Drugs

PhRMA Analysis Finds Hospitals Jacking Up Drug Prices

A new analysis commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) shows that about one in five hospitals marks up medicine prices 700% or more. The analysis is presumably intended to deflect criticism of the pharmaceutical industry for unnecessarily raising drug prices and thus burdening U.S. health systems.

Conducted by the Moran Company, the analysis also found that “320 hospitals – eight percent of those included in the study – marked up some medicine prices more than 1,000%. The analysis used Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data that included total costs and charges for all medicines from 3,792 hospitals. “On average, hospitals included in the study marked up the price of medicines nearly 500%, consistent with an analysis of 20 medicines previously conducted by Moran,” PhRMA says.

“Hospitals receive billions of dollars every year in negotiated and mandatory discounts from biopharmaceutical companies while simultaneously increasing the price of these medicines to insurers and patients,” PhRMA CEO Stephen J. Ubl is quoted in a release as saying. “In order to make medicines more affordable for patients, we must address the role hospital markups play in driving up medicine costs.”

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