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. STAT reported that ad spending increased 60% in the last 4 years and 9 prescription drugs are expected to spend more than $100 million for ad time. Humira, Lyrica, Eliquis, Cialis, and Xeljanz were responsible for the most ad spend last year.
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, reported The Wall Street Journal. Gilead is seeking a judgement that Merck’s patents are invalid. Gilead is also having trouble with AbbVie, which also claims Gilead’s drugs infringe patents covering various drug combinations.
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, reported USA Today. Since the pharmacist would still need to write a prescription, health insurance would cover the cost. This Tennessee bill follows similar ones passed in Oregon and California.
Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
Read More
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
Read More
Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
Listen
Collecting SDOH Data Can Assess Risk of Medical Nonadherence, Improve HEI and Star Ratings
April 18th 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, a panel of presenters explored changes coming to Medicare that incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to improve patient and health system outcomes.
Read More