Rx Drugs

Sanofi’s plans to open up a new company in Europe focused on making and marketing active pharmaceutical ingredients to third-party drug manufacturers would be a boon to the pharmaceutical supply chain and make it less susceptible to region-specific challenges, according to Michael Ganio, director of pharmacy, practice and quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Large employers continue to telegraph their frustration with drug and hospital prices in yet another report that shows an openness to price controls and government interventions that would have been anathema in previous years.

The White House budget office is reviewing a final FDA guidance that clarifies how the agency interprets a biosimilar law provision that deems certain biologics previously approved under drug law to be licensed at biologics starting on March 23.

Medicaid managed care plans negotiate prescription drug costs and encourage the use of generics more than traditional Medicaid, driving down net costs per prescription, according to a study by The Menges Group and that was put together for America’s Health Insurance Plans.

For the first time in the history of Medicare Part D, generic drugs make up a bigger share of non-preferred formulary tiers where they cost more, which discourages consumers from choosing generics, according to a new analysis from Avalere.

A U.S. district court judge will let drug maker Lannett intervene in Genus Lifesciences’ lawsuit against FDA in which the company argues the agency violated Hatch-Waxman by reviewing and approving Lannett’s cocaine hydrochloride nasal solution, Numbrino, even after Genus had obtained exclusivity on its own cocaine hydrochloride solution, Goprelto.

Sen. Joni Ernst (IA) is the latest Republican to support bipartisan drug pricing legislation by fellow Iowan and Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R), bringing the number of Senate Republicans who support the bill to 12.

Changes to the Senate Finance drug pricing bill already have been made and the Congressional Budget Office is estimating the revisions’ impact on the budget, but Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley remained mum on those changes Thursday (Feb. 13).

The Center for American Progress is recommending several policies to help states cut drug costs, but it is not enthusiastic about drug imports.