May 17, 2010 - More Challenges To Biosimilar Development Than Generics.
The Wall Street Journal (5/17, Gryta) reports that Merck & Co.'s has ended its effort to copy Amgen Inc.'s Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa). The FDA is asking some companies to conduct extensive clinical trials, increasing risk of failure. This may limit the “biosimilar” industry to only the largest drug companies, the Journal notes. Biosimilar products which gain approval will likely not be automatically substitutable for biotechnology therapies, as opposed to traditional generics, which can earn the majority of market share in months.
May 18, 2010 – AARP Reports Brand-Name Drug Prices Rose 9.7% Last Year.
The Wall Street Journal (5/18, Hobson) "Health Blog" reported the AARP found widely used brand-name drug prices rose 9.7 percent in the 12 months ending in March. This represents "the biggest annual jump since the group started tracking prices in 2002." Additionally, the AARP, reported the cost of specialty drugs rose by 9.2 percent. AARP also noted that general inflation was nearly flat, and generic drug prices widely used by people in Medicare fell 9.7 percent. In a statement contesting AARP's findings as misleading. PhRMA stated, the AARP reports failed to account for "discounts and rebates generally negotiated between drug manufacturers and payers, which can significantly lower the cost of brand-name medicines, ultimately benefiting patients.” NPR (5/18, Hensley) reported the story as well.
May 20, 2010 - Rate of Prescription Drug Use Among Children Outpaced Adults Last Year.
The AP and ABC News (5/20, Murphy) reported, "Prescription drug use among children grew several times faster than for adults last year,” according to an analysis by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. "A five percent increase in prescription drug use for children contributed to a 10.8 percent spending increase last year." Overall, "prescription drug use rose 1.3 percent, and drug spending climbed 3.7 percent." Notably, "more children are being treated with cholesterol fighters or powerful anti-psychotics normally used by adults."
Reuters (5/20, Berkrot), reported a doubling of prescribing of antipsychotic medications for children since 2001. Citing the obesity epidemic, Medco chief medical officer Dr Robert Epstein also pointed out that since 2001, there's been a 50 percent increase in the number of children between 10 and 19 who use cholesterol-lowering medications, a 147 percent swell in teens taking acid reflux and heartburn remedies, and a 24 percent increase in prescriptions for blood pressure medicines. NPR (10/19, Hensley) "Shots" and The Wall Street Journal (5/19) "Health Blog" also covered the story.
May 21, 2010 - Statins May Increase Cataract, Kidney Failure, Muscle Pain And Liver Dysfunction Risks.
Bloomberg News (5/21, Cortez) reports that, according to a study published online May 20 in the British Medical Journal, statin "drugs to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease...increase the risk of cataracts, kidney failure, muscle pain and liver dysfunction." In "a study of more than two million Britons," researchers found that "for every 10,000 people taking a statin, there were about 271 fewer cases of heart disease, eight fewer cases of esophageal cancer, 307 extra patients with cataracts, 23 additional patients with acute kidney failure, and 74 extra patients with liver dysfunction." HealthDay (5/21, Reinberg) reported, "On the more positive side, the study found no link between statin use and risks for a wide range of cancers (including stomach, colon, lung, renal, breast, or prostate malignancies), as well as no connection to Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, blood clots, dementia, or fractures." Important to note is that "the risk for adverse effects lasted as long as the drugs were being taken, but were highest during the year when treatment was initiated, the researchers found." Reuters (5/21, Helland), BBC News (5/21), and the UK's Daily Mail (5/21, Hope) provided additional coverage.
May 21, 2010 – Chronic Chemotherapy Use May Provide Longer Remission In Multiple Myeloma and Follicular Lymphoma.
The New York Times (5/21, A17, Pollack) reported on research presented the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting showing that "use of the drug lenalidomide after stem-cell transplant sharply cut the recurrence of multiple myeloma." Another study found “two years of maintenance therapy with the drug rituximab cut the risk of cancer recurrence in half among patients with follicular lymphoma." ASCO's president-elect suggests that, "This...suggests lymphoma, like many human cancers, is a chronic disease and increasingly is likely to require chronic therapy to maintain remission." The Wall Street Journal (5/21, Dooren, Winslow), Bloomberg News (5/21, Lopatto), Reuters (5/21, Clarke), Dow Jones Newswire (5/21, Dooren, Loftus) and HealthDay (5/20, Dotinga) also covered the story. These studies will likely increase interest in continuing these relatively expensive cancer medications for extended periods of time.
May 21, 2010 – Poor Adherence to Medication Costs Over $170 Billion In The US Annually.
Pauline W. Chen, MD writes in the New York Times (5/21) Doctor and Patient column, "Like politics, religion and sex, medication nonadherence, or noncompliance, remains a topic of conversation that most of us try to avoid. …bringing the topic up in the exam room feels more like a confession or inquisition than a rational discussion." In fact, "few of us want to talk about medication nonadherence, much less admit to it." Data show that medication nonadherence costs "more than $170 billion annually in the United States alone."
