Drugs

Public Citizen Challenges Notion of Drug Prices Falling

Public Citizen says the Trump administration “has been unable to enact a single meaningful reform to bring down drug prices. That happens when you hire pharma execs to regulate pharma execs. Now the president is turning to the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) to invent the drug pricing victory he did not achieve.”

In a statement, the advocacy group says a CEA report issued earlier this week “measures pricing trends by high-volume drugs dispensed at pharmacies rather than by the high-priced drugs that are causing rationing, bankruptcy, and suffering. The White House put work into these alternative facts. Instead, it should work to line up Republican votes for the modest but meaningful legislation developed by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Perhaps the president could remember a more ambitious promise he made and broke, and support legislation for direct government price negotiations with drugmakers. People are still waiting for that real relief.”

Public Citizen also criticizes Trump for allowing drug companies to “rig” the revised North American Free Trade Agreement to lock in high drug prices in the U.S. and raise prices in Canada and Mexico.

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