What We're Reading: J&J Releases Pricing Info; 12 Superbugs; and Another Alzheimer's Setback

Johnson & Johnson Releases Information on Price Increases

More and more drug makers keep joining the ranks of those who are willingly releasing information about their drug prices amid public upset over rising costs. According to the Associated Press, Johnson & Johnson reported that the price of its drugs increased by less than 10% a year for the last 5 years. While those increases might be less than some other drugs that have made headlines, it is still faster than inflation. Allergan kicked off the wave of increased self-monitoring when the CEO said the company would stick to price increases of less than 10%.

WHO Lists Threatening Superbugs

There are 12 families of bacteria that the World Health Organization claims poses the greatest threat to human health, reported The Washington Post. The list is divided into 3 tiers and was released with the intention of guiding research of new drugs. One of the bacteria with the highest priority is carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, also known as CRE, which can kill up to half of the people who become infected with it. Diseases such as gonorrhea and salmonella food poisoning are also on the list, but landed on lower-priority tiers.

Another Alzheimer’s Drug Fails in Trial

Accera Inc’s experimental drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease is the latest to fail in clinical trial. Reuters reported that the drug, AC-1204 failed to improve symptoms compared with placebo in a late-stage study. Accera’s drug targeted a metabolic deficit that causes a buildup of amyloid and potentially causes the disease. The company has fixed AC-1204’s formulation and is preparing for another late-stage study. Just weeks ago Merck halted a late-stage trial of its Alzheimer’s drug, verubecestat.