An ad supporting the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act asks viewers to vote “Yes” in the upcoming referendum.
1. The pharmaceutical industry has spent $49.1 million to fight a drug-pricing ballot referendum in Ohio, making it one of the expensive ballot campaigns in U.S. history. The referendum would require state government entities to pay the same amount for prescription drugs as the Department of Veteran Affairs, which purchases drugs at a 24% discount. (WSJ)
2. Novartis is mulling the sale of its generic dermatology business. Sources reportedly value the unit between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. (Bloomberg)
3. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) received a three-year, $13.9 million grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. The new funding will allow the nonprofit to evaluate all new FDA approvals, rather than just ones of drugs with high price tags. (Reuters)
4. Amazon’s acquisition of pharmacy wholesale licenses in 12 states will allow the company to distribute medical-surgical equipment and devices. But if the e-commerce giant plans to move into drug distribution, it will need to secure additional state and national licenses. (CNBC)
5. Amarin is seeking a ban on certain imported fish oil supplements. The company argues that the sale of such supplements would represent “injurious unfair competition” to its prescription fish oil pill Vascepa. (DrugStoreNews)
