1. States and commercial insurers that limited access to the new class of hepatitis-C treatments, which includes Gilead Sciences’ Harvoni, have started to lift those restrictions. In some cases the drugs had been limited to patients with advanced liver disease. (Kaiser Health News)
2. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ request to join the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the largest brand-name drug lobbying organization, has raised eyebrows among the members. Teva makes both branded and generic drugs. (NYT)
3. Merck is partnering with Premier, one of the nation’s largest group purchasing organizations, to develop tools to help healthcare providers reduce fracture rates in patients at risk for osteoporosis. (Modern Healthcare)
4. FDA commissioner Robert Califf filed an Open Payments dispute over a payment made by GlaxoSmithKline. The 2014 payment was for $365. (Politico)
5. Some patient groups are lobbying alongside drugmakers to fight a ballot initiative in California that seeks to lower the cost of prescription drugs. One concern is that if pharma companies have to lower prices they may instead charge higher prices to Veterans Affairs and commercial insurers. (NYT)
