Rx Drugs

One of President Joe Biden’s executive orders out Thursday steps into the still smoldering issue over coverage of non-diagnostic COVID-19 testing, demanding that HHS clarify insurers’ responsibilities.

Eli Lilly will pursue an expanded emergency use authorization for its monoclonal antibody, bamlanivimab, the company said Friday (Jan. 22) as it revealed that data from an ongoing trial suggest the therapy reduced long-term care facility residents’ risk of contracting symptomatic COVID-19 by 80% compared with those who did not receive the therapy.

President Joe Biden on Thursday (Jan. 21) signed an executive order directing HHS and other agencies involved in COVID-19 response to take immediate action using all available authorities, including using the Defense Production Act, to fill vaccine, testing and personal protective equipment supply gaps and to take steps to address the pricing of pandemic response supplies.

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday (Jan. 14) released a bipartisan report that blames both drug companies and pharmaceutical benefit managers for rising insulin prices.

CMS is using a demonstration to weaken two pillars of patient protections in Part D: protected drug classes and the requirement that insurers cover at least two drugs in each class.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) wants to purchase COVID-19 vaccine doses directly from Pfizer rather than waiting for allocations from the federal government, but HHS, which has to give Pfizer permission to sell directly to state governments, isn’t on board with the idea.

President-elect Joe Biden on Friday (Jan. 15) outlined his plan to expand the availability of and access to COVID-19 vaccines by releasing most of the available doses in reserve, invoking the Defense Production Act to ensure there’s a robust supply, expanding vaccine eligibility to people ages 65 and over, and standing up more vaccination centers across the country and launching mobile vaccination clinics.

President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal unveiled Thursday (Jan. 14) calls on Congress to subsidize COBRA coverage through September and to implement one of Biden’s major health agenda items: increasing and expanding the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits.

HHS is exempting physicians from certain certification requirements needed to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, the department announced Thursday (Jan. 14).