What We're Reading: Bill Targets Maternal Mortality Rates; Cutting Drug Prices; US Biosimilar Adoption

Bipartisan Bill Targets Maternal Mortality Rates

The House has passed a bill introduced by Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Washington, and Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, that would support state efforts to investigate pregnancy-related deaths and research how to prevent future deaths. According to The Hill, the bill would provide resources by allow HHS to award grants to states to establish committees that review pregnancy-related deaths. Senators Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota, and Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, authored a companion bill in the Senate, which has not been voted on yet.

Experts Weigh In on Policies Targeting Drug Prices

US Lags in Adoption of Biosimilar Filgrastim

A column in The New York Times examined 4 specific drug pricing policies and had 3 health policy experts weigh in on what the outcomes of implementing these policies could be. The experts considered policies such as allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and value-based insurance design. The challenge is that a single approach will not work for all drug pricing. Generics, patented drugs, and antibiotics may each need their own pricing policy.Biosimilar filgrastim has been shown to protect patient health and reduce costs for cancer care, but the United States has lagged behind other countries in the use of biosimilar filgrastim, sold as Zarxio, which protects patients against febrile neutropenia. Patent litigation has led to launch delays for biosimilars in the United States, and the availability of interchangeable products has increased competition in other countries, according to The Center for Biosimilars®, a sister site of The American Journal of Managed Care^®.