(Reuters)—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is investigating contracts between drugmakers and companies that manage prescription benefits, according to regulatory filings. Federal prosecutors have approached at least three companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. and Endo International Plc., demanding information about their contracts with pharmacy benefit managers. Pharmacy…
France Gets G7 to Discuss Global Regulation of Medicine Prices
PARIS (Reuters)—France will press its G7 partners this month to launch an “irreversible” process to control the prices of new medicines, part of a global drive to make life-saving drugs more affordable, three sources told Reuters. President Francois Hollande said in March he would push for the international regulation of drugs prices when he meets…
U.S. to Raise Payments to Insurers for Medicare Advantage 2017 Plans
NEW YORK (Reuters)—U.S. health insurers that provide Medicare Advantage plans to elderly and disabled Americans will receive government payments in 2017 that are 0.85 percent higher on average than in 2016, reflecting small anticipated growth in medical costs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday. Health and Human Services’ final plan…
Biosimilar Drugs Could Save Up to $110 Billion by 2020
LONDON (Reuters)—Lower-cost copies of complex biotech drugs, known as biosimilars, could save the U.S. and Europe’s five top markets as much as 98 billion euros ($110 billion) by 2020, a new analysis showed on Tuesday. Realizing those savings, however, depends on effective doctor education and healthcare providers adopting smart market access strategies, the report by…
Health Insurer Anthem Sues Express Scripts over Drug Pricing
(Reuters)—Health insurer Anthem Inc. said it had sued pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Co. to recover damages from drug pricing it believes was too high. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is the latest development in a month’s long dispute over Anthem’s contract with…
Opinion: Rheumatologists Cautioned Against Wasteful Testing to Find Rare Diseases
What rheumatologist doesn’t love the good old zebra hunt? You know—the pursuit of diagnosing the extraordinarily rare disease purely through pluck and wits. The zebra hunt is almost a tradition, a perennial topic of polite, but subtly boastful, conversation among peers and the subject of numerous career-building case reports. The hunt also happens to be…
U.S. Health Agency Estimates 2015 Prescription Drug Spending Rose to $457 Billion
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Spending on prescription drugs is projected to have risen to $457 billion in 2015 and will likely continue to grow as a percentage of overall healthcare spending, a U.S. government health agency said on Tuesday. That is an increase of about 8% from 2014’s prescription drug spending, which is also an estimated figure,…
U.S. Hospital Group Warns of Blue Cross Dominance if Anthem Buys Cigna
(Reuters)—The American Hospital Association warned U.S. antitrust regulators that Anthem Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Cigna Corp. will hurt other health insurers’ ability to compete with Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, leading to higher premiums for consumers. Anthem, the country’s second-largest health insurer, runs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states. The hospital group, in…
The Biosimilars Debate Heats Up: Potential cost savings weighed against patient health & safety
After years of speculation about potential cost savings and debates on safety, biosimilars are about to step onto the stage of rheumatic disease treatment. On Feb. 9, the Arthritis Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met in Washington, D.C., and recommended the approval of CT-P13, a proposed biosimilar to infliximab (Remicade),…
U.S. Proposes Hike in Medicare Advantage Payments; Insurer Shares Rise
NEW YORK (Reuters)—The U.S. government on Friday proposed raising payments by 1.35% on average next year to the health insurers who offer Medicare Advantage health benefits to elderly and disabled Americans. Payments to insurers will vary under the 2017 Medicare Advantage proposal, based on the region the plans are sold and on the size of…
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