What we're reading, January 29, 2016: newly approved hepatitis C cure will increase competition; California will vote on a proposition to control the cost of prescription drugs; and a special report details drug shortages and rationing decisions.
There is now more competition in the hepatitis C drug market. Merck’s once-daily pill was approved yesterday, and it will sell for much less than Gilead Science’s treatment. Reuters reported that Zepatier will be $54,600 for a 12-week regimen compared with more than $90,000 for the same 12-week regimen of Harvoni, Gilead’s once-daily pill. Merck’s Zepatier cured hepatitis C in more than 94% of patients. FDA approved the treatment with or without ribavirin for patients infected with genotype 1 and genotype 4.
The expensive hepatitis C drugs brought national attention to the cost of drugs when Gilead’s Sovaldi hit the market, and scrutiny has only intensified in the years since. Now California voters will be able to weigh in on a proposition to help control the cost of prescription drugs. Under the proposition, the state would not be able to pay more for medications than the Department of Veterans Affairs, which would mean driving a harder bargain and lowering the cost of medication for any program where the state pays for a drug, reported Kaiser Health News.
A special report from The New York Times detailed the impact of when there is a national drug shortage. According to the article, shortages have led to medical institutions making the hard decision about who gets a drug, which has led “murky ethical reasoning and medically questionable practices.” In addition, physicians and hospitals often do not tell patients about shortages and drug rationing.
Risk for Second Primary Melanoma Increases After Primary Melanoma Diagnosis as Men Age
March 28th 2024A population-based cohort study out of Norway has found that older men have a higher risk of developing second primary invasive melanoma following an initial primary melanoma, suggesting the benefits of increased surveillance in these patients.
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
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
Poor Well-Being Scores Linked to Early Treatment Stoppage in Multiple Myeloma
March 27th 2024Investigators used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General General Physical Wellbeing Scale to collect data on patient-reported treatment-related adverse effects, to provide clinicians guidance on predicting risk of early treatment discontinuation among ECOG-ACRIN E1A11 trial participants.
Read More