Rx Drugs

A think tank president says HHS’ proposal to index Medicare Part B drug prices to those in foreign countries references the wrong 15 countries, and his proposal for tweaking the administration’s proposal caught the attention of Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows (R-NC).

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the new Senate Finance Committee chairman, said that HHS Secretary Alex Azar is likely using the administration’s International Price Index model for Medicare Part B to extract concessions from pharmaceutical companies after the committee’s first in a series of planned hearings on prescription drug pricing.

The Senate Finance Committee kicks off its first hearing on prescription drug pricing Tuesday (Jan. 29), but Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) already tweeted that a future topic of investigation will be abuses of the rebate system by pharmacy benefit managers -- an announcement that would typically be made by committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

Lobbyists say a BioCentury report Friday (Jan. 25) that the board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is considering a cap on drug price increases is correct, but a brand drug lobbyist said it is difficult to determine whether the board will vote to commit its members to such a pledge.

Washington state’s health care authority is in the final stages of a plan to pay a subscription for hepatitis C drugs that would cover its Medicaid beneficiaries, prisoners and state employees, including teachers, and the winner-take-all model could be extended to the commercial market and other states.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) is requesting state legislation to let its Medicaid program negotiate supplemental rebates for expensive drugs.

Brand-drug lobbyists are warning new House lawmakers to steer clear of Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and not sign on to his drug-pricing bills, a staff member for the House Ways & Means health subcommittee chair said Thursday (Jan. 24) at the Families USA Health Action Conference.

As FDA and Congress take steps toward enhancing reliance on over-the-counter and nonprescription medicine, the OTC drug lobby group, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, continues to advocate for passage of OTC monograph reform legislation, incentivizing OTC drug makers to help spur prescription-to-OTC switches, and oversight of dietary supplements, CHPA President and CEO Scott Melville told Inside Health Policy.

Despite opposition from industry, FDA is not budging from its plan to require that drug and biologics makers with a product approved through the accelerated approval pathway disclose that information on the product’s Indications and Usage section and include a statement explaining that continued approval may be subject to additional trials to confirm the drug’s clinical benefit.