First Edition: May 4, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
For Shame: ‘Pharma Bro’ Shkreli Is In Prison, But Daraprim’s Price Is Still High
It was 2015 when Martin Shkreli, then CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals and the notorious “pharma bro,” jacked up the cost of the lifesaving drug Daraprim by 5,000 percent. Overnight, its price tag skyrocketed from $13.50 a pill to $750. The move drew criticism from all corners. Congress hauled Shkreli in for questioning on television. Media outlets shamed the practice. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the powerful trade group for branded drugs, distanced itself, saying Turing “does not represent the values of @PhRMA” and kicked off a campaign it described as “more lab coat, less hoodie.” (Luthra, 5/4)
California Healthline:
Inadequate Oversight Allows Poor Care At California Nursing Homes To Go Unchecked, State Audit Finds
California health regulators have allowed poor care to proliferate at nursing homes around the state, and the number of incidents that could cause serious injury or death has increased significantly in recent years, according to a stinging state audit released this week. The state auditor singled out the California Department of Public Health for particular criticism, saying it had not performed necessary inspections or issued timely citations for substandard care. The audit also found that the department’s nursing home licensing decisions were inconsistent and lacking in transparency. (Gorman, 5/3)
The New York Times:
Women With Breast Cancer Delay Care When Faced With High Deductibles
When Pam Leonard felt a lump in her breast last November, she hesitated, debating whether to get testing to see if she had cancer. She thought of her insurance policy, which carries a deductible of $2,600. She knew she would also have to spend as much as $5,700 on medical bills that would not be covered by an individual policy she bought under the Affordable Care Act. “I went back and forth for a couple of weeks,” Ms. Leonard recalled. “I had to do something,” she said. “It didn’t go away.” (Abelson, 5/4)
Bloomberg:
Health Insurers Had Their Best Quarter In Years, Despite The Flu
U.S. health insurers just posted their best financial results in years, shrugging off worries that the worst flu season in recent history would hurt profits. Aetna Inc., for instance, posted its widest profit margin since 2004. Centene Corp. had its most profitable quarter since 2008. And Cigna Corp., which reported on Thursday, had its biggest margin in about seven years. (Tracer, 5/3)
The Washington Post:
‘I Will Sign Immediately,’ Trump Promises On Proposal To Expand Private Health Care For Veterans
President Trump on Thursday promised he would “immediately” sign revamped legislation expanding veterans’ access to private medical care at taxpayer expense, if Congress passes a new plan being considered just weeks before the “Choice Program” runs out of money. In a tweet Thursday, the president noted that it has been four years since the wait-times scandal at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix. That controversy showed that hospital employees were lying about the amount of time veterans waited for urgent health care, including cancer treatment and mental-health counseling. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 5/3)
The Hill:
Trump Urges Congress To 'Fix' Veterans Health-Care Program
The Veterans Choice Program allows some veterans to see private doctors. It was created in the wake of the 2014 wait-time scandal that started with the Phoenix Veterans Affairs health-care system. Earlier Thursday, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) reintroduced a bill that would overhaul private-care options for veterans enrolled in the Veterans Affairs health-care system, as well as expand caregiver benefits for older veterans and create a process for closing excesses facilities. The bill would expand which veterans are eligible to see private-sector health specialists, as well as entitle veterans enrolled in the system to see a private doctor without a co-pay twice a year. (Kheel, 5/3)
CQ:
Veterans Health Bill Includes $5.2 Billion For Private Care
House Veterans' Affairs Chairman Phil Roe, R-Tenn., introduced a draft bill Thursday to consolidate Veterans Affairs Department accounts funding private health care options and provide a $5.2 billion cash injection into one popular program in danger of running out of money by June. The panel is expected to take up the measure, which would also provide funding for VA construction projects, on Tuesday. (Mejdrich, 5/3)
Stat:
