Government

U.S. federal lawmakers are discussing various legislative plans that could lower the out-of-pocket expenses many Americans pay for their medications. The plans are coming from both chambers of Congress and with a divided government, lines in the sand will likely be drawn.
Although that is good news, cancer is the second-most common cause of death in the U.S., with more than 1.7 million new cancer cases each year and more than 600,000 cancer deaths. The report notes that one of the biggest factors in decreased cancer rates are lower tobacco smoking rates.
On Jan. 11, President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that 2018 was marked by a decline in prescription drug prices – the first time that had happened in 50 years. Also, the president said that Americans saved $26 billion on drug prices in the first 19 months of his presidency.
The notorious legacy of OxyContin continues to be a major black mark against Purdue Pharmaceuticals. And that mark is only getting worse as a court case against the opioid manufacturer has revealed company officials used deceptive marketing practices to boost sales of the drug.
FDA
In 2018, the FDA approved 59 novel drugs, meaning approved new molecular entities. BioSpace analyzed new drug approvals from 2014 to 2018 to determine which companies were responsible for the most drug approvals in that period. Here’s a look.
FDA
The FDA approved Cabometyx based on the Phase III CELESTIAL trial that showed the drug provided a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in median overall survival.
Wave Life Sciences is working to get its nucleic acid treatment, suvodirsen, for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) approved. DMD is a rare muscle-wasting disease that affects mostly boys, about 15,000 in the U.S.
FDA
The partial government shutdown has entered day 24 and the pharma and medtech industry is beginning to feel the impact even more, particularly as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grows more incapable of reviewing some medications for approval.
It didn’t take long for the new leadership structure in the U.S. House of Representatives to take on the pharmaceutical industry. On Monday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform launched an investigation into prescription drug pricing practices.
FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bridgewater, NJ-based Amneal Pharmaceuticals’ generic version of Novartis’ Exelon Patch (Rivastigmine Transdermal System) for dementia related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
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