Pricing
Lawmakers eye pricing
July 30, 2014The Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel is looking into how three major pharmaceutical manufacturers decided to set minimum prices for their contact lenses.
Gilead, Merck HCV marketing battle may be on horizon
July 24, 2014Disclosed in its earnings report yesterday, Gilead may have a card up its sleeve to counter Merck's experimental hep. C combo regimen.
Generics trigger wallet shock
July 09, 2014Prices for some generics are rising, thanks to limited competition.
Experiment cuts cancer costs, ups drug spend
July 09, 2014UnitedHealthcare finds drug costs more than doubled.
France ponders off-label Avastin
July 02, 2014French lawmakers have the chance to vote for off-label use of Avastin, potentially eating into the turf of higher-priced Lucentis.
Italy: Use Avastin off-label
June 12, 2014The Italian Medicines Agency is guiding patients away from Roche's costlier AMD-indicated Lucentis.
Oregon seeks HCV Rx waiver
June 12, 2014The Oregon Health Plan wants to keep hep. C medications Sovaldi and Olysio off its list of covered treatments.
China lifts some pricing restrictions
May 08, 2014Drug quality problems and shortages are behind the shift that will affect antibiotics, painkillers and vitamins.
Survey finds pharma and payers not aligned
May 07, 2014An EY report finds that pharma is not only failing to give payers the right type of drug data, but that industry has a lot of trust-building to do before they will accept it.
Sovaldi Rx are being filled, despite payer angst
April 21, 2014Physicians tell Leerink most of their patients are receiving the drug. Rejections tend to be over off-label use.
2013 favored specialists, specialty Rx
April 15, 2014The latest IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics assessment of 2013's prescription drug use shows that 2.3% of prescriptions account for 30% of a patient's out-of-pocket prescription costs.
Diabetes costliest among non-specialty Rx
April 09, 2014Express Scripts said treatments for diabetes are the most expensive of the traditional medications, while specialty drugs are eating up a significant portion of total drug spend.
Insurers struggle with Sovaldi angst
March 31, 2014A report indicates that Sovaldi's high price may hurt health-insurance investors.
ASCO will grade drugs
March 25, 2014The professional association says it's necessary, because high prices do not indicate impact.
NICE says no to Xofigo, Zaltrap
March 25, 2014The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says it bounced Bayer's drug for failing to compare itself to current treatments, and Sanofi's over cost.
Sovaldi price worries states
March 05, 2014Insurers and state agencies are wondering if and how they can cover the $84,000 hep. C drug.
NICE wants more Soliris information
March 04, 2014The UK watchdog wants to know what's behind the rare-disease drug's high price.
Industry wary of new German pricing rule
February 19, 2014Germany's price transparency requirement has the industry worried other markets will demand lower prices.
J&J cancer med adds indication, lower dose
February 13, 2014The fast-tracked drug netted another indication today, this one for a form of leukemia. Lower dosage of the drug for that indication shrinks the price compared to lymphoma.
Few employers contain specialty Rx costs: study
February 11, 2014The third Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute specialty medication survey expects specialty medications, which average around $3,000 per month per patient, will account for 50% of the drug spend within four or five years.
Gilead ponders Sovaldi price break
February 04, 2014The drug maker is reportedly talking low rates for India's market.
What payer concerns? Sovaldi ahead of curve
January 27, 2014If the HCV drug's trajectory continues, it could exceed Q1 and 2014 sales forecasts, despite payers' reported unease over price.
NICE gives Aubagio the nod
January 23, 2014The price watchdog said Sanofi's oral MS drug Aubagio is a go. The decision follows a September directive to prove the drug's cost-effectiveness.
Patent cliff a drag on 2012 health spend
January 08, 2014Generics accounted for almost 75% of dispensed drugs in 2012, according to CMS researchers.
Antidepressants may have to fight for Part D coverage
January 07, 2014CMS is proposing a rule that could change how antidepressants get on Medicare Part D formularies.
The year's most popular stories
December 31, 2013Our year-end list captures the 10 that sparked heaviest interest.
BMS pulls new diabetes med in Germany
December 16, 2013The drugmaker and partner AstraZeneca say they can't find a comfortable pricing arrangement with German insurers.
Think tank says raise Rx prices for NHS
November 21, 2013The National Health Service is expected to have a $49-billion deficit by 2020.
CVS says specialty drug spend to quadruple
November 21, 2013The PBM encourages step-therapy to control costs.
IMS predicts $1T global drug market by 2017
November 19, 2013The catch is the difference between sales and revenues. Generics will continue to be a force, and small-audience drugs will become increasingly important.