Can Trump Use The Bully Pulpit To Lower Drug Prices? Don't Bet On It
President Trump has not yet made his much-ballyhooed speech on drug prices, and a rumored executive order never came to pass. And yet in Washington there are already suggestions among some administration officials that the political climate created by the president — to say nothing of his comments about drug makers “getting away with murder” — has helped keep prices in check. ... But experts argue that the slowdown has been driven by a series of factors unconnected to the White House. There have been relatively few (expensive) blockbuster drugs released over the past year. Fewer people are using some of the blockbuster drugs of years past. Pharmacy benefit managers continue to negotiate rebates to help bring down the prices people actually pay at the pharmacy counter. And generic prices are decreasing, too. (Mershon, 5/4)
Bloomberg:
FDA Chief Floats Rethinking Of Laws Allowing Drug-Plan Rebates
Days ahead of the expected rollout of a White House plan to tackle soaring drug prices, a top U.S. health official asked whether the legal status of drug-plan rebates should get another look. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb asked in a speech what would happen if the U.S. government re-examined the safe harbor that drug rebates have under federal antikickback laws. (Edney, 5/3)
Stat:
FDA Chief Links Future Of Genetically Engineered Animals And Human Therapies
The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, waded into a debate about how much control his agency should have over genetic engineering in animals, saying that the resolution of this question will have significant implications for the future of gene-based medicine. His remarks, in a speech Thursday at the annual conference of the Food and Drug Law Institute, came less than a month after Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told lawmakers at a hearing that the FDA’s regulations on genetically engineered animals could stifle innovation. (Swetlitz, 5/3)
Stat:
A Sickle Cell Drug Reaches A Critical Readout. Here’s What You Need To Know
People with sickle cell disease have few effective treatment options. The FDA has only approved two drugs — 20 years apart — to treat the inherited blood disorder. Efforts to develop a cure for sickle cell disease using gene therapy or genome-editing have shown early promise but are still years away from being proven. A new and novel medicine from Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT), a small biotech based south of San Francisco, could soon fill that sickle cell treatment gap. A late-stage clinical trial is nearing an interim but important readout before the end of the second quarter. (Feuerstein, 5/4)
Stat:
Wall Street Analyst To Pharma: 'You Do Not See The Trouble Brewing'
Before a widely anticipated speech that President Trump is slated to give next week about drug pricing, one analyst cautions both drug makers and their cheerleaders on Wall Street that their world is about to change – big time. In a pointed note, Wells Fargo analyst David Maris makes clear the ironic dilemma facing the pharmaceutical industry: The enthusiasm for “incredible innovation” is tempered by a public that is “increasingly hostile” to paying for breakthroughs and advances. Why? He cites “unconscionable” price hikes that have “hardened” many opinions. (Silverman, 5/3)
Bloomberg:
Glaxo's Advair Is The $100 Billion Asthma Drug That Won't Die
Since 2001, Advair has helped children and adults with chronic lung diseases while raking in about $100 billion in sales for Glaxo along the way. Yet eight years after the patent on the drug itself expired and two years since its companion Diskus inhaler lost exclusivity, it remains untouched by competition from generics in the U.S. -- and patients like Bassett pay the price. ...After a series of setbacks for manufacturers of copycat drugs, the nation’s health-care system and many of the 25 million Americans with asthma remain burdened with the costs of Advair. (Paton, 5/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Cardinal Health Shares Plunge Amid Inventory, Generic-Drug Price Problems
Cardinal Health Inc. reported a sharp decline in profit in its last quarter and lowered its full-year outlook following inventory write-downs in its overseas businesses and a sharper-than-anticipated decline in generic drug prices. Shares of Cardinal Health, a drug and medical supplies wholesaler, plunged 18% to $53 on Thursday, while the S&P 500 fell 1.3%. Cardinal’s comments on drug-price deflation appeared to raise concerns about competing drug wholesalers, with shares of AmerisourceBergen Corp. falling 5% to $87.61 and shares of McKesson Corp. falling 5.4% to $146.35. (Walker, 5/3)
