Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Data Show That Net Drug Prices Fell, Surprisingly Thanks To Inflation
Amid ongoing debate over the cost of prescription medicines, a new analysis finds that brand-name drugmakers increased their wholesale prices by 4.8% in the third quarter this year, up slightly from 4.2% a year earlier and 4.9% in the previous quarter. But when accounting for inflation, wholesale prices fell by 3.1%, and inflationary pressures are likely to push wholesale prices still higher. (Silverman, 12/15)
The maker of one of the world’s most profitable medicines is exiting the pharmaceutical industry’s two major lobbying organizations next year, just as Washington pledges to crack down on high drug costs. (Cohrs and Owermohle, 12/15)
In other pharmaceutical news —
The discovery that fingertip oxygen-measuring devices might contribute to health disparities because they appear to work less well on patients with darker skin has roiled the world of pulse oximetry, a $2 billion industry that now faces stricter regulations and pressure to address bias in the development and testing of its devices. (McFarling, 12/16)
Thirty years ago, doctors with Sarasota's Roskamp Institute were the first to discover genetic causes of Alzheimer’s Disease. Now, a drug built on their findings, is likely heading for FDA approval. (Carter, 12/15)
A federal judge has ruled that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) violated the law when it determined that former research chimpanzees in New Mexico would not move to a sanctuary in Louisiana known as Chimp Haven. (Greenfieldboyce, 12/15)
A World Health Organization official said on Friday that the global stockpile of cholera vaccines it helps manage is "currently empty or extremely low" amid a resurgence of the disease around the world. The U.N. health agency says there are around 30 countries around the world that have reported cholera outbreaks this year which is about a third higher than a typical year. (12/16)
In research updates —
The leading journals Science and Cell on Thursday issued “expressions of concern” on papers co-authored by Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who is under investigation over allegations of research misconduct. (Joseph, 12/15)
