Roche digs deeper into gene therapy for the eye

The Swiss drugmaker, which already owns rights to a marketed gene therapy for inherited vision loss, will work with startup Avista Therapeutics to develop better delivery tools for the complex treatments. 

By Jonathan Gardner • July 20, 2022

UnitedHealth to offer some drugs, including insulin, at no cost share in 2023

The initiative aims to address inflationary pressures and prevent worse health outcomes down the line, CEO Andrew Witty told investors Friday.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 15, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Drug pricing

Major drug pricing legislation passed Congress in 2022, putting pharmaceutical companies on the defensive and creating a new precedent for the industry.

By BioPharma Dive staff

California to manufacture its own insulin, governor says

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $100 million budget to create a production facility and to develop affordable insulin products, saying the medicines’ high cost “epitomizes market failures.”

By Susan Kelly • July 11, 2022

Watchdog group cautious on Amylyx’s ALS drug benefits, potential cost

ICER, an influential nonprofit, suggested in a draft report that Amylyx’s closely watched ALS treatment would not be cost effective if priced on par with a currently available treatment.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated June 14, 2022

Roche SMA drug approved in youngest infants, challenging Novartis and Biogen

Evrysdi, the only oral drug for the neurodegenerative disorder, can now be used to treat babies younger than 2 months who have been identified through newborn screening.

By Jonathan Gardner • May 31, 2022

Medicare premiums to remain unchanged after Aduhelm price cut spurs review

HHS Secretary Becerra had sought to cut premiums for seniors sooner, but "legal and operational hurdles" prevented a change mid-year, the department said in a Friday statement.

By Samantha Liss • May 31, 2022

Drug price hikes moderate as rebates rise, report finds

List prices for branded medicines rose by nearly 5% last year, according to IQVIA, a figure that fell to 1% after accounting for rebates and discounts.

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 21, 2022

Hospitals mark up cancer drug prices for private insurance patients, study shows

Researchers also found U.S. spending on cancer medicines rose from about $39 billion in 2015 to nearly $68 billion in 2019 largely due to manufacturer and hospital market power.

By Hailey Mensik • April 19, 2022

UK bid to battle antibiotic resistance yields first subscription-style plan

Pfizer and Shionogi could receive 10 million pounds, or about $13 million, a year for new antibiotics. International participation might be needed to further spur development, however.

By Jonathan Gardner • April 12, 2022

Medicare finalizes policy limiting coverage of Biogen Alzheimer's drug

Biogen said it is considering its options following CMS' decision, which restricts reimbursement of Aduhelm to patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. 

By Jonathan Gardner • Updated April 7, 2022

Civica targets insulin in effort to produce cheaper drugs

The nonprofit group announced ambitious plans to begin offering insulin at prices no higher than $30 per vial by early 2024.

By Kristin Jensen • March 3, 2022

Biden discusses drug prices, mental health services in annual address

The president also announced a "test-to-treat" program that would allow people to receive free antiviral pills, such as Pfizer's Paxlovid or Merck's molnupiravir, after a COVID-19 test at a pharmacy.

By Shannon Muchmore • March 2, 2022

FTC deadlocks on vote to launch study into PBM practices

The antitrust agency won't study pharmacy benefit managers' pricing and contract practices as proposed, after a 2-2 vote by commissioners Thursday.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 17, 2022

Lilly's new COVID-19 antibody becomes US' latest tool to battle omicron

The speedy clearance of Lilly’s bebtelovimab comes after the U.S. stopped distributing two of the company's earlier antibodies because they couldn't effectively neutralize the variant.

By Jonathan Gardner • Updated Feb. 11, 2022

FDA sends signal with tough questions of Lilly at cancer drug meeting

The agency criticized Eli Lilly for using a trial run in China to seek approval of an immunotherapy it licensed from Innovent Biologics. Outside advisers agreed in a decisive vote that could have repercussions for several other drugmakers.

By Jonathan Gardner • Feb. 10, 2022

Lilly slows FDA submission of Alzheimer's drug after Medicare decision

Executives for the pharma downplayed the impact of an accelerated approval for donanemab, pointing to Medicare's plans to restrict coverage of Alzheimer's drugs like it to only patients in clinical trials.

By Jonathan Gardner • Feb. 3, 2022

EQRx builds case for cancer drug it hopes can disrupt market

Study results show EQRx's drug, which it means to position as a lower-cost alternative to widely used cancer immunotherapies, extended the lives of lung cancer patients. But it's unclear whether that will be enough to sway the FDA.

By Kristin Jensen • Jan. 19, 2022

Medicare faces blowback over plan to limit coverage of Biogen's Alzheimer's drug

Biogen, along with allies in industry, plans to pressure Medicare to water down its policy, which limits coverage of Aduhelm and drugs like it to clinical trials.

By Jonathan Gardner , Jacob Bell • Jan. 14, 2022

After years of decline, drugmakers' price hikes may have bottomed out

Inflation in 2021 may have offered drugmakers a catalyst for taking slightly bigger increases on a list price basis. But rebates to insurers are still keeping net price rises lower.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 5, 2022

After intense pushback, Biogen to cut price of Alzheimer's drug

Effective Jan. 1, the average list price for Aduhelm will drop about 50% to just over $28,000 a year. It's a move the company hopes will appease insurers and lower out-of-pocket costs for patients.

By Jacob Bell • Dec. 20, 2021

Martin Shkreli's former company to pay $40M in settlement over drug price hikes

The payment resolves the government's claims against Vyera and Phoenixus for their efforts to block competition to Daraprim, the toxoplasmosis drug Shkreli famously raised the price of by 4,000%.

By Kristin Jensen • Dec. 8, 2021

As Congress weighs drug price restraints, ICER calls out 'unsupported' increases

In a new report, ICER highlighted AbbVie's price hikes on Humira, which the group said resulted in more than $1 billion in U.S. spending last year without any new evidence of health benefits.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 16, 2021

Pfizer will allow generic drugmakers to produce promising COVID-19 pill

A licensing deal with a U.N.-backed patent group could expand supply of Pfizer's experimental drug Paxlovid in lower- and middle-income countries.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Nov. 16, 2021

Anticipating Aduhelm's costs, Medicare plans big jump in premiums

While CMS is still weighing whether to authorize wide coverage of Biogen's pricey Alzheimer's drug, administrators are planning to build reserves in case costs skyrocket.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 15, 2021

Democrats’ drug pricing plan, while scaled back, could still squeeze pharma top-sellers

Legislation backed by President Joe Biden and top Democratic lawmakers would allow for price negotiation on 20 older drugs, potentially impacting blockbusters from Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb and others.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 4, 2021