The Associated Press:
Enrollment Down In Iowa Family Planning Program
A state-run family planning program that Iowa lawmakers established last year to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers has seen a marked decline in patients and participating health care providers, which critics say shows it's not working as promised by its Republican backers. Iowa Department of Human Services data obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request show that just over 5,300 people were enrolled in the program as of March 1, compared to roughly 8,200 when it launched July 1. (5/3)
The Hill:
Conservative Groups Hope To Release New ObamaCare Replacement This Month
Conservative groups are hoping to release a new ObamaCare replacement plan later this month as they try to keep alive the repeal effort. The effort has been led by the Heritage Foundation, the Galen Institute and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who have been meeting at Heritage’s offices, along with other groups, roughly once a week for months. (Sullivan, 5/3)
The Associated Press:
Gov't Urged To Invoke Authority To Boost OD Antidote Access
The Trump administration should invoke government authority to slash prices of a life-saving overdose drug or provide funding to expand access amid the coast-to-coast opioid epidemic, Baltimore's health department and a national advocacy group said Thursday. America is in the throes of its worst-ever drug crisis, yet the generic medication available in other countries by the pennies remains pricey enough in the U.S. that Baltimore's health agency is rationing its naloxone supplies. Other hard-hit U.S. municipalities are also feeling the squeeze as rising overdose rates are fueled by synthetic opioids. (McFadden, 5/3)
Bloomberg:
How Can U.S. Fight The Opioid Crisis? Try Antidote Patents
By overriding patents for naloxone treatments including Kaleo Inc.’s injectable Evzio and Adapt Pharma Inc.’s Narcan nasal spray, the government could lower the cost and increase availability of the antidote, Baltimore’s health department and Public Citizen said in a letter to the White House on Thursday. “They can choose to lower prices and make these products available, accessible, and save lives,” Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, said at a press conference in Washington on Thursday. “Or they can choose not to offend Big Pharma, and let people die for no reason at all except their political consideration for the pharmaceutical industry.” (Yasiejko and Edney, 5/3)
Stat:
Baltimore Officials Urge White House To Sidestep Patents On Opioid Overdose Antidotes
Several federal agencies have recommended increasing access to naloxone, especially for prescription-opioid users, and the high prices have prompted scrutiny from congressional lawmakers. Meanwhile, the pricing has strained municipal government budgets because first responders increasingly rely on the product in the wake of the growing number of opioid overdoses around the country. (Silverman, 5/3)
The New York Times:
De Blasio Moves To Bring Safe Injection Sites To New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio is championing a plan that would make New York City a pioneer in creating supervised injection sites for illegal drug users, part of a novel but contentious strategy to combat the epidemic of fatal overdoses caused by the use of heroin and other opioids. Safe injection sites have been considered successful in cities in Canada and Europe, but do not yet exist in the United States. Leaders in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle have declared their intention to create supervised sites, although none have yet done so because of daunting obstacles. Among them: The sites would seem to violate federal law. (Neuman, 5/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
New York City Mayor Supports Supervised Drug-Use Facilities
Overdose fatalities in New York City have more than doubled since 2000, with a record-high 1,441 people dying last year, according to a city report released Thursday. Proponents say safe-injection facilities will save lives and prevent the spread of disease, while critics say the sites would condone illegal activity and enable addiction. On Thursday, Mr. de Blasio said he would support a one-year pilot program in four city neighborhoods: Gowanus in Brooklyn and Longwood in the Bronx and Midtown West and Washington Heights, both in Manhattan. (King, 5/3)
The New York Times:
Lightning Struck Her Home. Then Her Brain Implant Stopped Working.
