Drugs

Drug Spending Accelerated Last Year: Report

A new report from IQVIA says drug spending in 2024 accelerated, with net prices growing at an 11.4% rate last year compared with a 4.9% increase in 2023. “Greater use of medicines with significant clinical benefits is driving spending growth, while net price growth is flat,” the report finds. Total prescription medicine use also increased 1.7%, reaching 215 billion days of therapy in 2024, compared to 212 billion days in 2023.

The report also found that retail drugs currently represent 83% of medicine use in the U.S., with only 17% of use in non-retail settings. “The use of prescription drugs dispensed from retail pharmacies has continued to grow at a rate of 3.0% annually, on average, over the last five years but growth slowed to 1.3% in 2024 bringing total market growth down,” it says.

Additionally, 27% of written prescriptions are not filled due to payer rejections and abandonment by patients. The unfilled rate includes 34% in Medicaid, 24% in Medicare, and 28% in commercial insurance. “Payer rejections may be driven by formulary decisions, failure to satisfy prior authorization requirements, refilling too soon or exceeding volume limits, but nearly half of those rejections are overcome either by the patient switching to a secondary insurer, paying cash, or adding a coupon,” the report says.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome