[1]pic thx to thomas8047 flicker creative commons
Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? A spot of rain is falling on the Pharmalot campus, but our spirits remain sunny. After all, you may recall a favorite saying from the Morning Mayor: ‘Every brand new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.’ So go ahead and tug on the ribbon. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits to help you along. Hope you have a smashing day and do stay in touch…
Lupin has raised the price of its Fortamet diabetes drug in the U.S. by 200 percent and analysts say the move could increase its product revenue to around $100 million, according to The Business Standard [2]. Despite the huge increase, the drug is still priced lower than a rival medicine sold by Valeant, which recently increased its own price by 500 percent. “After the hike, Fortamet is still 75 percent cheaper,” said Sarabjit Kour Nangra, vice-president at Angel Broking.
The so-called “right to try” laws may not work as expected – and might even strip patients of federal safety protections, Reuters [3] writes, citing an article in Annals of Internal Medicine. So far, the laws have been enacted in 24 states, but have not yet helped patients gain access to experimental therapies. They may also exclude people with serious or rare diseases that are not immediately life-threatening, and disrupt the compassionate use program.
The Sovaldi hepatitis C treatment sold by Gilead Sciences caused rapid and widespread increases in Medicaid spending in 2014, but with substantial variation across states, The Philadelphia Inquirer [4] writes. Pennsylvania’s entire Medicaid prescription drug bill was $2.16 billion in 2014, with 3.67 percent, or $79.3 million, going just for Sovaldi. In New Jersey, 4.85 percent, or $49.6 million, of the $1.02 billion total went toward Sovaldi.
The FDA will begin destroying drugs which are refused entry to the U.S. instead of returning them to their sender, although the rule only applies to medicines valued at $2,500 or less, according to InPharma Technologist [5].
The World Health Organization says that everyone with HIV should be given anti-retroviral drugs as soon as possible after diagnosis, meaning 37 million people worldwide should be on treatment, Reuters [6] tells us.
A potential rheumatoid arthritis treatment from Eli Lilly and Incyte fared better than another drug in late-stage testing, and the drug makers are moving closer to seeking regulatory approval, the Associated Press [7] writes.
Patients with chronic plaque psoriasis are being prevented from routinely accessing Celgene’s Otezla on the National Health Service in England and Wales, after cost regulators deemed the drug too expensive, Pharma Times [8] says.
Novavax received a Gates Foundation grant worth as much as $89 million to support Phase III clinical trials of a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for pregnant women, The Washington Business Journal [9] writes.