One stormy afternoon in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, thunder rolled, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and the television and air conditioner went dark in the apartment of a woman with electrodes implanted in her brain. Lightning had struck the building. But the appliances were not the only things affected. After about an hour, the woman, who had had the electrodes put in five years before to help with debilitating muscle spasms in her neck, noticed her symptoms coming back. (Greenwood, 5/3)
Stat:
Migraines Run In Families. A New Genetic Exploration Zooms In On How
The throbbing, pulsing pain of a migraine headache is unmistakable, making life miserable at least several times a month for about 1 in 5 adults in the developed world. Some types include aura, a disturbance in vision that comes like a dreaded warning before the headache hits. When it does, exposure to light and sound can be unbearable. Nausea and vomiting are possible, too. Like many other common diseases, migraines run in families, but tracing exactly how these sometimes debilitating headaches pass from parents to children has been challenging. New research published Thursday in Neuron adds genetic detail to the growing body of evidence that migraines are caused by hundreds of common genetic variants that influence when migraines start, how severe they are, and whether family members are also affected. (Cooney, 5/3)
The New York Times:
The Tragic Diagnosis They Already Knew: Their Brother Died With C.T.E.
To the family of the former N.H.L. player Jeff Parker, the posthumous diagnosis of C.T.E., or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, was the predictable conclusion. All those hits to the head, including that final one that knocked him out of the game altogether, and all those subsequent years of struggle? In the final, difficult years before Parker’s death last September at age 53, the family figured that it must be C.T.E. “It just makes me sad,” John Parker, Jeff’s younger brother, said through tears. “It doesn’t bring him back. It just makes you feel sad, that he was living with this, and it’s a thing. It’s a real thing.” (Branch, 5/3)
The Associated Press:
DNA Match Sought To Zodiac Killer After Break In Golden State Killer Case
Northern California detectives still trying to identify the infamous Zodiac Killer, who targeted victims in the late 1960s and taunted investigators with letters, say they hope to try the same DNA tracing technology recently used to arrest a suspect in another string of cold-case serial slayings — those blamed on the Golden State Killer. But first they have to get a better DNA profile. (5/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Looking For Clues About The Dangerous Breast Cancers That Turn Up Between Mammograms
With any luck, a screening mammogram that shows no sign of breast cancer means you won't have to think about the disease until it's time for your next exam. But about 15% of breast cancers turn up in that interval between regular screenings. These cases are troubling — and not just because the mammogram failed to catch the tumor before it had grown large enough to cause symptoms. (Kaplan, 5/3)
The New York Times:
Eating Fish And Legumes Tied To A Later Menopause
A diet rich in fish and vegetables may delay the onset of menopause, a new study has found. British researchers used health and behavioral data on 9,027 women ages 40 to 65, and followed them for four years. They assessed their diet using a detailed 217-item food frequency questionnaire that included information on portion size. Over the course of the study, and after excluding women who were pregnant, used hormone replacement therapy or had surgically induced menopause, there were 914 women who went through menopause naturally. (Bakalar, 5/3)
The Associated Press:
State Defends Law On Abortion Doctors’ Hospital Privileges
Lawyers for the state of Louisiana asked a federal appeals court Thursday to uphold a law requiring that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The arguments involve a law blocked by a federal judge in Baton Rouge last year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Texas law. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles was wrong when he ruled against the law in April 2017, argued Elizabeth Murill of the state attorney general’s office. (McGill, 5/3)
Reuters:
Four Found Guilty In Insider Trading Case Linked To U.S. Health Agency
Two partners at the hedge fund Deerfield Management and two others were found guilty on Thursday of charges stemming from what prosecutors have described as an insider trading scheme based on leaks from within a federal healthcare agency. Rob Olan and Ted Huber, partners at Deerfield Management who are on leave, were convicted of counts including wire fraud, securities fraud and conversion of government property, as was David Blaszczak, founder of political consulting firm Precipio Health Strategies. (Pierson, 5/3)
The Hill:
Bush 41 In Hospital: 'The Second I Get The Green Light I’m Outta Here'
Former President George H.W. Bush expressed optimism about his recovery on Thursday, saying as soon as he’s cleared to leave the hospital “I’m outta here.” Bush has remained at Houston Methodist Hospital for nearly two weeks with an infection. The hospital announced Thursday it named one of its atriums after Bush and his late wife, Barbara. (Samuels, 5/3)