- Amgen taps comedian Jay Leno for ‘cholesterol 911’ awareness push (fiercepharma.com)
Comedian and former late night host Jay Leno isn’t laughing about his cholesterol numbers. But he is using humor to get the message across in an awareness campaign with Amgen that focuses on the dangers of high cholesterol...The new campaign, “Cholesterol 911,” looks to sound the alarm with digital and social media creative combining Leno’s love of cars, his personal cholesterol concerns and a dash of humor. The 911 theme is an effort “to bring urgency to this message and help people avoid an emergency situation,”...READ MORE
- First diabetes drug transparency report reveals profits, costs associated with treating the disease (thenevadaindependent.com)Supplemental Report 2017 Essential Diabetes Drugs (dhhs.nv.gov)
Drug manufacturers earned an average of $1.58 in profit for every $1 they spent on the production and administration of diabetes drugs in 2017, according to a report released by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services...But the diabetes drug report...found wide variations in the profitability of drugs used to treat diabetes based on data provided by manufacturers to the state. Although some drug companies reported losses, 69 percent reported of manufacturer reports indicated profits greater than the combined cost of production and administrative expenditures, including some with profits more than 20 times combined costs...The long-awaited report comes nearly two years after lawmakers passed a bill requiring manufacturers of diabetes drugs and PBMs to submit annual reports to the state detailing the costs associated with those drugs and explaining any price increases. The first report based on that information was initially slated to be released in September...READ MORE
- March 15 Pharmacy Week in Review: Fasting Diet May Reduce Inflammation, Menstruation Provides a Vital Sign for Girls (pharmacytimes.com)
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.
- Bills would protect health care benefits in Nevada (reviewjournal.com)
Two bills introduced in a Senate health committee...in the Legislature would protect health care benefits in Nevada...Senate Bill 235 would extend pre-existing condition protections created by the federal Affordable Care Act to state law...If SB235 is approved, those with chronic conditions would continue to be protected from discrimination by insurers...A second bill, SB192, introduced in the committee...would require employers to offer comprehensive health coverage that covers all of the ACA’s 10 essential health benefits, including prescription and maternity coverage, if they pay employees at the lower end of a two-tiered minimum wage system...READ MORE
- Dispensaries respond to critical audit, say they want more training on marijuana tracking software (thenevadaindependent.com)
The Nevada Dispensary Association is responding to a recent state audit that was critical of the seed-to-sale tracking system the marijuana industry uses, noting that auditors did not find cannabis was diverted to or from the black market and suggesting that confusion over new software led to reporting errors...State auditors found frequent discrepancies between the amount of sales that are logged into the seed-to-sale tracking software METRC, and those reported on state tax returns. The association, which represents numerous marijuana businesses, did not comment...but provided a statement to The Nevada Independent about the findings this week...The audit suggested that with data incongruencies between the tax returns and the software, the state could have been losing out on $500,000 in tax revenue in a six-month period...READ MORE
- Inactive ingredients in medications flagged as potential problem for some patients (cnbc.com)“Inactive” ingredients in oral medications (stm.sciencemag.org)
Most prescription drugs contain at least one inactive ingrediant (sic) capable of causing adverse reactions, according to a new study...Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology found these medications to contain lactose, peanut oil, gluten or chemical dyes...The team analyzed 42,052 different oral medications and found that nearly 93 percent of them contained at least one inactive ingredient that could cause adverse reactions in certain conditions, such as peanut oil, lactose or dyes. And other medications included ingredients that people were sensitive to, including gluten and some kinds of sugar compounds...READ MORE
- NCI Director Norman Sharpless named acting FDA chief (sciencemag.org)
Norman Sharpless, director of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, will become acting administrator of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...after current FDA chief Scott Gottlieb steps down in early April...The highly regarded Gottlieb reportedly recommended Sharpless as his replacement. He tweeted today: “I’m delighted by the announcement from @SecAzar that @NCIDirector will serve as acting commissioner of #FDA. Ned is a friend to FDA, a great public health champion, a dedicated physician, and will be warmly welcomed into his new role. FDA will benefit greatly from his leadership.”...READ MORE
- Assemblywoman presents bills to require health insurers to apply certain payments to deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums (thenevadaindependent.com)
Democratic Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel presented two bills...that would allow patients to apply cash payments on drugs and the costs of out-of-network emergency bills to their insurance plan deductibles or annual out-of-pocket maximums...The two bills aim to reduce the financial burden of meeting high deductibles and annual out-of-pocket maximums, which have become increasingly common in recent years, by allowing patients to contribute payments made outside the scope of his or her insurance plan to them. But health insurers, at a hearing on the bills during a meeting of the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee...expressed concerns that the requirements as written could be technically difficult to accomplish and overly burdensome...READ MORE
- This Week in Managed Care: March 15, 2019 (ajmc.com)
Jaime Rosenberg, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network
- 5 takeaways from Scott Gottlieb’s surprising FDA departure (biopharmadive.com)
Scott Gottlieb has submitted his resignation as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, after nearly two years at the helm of the agency. Gottlieb plans to leave next month...The unexpected exit has created a number of uncertainties for the pharmaceutical industry. More clarity should come in the lead up to the leadership change. In the meantime, here are five key takeaways from Gottlieb's departure and time at the FDA...READ MORE
1. Who will be Gottlieb's successor?
2. Why is he leaving the FDA?
3. What work does Gottlieb leave unfinished?
4. How will the industry react to Gottlieb's departure?
5. What will Gottlieb's legacy be?