Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Patent Rule Change For Generics Reportedly Could Increase Federal Health Care Costs By $1.3B Over Decade
A patent law change sought by the pharmaceutical industry could cost federal health-care programs $1.3 billion over a decade by delaying new generic medicines, an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. Pharmaceutical trade groups are asking Congress to exempt drug patents from being challenged through an administrative process that is cheaper and faster than the federal courts. The procedure has become popular with generic-drug companies looking to sell copies of brand-name products. (Walker, 8/31)
Outrage over prescription drug prices is coming from every corner of the health care arena with one notable exception: disease advocacy groups. Despite the influence that dozens of these groups enjoy on Capitol Hill, most have been conspicuously silent on the issue, instead remaining focused on their push for research dollars and access to cures. (Norman, 8/31)
In another industry development, Google teams up with Sanofi to take on diabetes -
Google Inc.鈥檚 life science unit is still seeking a name but it already has a foe: diabetes. The U.S. Internet giant on Monday agreed to work with French drugmaker Sanofi to devise new ways of managing a disease that afflicts 382 million people worldwide, adding to recent deals with Novartis AG and DexCom Inc. The companies didn鈥檛 disclose financial details of the agreement. (Bennett, 8/31)
And in other drugmaker聽news, Bristol-Myers Squibb is acquiring rights to a mid-stage fibrosis drug while Bayer moves聽to the final stage of testing an experimental medication for聽chronic heart failure and diabetic kidney disease -
Drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb said it bought rights to a mid-stage fibrosis drug and its privately held developer for up to $1.25 billion, boosting its pipeline for drugs that treat tissue scarring. The deal gives Bristol-Myers access to Promedior Inc's lead experimental drug, PRM-151, which is being tested to treat two types of fibrosis. (8/31)
Bayer AG will conduct final-stage tests on an experimental drug to treat chronic heart failure and diabetic kidney disease following successful mid-stage trials. The latest studies determined the right dosing levels for the medicine, called finerenone, Leverkusen, Germany-based Bayer said in a statement on Monday. The company will now examine the drug鈥檚 efficacy and safety in almost 15,000 patients it hopes to enlist over three years. (Koch, 8/31)
