Drug Innovation
Commentary
There is a new Senate bill that targets PBMs
Break the Grip of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A new Senate bill takes aim at one of the chief drivers of the high out-of-pocket drug costs that many consumers are experiencing — middlemen known as “pharmacy benefit managers.” Introduced in mid-June by a bipartisan group of senators including Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 27, 2023
Commentary
Read the latest on drug price controls
Dems’ Drug Price Controls Would Mean Fewer Drugs And Fewer Jobs
Hundreds of lifesaving therapies will never be invented, and as many as 1.1 million jobs will be lost if Senate Democrats successfully expand their prescription drug price-fixing program, according to a major new study. The study, conducted by the research group Vital Transformation, modeled the effects of the SMART Prices Act. Sponsored ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 26, 2023
Drug Innovation
NEW BRIEF: Cash-Based Support Would Empower Vulnerable to Buy Private Health Insurance, Create More Effective Safety Net
Click to download the brief “Tens of millions are stuck in a flawed government-run healthcare system that provides sub-par care to patients, imposes huge taxpayer costs, and harms the broader healthcare system,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, director of PRI’s Center for Medical Economics and the series author. “By providing cash-based ...
Wayne H Winegarden
June 20, 2023
Commentary
Read the latest on the Inflation Reduction Act's drug pricing reforms
Merck Fighting for Rights, Market-based Health Care
Pharmaceutical giant Merck announced last week that it is taking the federal government to court over the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing reforms. The lawsuit alleges that the law’s Medicare price negotiation program violates some of the most fundamental rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. “This is not ‘negotiation,'” the company says ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 19, 2023
Commentary
New COVID-19 research is troubling
Gov’t Undermines Search for Heart Disease Treatments
New research into COVID-19 has revealed some troubling findings. Even mild cases can lead to lasting heart complications. Comparing test data collected before and after a group of patients in their mid-30s contracted mild cases of COVID, researchers noticed an increase in arterial stiffness and cardiovascular inflammation. That means they may face “a widespread ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 22, 2023
Commentary
Moderna, Pfizer signal they plan to raise price of their shots
In defense of pandemic profits
The price of a COVID-19 shot will soon go up. The federal public health emergency ended this month, and the government will stop providing COVID vaccines to all Americans free of charge. Moderna and Pfizer have both signaled that they plan to raise the prices of their shots once the ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 21, 2023
Commentary
Read latest on drug pricing
The Continuing Danger From Progressive’s Faulty Excess Profit Allegations
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) continuously confirm Alexander Pope’s famous maxim about a little bit of knowledge. It truly is a dangerous thing, especially in the hands of politicians. During a May 11th meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee, Sen. ...
Wayne Winegarden
May 15, 2023
Commentary
Today's commentary on pharmaceutical benefit managers
Will Senate Hearing Expose PBMs’ Unscrupulous Drug Pricing Tactics?
Today , Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will haul executives from three insulin manufacturers and three pharmacy benefit managers before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for a hearing on “the need to make insulin affordable for all Americans.” Sen. Sanders is sure to call the pharmaceutical executives — ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 10, 2023
Commentary
Thank the IRA for Cuts to Critical Drug Research
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is just eight months old. It hasn’t yet slayed inflation. But it’s already gutting drug research and development. The law gives Medicare the power to impose price controls on certain prescription drugs for the first time. By September, federal officials will select the first 10 ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 9, 2023
Commentary
Small-Molecule Price Controls Are A Big Mistake
The Biden administration is in the midst of setting the terms for its program of price controls on prescription drugs dispensed through Medicare. The first 10 medicines subject to the price caps will be selected by the end of this year. That prospect is already chilling investment in drug research, particularly ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 8, 2023
There is a new Senate bill that targets PBMs
Break the Grip of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A new Senate bill takes aim at one of the chief drivers of the high out-of-pocket drug costs that many consumers are experiencing — middlemen known as “pharmacy benefit managers.” Introduced in mid-June by a bipartisan group of senators including Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ...
Read the latest on drug price controls
Dems’ Drug Price Controls Would Mean Fewer Drugs And Fewer Jobs
Hundreds of lifesaving therapies will never be invented, and as many as 1.1 million jobs will be lost if Senate Democrats successfully expand their prescription drug price-fixing program, according to a major new study. The study, conducted by the research group Vital Transformation, modeled the effects of the SMART Prices Act. Sponsored ...
NEW BRIEF: Cash-Based Support Would Empower Vulnerable to Buy Private Health Insurance, Create More Effective Safety Net
Click to download the brief “Tens of millions are stuck in a flawed government-run healthcare system that provides sub-par care to patients, imposes huge taxpayer costs, and harms the broader healthcare system,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, director of PRI’s Center for Medical Economics and the series author. “By providing cash-based ...
Read the latest on the Inflation Reduction Act's drug pricing reforms
Merck Fighting for Rights, Market-based Health Care
Pharmaceutical giant Merck announced last week that it is taking the federal government to court over the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing reforms. The lawsuit alleges that the law’s Medicare price negotiation program violates some of the most fundamental rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. “This is not ‘negotiation,'” the company says ...
New COVID-19 research is troubling
Gov’t Undermines Search for Heart Disease Treatments
New research into COVID-19 has revealed some troubling findings. Even mild cases can lead to lasting heart complications. Comparing test data collected before and after a group of patients in their mid-30s contracted mild cases of COVID, researchers noticed an increase in arterial stiffness and cardiovascular inflammation. That means they may face “a widespread ...
Moderna, Pfizer signal they plan to raise price of their shots
In defense of pandemic profits
The price of a COVID-19 shot will soon go up. The federal public health emergency ended this month, and the government will stop providing COVID vaccines to all Americans free of charge. Moderna and Pfizer have both signaled that they plan to raise the prices of their shots once the ...
Read latest on drug pricing
The Continuing Danger From Progressive’s Faulty Excess Profit Allegations
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) continuously confirm Alexander Pope’s famous maxim about a little bit of knowledge. It truly is a dangerous thing, especially in the hands of politicians. During a May 11th meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee, Sen. ...
Today's commentary on pharmaceutical benefit managers
Will Senate Hearing Expose PBMs’ Unscrupulous Drug Pricing Tactics?
Today , Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will haul executives from three insulin manufacturers and three pharmacy benefit managers before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for a hearing on “the need to make insulin affordable for all Americans.” Sen. Sanders is sure to call the pharmaceutical executives — ...
Thank the IRA for Cuts to Critical Drug Research
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is just eight months old. It hasn’t yet slayed inflation. But it’s already gutting drug research and development. The law gives Medicare the power to impose price controls on certain prescription drugs for the first time. By September, federal officials will select the first 10 ...
Small-Molecule Price Controls Are A Big Mistake
The Biden administration is in the midst of setting the terms for its program of price controls on prescription drugs dispensed through Medicare. The first 10 medicines subject to the price caps will be selected by the end of this year. That prospect is already chilling investment in drug research, particularly ...