Author's posts
In The U.S., Conspiracy Theories And Alternate Facts Undermine Public Health And Cause Death
The insidious agenda of anti-vaccine activism and supporters of so-called “health freedom” has led to hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths. Inexplicably, anti-vaccine activism extends well beyond novel Covid-19 vaccines. It includes childhood vacc…
U.K.’s Voluntary Scheme For Branded Medicines, Pricing, And Access (VPAS) Faces A Potential Crisis
Two large U.S.-based drug companies – AbbVie and Eli Lilly – have now exited the voluntary drug price agreement, citing the “punitive” system of revenue clawbacks, which has risen to 26.5% of branded sales in 2022. And, AbbVie and Lilly aren’t the only…
DTC Advertising Of Prescription Drugs In The U.S. Often Promotes Products With Comparatively Low Therapeutic Value
Fewer than one-third of the most commonly advertised drugs were rated as having “high therapeutic value,” defined as providing at least moderate improvement in clinical outcomes relative to existing treatment alternatives.
Inflation Reduction Act Favors Biologics Over Small Molecules: In The Long Term, This Could Partly Undermine Bill’s Effort To Contain Costs
Because the Inflation Reduction Act gives small molecule drugs a shorter, 9-year post-approval window before their “fair prices” are implemented, executives in the pharmaceutical industry have argued that the IRA will “harm innovation,” in particular, …
As CMS Asks For The Public’s Feedback On Implementing The Inflation Reduction Act, Unresolved Issues Related To Drug Price Negotiations Remain
On January 11, CMS announced a timeline for implementation of the IRA’s drug pricing provisions, including price negotiations. CMS is enlisting the public’s feedback throughout the process of price negotiations. As CMS asks for the public’s help, sever…
Aspirations 2023: What I Hope To See Happen In Healthcare And Public Health (But Probably Won’t)
For decades, we’ve been talking about important reforms to the U.S. healthcare system as a whole – including aligning price and value of all healthcare services (not just prescription drugs) and reducing patient out-of-pocket costs – with very few conc…
With FDA Accelerated Approval Of Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab Likely January 6th, Discussion Turns To Price And Reimbursement
Lecanemab’s PDUFA date for its potential accelerated approval is January 6th. The product could launch after its FDA approval. Now the discussion turns to what price it will be launched at, and whether it will eventually be reimbursed by CMS, the predo…
Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company Continues To Revolutionize Generic Drug Pricing
Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company is making waves again, as it steadily raises its profile in the generic drugs sector. With more than 1.5 million customers, the company is fast becoming a major disruptor in generic drug pricing.
The Number One Health Story From 2022 Is The Troubling Decline In Life Expectancy
The biggest health story from 2022 isn’t Covid-19. It isn’t RSV or influenza, either. It isn’t cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. It’s something that encompasses all these diseases and much more. It’s the troubling decline in U.S. life expect…
Some Predictions 2023 For The Economy, Public Health, And The Biopharmaceutical Sector
It’s that time of year again. New year’s resolutions and predictions for the upcoming year. Here, I give some predictions for the economy, public health, and the biopharmaceutical sector.
