
What We're Reading: Ad Spending for Drugs on the Rise
What we're reading, March 10, 2016: spending on drug advertisements up 60% over 4 years; lawsuit between Gilead and Merck over hepatitis C virus drugs; and Tennessee considers allowing pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives.
Despite lawmakers pushing for tighter restrictions on drug advertisements, drug makers are pouring more money into TV and print campaigns.
A lawsuit between Gilead Sciences and Merck & Co will kick off this week regarding patent claims on Gilead’s hepatitis C virus drugs. Merck wants a cut of Gilead’s sales of Sovaldi and Harvoni because the active ingredient, sofosbuvir, infringes 2 of Merck’s patents,
Tennessee could become the next state to allow women to obtain contraceptives from a pharmacist. The bill, which would allow pharmacists who enter an agreement with a physician and meets certain provisions to prescribe birth control, passed the state Senate,
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