Drugs

Lilly CEO Expects Trump Drug Price Order

Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks told an 8/22 earnings call that he expects President Donald Trump to sign an executive order on drug prices before the end of this year. CNBC reports that Ricks expressed hope that Trump’s order would include ideas the drug industry has proposed, such as passing through rebates for Medicare insurance coverage gaps, pricing based on treatment outcomes, and speeding up FDA’s backlog of generic drug approvals.

“Look, we’ve responded to the concerns as an industry and as a company I think pretty well in terms of putting proactively aligned ideas from across the industry on the table that can leverage the power of the marketplace and competition to help consumers with their out-of-pocket costs,” the network quotes Ricks as saying.

He said that even if the executive order includes the industry’s proposals, the debate is not likely to end since the Democrats’ “A Better Deal” campaign specifically sets lowering drug prices as one of its key elements. “So we need to continue to be on our game,” he concluded. “I think we’ve got a good team at PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) now. I think Lilly’s doing our part within that, and the industry is on top of its game here. But there is still quite a bit of risk in the environment, and I wouldn’t want anyone to think otherwise.”

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