Biosimilar or Generic Competition
Pfizer files Groundbreaking Lawsuit against J&J Alleging Anticompetitive Practices
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher September 28, 2017
Pfizer filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, September 20, alleging Johnson &|Johnson (J&J) made “exclusionary contracts” with insurers regarding their drug Remicade. Remicade (infliximab) is biologic medication that must be administered via IV infusion. In contrast to most drugs that are chemically synthesized, biologic medications are large biological molecules or complex mixtures that are not easily duplicated. Remicade (infliximab) is a monoclonal antibody. As biologic medications cannot be exactly duplicated, the FDA process for approving biosimilars is similar but not identical to the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) process for small molecule generic drugs. …
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Drug Money Part 3: How do International Drug-Pricing Policies compare to U.S. Policies?
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher September 27, 2017
Introduction As discussed in earlier Drug Money Issue Briefs, spending on pharmaceuticals is a large and growing concern in the United States and the world. In 2013, the countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) spent $800 billion, accounting for nearly 20% of all health expenditures.[1] Even among OECD countries, however, the U.S. stands out for large spending on pharmaceuticals. In 2014, the U.S. spent $1,112 per capita on pharmaceuticals – more than double the average spending for the countries in the OECD and ~40% more than …
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Academic Articles & Reports Roundup: September 2017
Source Fellow September 27, 2017
By: Katie Beyer, Student Fellow Happy October! In this Roundup of articles from the past month, we cover four articles from September. The topics this month include 1) actual R&D costs for single cancer pharmaceuticals|2) policy solutions beyond antitrust to promote competition and regulate consolidation|3) reasons behind market exclusivity for prescription drugs|and 4) state policy recommendations curbing healthcare consolidation efforts. Actual R&D Costs for Single Cancer Pharmaceuticals A 2017 Tufts University Center for Study of Drug Development and Research estimated the total cost of research and development (R&D) spending is $2.7 …
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Allergan Makes Deal with Mohawk Nation to Avoid Patent Review Process
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher September 13, 2017
The tricks pharma companies use to protect endangered patents took an unexpected turn on Friday when Allergan transferred the rights to all of its patent on Restasis, a drug to treat chronic dry-eye, to the Saint Regis Mohawk tribe. The tribe will then grant Allergan exclusive licenses to the transferred patents. In exchange, the tribe will receive a $13.75 million upfront cash payment and up to $15 million in annual royalties from Restasis sales. Allergan was facing both a federal lawsuit filed in Texas challenging the Restasis patents and an …
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Drug Money Part 2: A Look at 2017 State Legislative Efforts to Reduce Prescription Drug Prices
Source Fellow August 3, 2017
By: Katie Beyer, Student Fellow INTRODUCTION It is no secret that drug prices have been rising at an alarming rate. In fact, spending on prescription drugs rose 12.4% in 2014 and 9% in 2015.[1] In 2015, the U.S. spent $457 billion on prescription drugs, which accounted for 16.7% of overall healthcare services.[2] In 2016, Americans filled 4.4 billion drug prescriptions, at a total cost of approximately $400 billion.[3] On average, Americans spend $1,370 out of pocket on prescription drugs per year.[4] With an average annual price increase of approximately 10% over …
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Academic Articles & Reports Roundup: June 2017
Source Fellow July 1, 2017
By: Katie Beyer, Student Fellow Happy July! In this Roundup of articles from the past month, we cover five articles all published in June. The topics this month include 1) Maryland’s anti-price gouging law|2) the 2018 medical cost trend|3) lowering generic drug costs through effective price transparency|4) state efforts to establish cost sharing standards|and 5) the effects of insurance coverage expansions. Maryland’s Anti-Price Gouging Law The New England Journal of Medicine published an article titled, Targeting Unconscionable Prescription Drug Prices – Maryland’s Anti-Price Gouging Law by Jeremy Greene, and William …
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Academic Articles & Reports Roundup: May 2017
Anna Zaret, Managing Editor May 31, 2017
Summer is finally here! In this Roundup of articles from the past month, we cover four articles published in May. The topics this month include 1) the effect of market concentration on hospital prices|2) links between cost and quality|3) pharmaceutical market competition|and 4) all-payer rate setting. We hope you enjoy your monthly reading list! The Effect of Market Concentration on Hospital Prices Seidu Dauda recently published the article Hospital and Health Insurance Markets Concentration and Inpatient Hospital Transaction Prices in the U.S. Health Care Market (Health Services Research).This research …
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Academic Articles & Reports Roundup: April 2017
Anna Zaret, Managing Editor May 4, 2017
Happy May! This month’s Roundup includes articles about 1) prescription drug competition and generic delay|2) the “Big Insurance” merger cases|and 3) the effect of the ACA’s risk adjustment and reinsurance programs. In addition to the articles highlighted below, be sure to check out our recent blog post about Public Agenda’s report by David Schleifer, Rebecca Silliman, and Chloe Rinehart on how people use and find health care price information. Prescription Drug Competition &|Generic Delay In A Citizen’s Pathway Gone Astray — Delaying Competition from Generic Drugs (New England Journal of Medicine), …
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Academic Articles and Reports Roundup: January 2017
Anna Zaret, Managing Editor February 4, 2017
As we moved into the first month of 2017, we continued to see articles addressing concerns about healthcare costs and the role of the market in healthcare. This month’s Roundup covers 1) state oversight of vertical integration in healthcare|2) the influence of provider and insurer market share on price negotiations|3) frameworks for analyzing product-hopping antitrust claims|and 4) former President Obama’s comments on “repeal and delay” of the ACA. Source Executive Editor Jaime S. King and Erin Fuse Brown published The Double-Edged Sword of Health Care Integration: Consolidation and Cost Control (Indiana …
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Drug Money (Part 1): What Limits Competition in the Pharmaceutical Market?
Anna Zaret, Managing Editor and Grace Lee, Research Fellow January 19, 2017
Introduction In the last year, the public’s outrage about high healthcare costs became more narrowly targeted on pharmaceutical companies. Two major stories about price increases on pharmaceutical products helped fuel the public’s frustration. First in February, Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli testified before congress about his company’s decision to raise the price of Daraprim, the drug used to treat parasitic diseases, particularly occurring in HIV and AIDs patients, from $13.50 to $750 per dose.[1] And then in November, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch testified before Congress about a nearly 500 percent price increase of the epinephrine delivery device …
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