. drug pricing trends...Too many politicians and journalists remain committed to the false narrative of “skyrocketing” and “soaring” drug prices...By contrast, IQVIA data reveal that list prices for brand-name drugs grew by less than 6% in 2018. What’s more, net prices (after rebates and discounts) increased by only 1.5%. The 2018 figures mark the fourth consecutive year that net drug prices have grown by low-single-digit amounts.

Insulin is a life-saving drug for diabetics. Since 2002, the price has more than tripled and some diabetics can’t afford it. People have died rationing their doses, and some are turning to other countries to buy it at a cheaper price...Now, there’s a team of biohackers called the Open Insulin Project in Oakland, California who are trying to make it...The project was co-founded by Anthony Di Franco. He’s a type 1 diabetic who is trying to prove there are easier, cheaper ways to make insulin rather than rely on the big manufacturers like Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi.