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Senate HELP Panel PBM Bill Requires Rebate Pass-Through, But Not To Plan Members

 
• By Cathy Kelly

Bipartisan legislation announced by Sens. Sanders and Cassidy also emphasizes pharmacy benefit manager transparency and bans spread pricing.

Bill Seeks More Transparency But Doesn't Seek To Upend Rebates • Source: Shutterstock

Pharmacy benefit manager reform legislation co-authored by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chair Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and ranking members Bill Cassidy, R-LA, addresses the hot-button issue of rebates but not in the way biopharma manufacturers are hoping for.

It would require PBMs to remit “100% of rebates, fees, alternative discounts and other remunerations received … that are related to utilization of drugs under such health plan or health insurance coverage to the group health plan

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‘Tectonic’ Arkansas PBM Legislation May Upend Industry

 
• By Tim Casey

Industry will fight hard to prevent other states or the federal government from adopting measures similar to Arkansas' law preventing PBMs from owning pharmacies.

Will International Prices Influence Medicare Price Negotiation?

 
• By Cathy Kelly

A former CMS official suggested the most likely way it could happen is through a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation demonstration.

Managed Access Agreement Fails To Help BioMarin’s Brineura Secure Routine Reimbursement In England

 
• By Francesca Bruce

BioMarin’s ultra-rare disease drug Brineura has breached cost-effectiveness thresholds for highly specialized treatments in England and looks set to be denied routine funding on the National Health Service.

Industry Leaders Grapple With Trump’s Most Favored Nation Pricing Plan

 
• By Jessica Merrill

At the Bank of America health care conference, pharma leaders speculated on the impact of Trump’s most favored nation pricing executive order on US and European markets.

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UroGen’s Mitomycin: Are Randomized Trials For Bladder Cancer Necessary?

 
• By Sue Sutter

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will vote on the risk-benefit of UGN-102 for low-grade, intermediate-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer based on data from a single-arm trial, but the FDA also seeks input on requiring randomized studies for future treatments.

Life After Loper: Vaping Case Shows US FDA Retains Considerable Deference

 
• By Craig Bleifer, Royce DuBiner, Max Bogost, Michael Brody, and Allyson Maur

A US Supreme Court ruling in favor of the agency in an e-cigarette case has implications for drugs and other medical products as the justices decided not to disturb the FDA’s ‘change in position’ authority, while also creating a complex new landscape.

US FDA COVID-19 Booster Strategy May Not Be As Controversial As It Seems

 
• By Michael McCaughan

US FDA Commissioner Martin Makary’s call for placebo-controlled trials to confirm the efficacy of COVID-19 boosters is drawing a lot of criticism, but former Commissioner Robert Califf also supported the idea.