Payers: Forget specialty drug costs—generic prices are crushing our budgets, too

According to insurers, prices for some commonly used generics have increased between 15 to 75 times their original prices.

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 9, 2015

Insys Therapeutics under investigation for pushing powerful pain drug

The main ingredient in Insys's pain drug---fetanyl---is 100 times more powerful than morphine. 

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 6, 2015

Explore the Trendline➔

Commercialization

New drugs for obesity and Alzheimer’s look set to become blockbusters, reshaping pharma marketing strategies just as many current top-sellers near looming patent cliffs.

By BioPharma Dive staff

A huge untapped opportunity for pharma marketing: Social media engagement with doctors

A recent report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions highlights third-party health content providers' successful strategy for engaging physicians in an increasingly digital world, along with ideas for how pharma can increase its social media presence with docs. 

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 6, 2015

Harvard study: Americans' prescription med use may be ballooning along with their waistlines

Is there a correlation between increased prescription drug use and rising obesity levels?

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 5, 2015

The Jardiance effect: Novo hopes Victoza will show heart benefit, but wary of CV study design

The diabetes game has truly changed after the success of Lilly & Boehringer's medication in a major CV outcomes trial.

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 5, 2015

As generic drug savings reach all-time high, experts ponder biosims' long-term impact

U.S. generic drug savings reached a peak of $254 billion in 2014, but biosimilars were not part of the analysis. How will those figures look once biosims enter the equation?

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 5, 2015

House Dems launch drug pricing 'task force,' demand Turing & Valeant CEO subpoenas

And on the same day, a bipartisan U.S. Senate panel launched a probe into the two embattled companies, as well as Retrophin Inc and Rodelis Therapeutics.

By Sy Mukherjee • Nov. 4, 2015

Doctors' 'do-not-see' policies for pharma reps may be declining—here's why

According to a survey from CMS/COMPAS, 39% of physicians are willing to see pharma reps—an increase from past years. 

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 4, 2015

With Philidor out, Valeant lays out new derm program for patients

Instead of relying on the now-defunct specialty pharma, patients will be able to get Valeant's derm drugs through various other pharmacies. 

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 4, 2015

Glaxo lays out ambitious plans for 20 new drugs by 2020, market shrugs

The big question is: Will it be enough to offset rapidly declining Advair revenues?

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 4, 2015

Why has uptake of Novartis' expected sales superstar Entresto been so slow?

Sales of the severe chronic heart failure (CHF) med were only $16 million for its first quarter post-approval. But the company expects the dynamic to change in time.

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 3, 2015

Express Scripts to put specialty pharmas under the microscope, focusing on Teva & AbbVie

Valeant severed its relationship with the specialty pharmacy Philidor in the wake of toxic reports about its business practices. But now, other specialty pharmas are drawing payer scrutiny, too.

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 3, 2015

Activist investor Ackman holds marathon call defending embattled Valeant

Among his most blunt points: At the end of the day, Valeant will likely have to do little more than pay a fine if allegations against the company prove actionable.

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 2, 2015

Merck chief Frazier's R&D-based drug price defense a tough sell for pharma

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 72% of Americans think drug pricing is out of control. Pharma is going to have a difficult time pushing back on that perception, no matter the defense.

By Nicole Gray • Nov. 2, 2015

Sanofi, Novo forecasts dim prospects for insulin's unchallenged dominance

On Thursday, Sanofi's CEO predicted a slowdown in insulin use as new oral medications become increasingly available. 

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 30, 2015

CA residents to vote on major drug price cap referendum in 2016

The Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation collected 550,000 signatures to support a drug pricing referendum on next year's ballot that has drawn Big Pharma into a counter-campaign.

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 30, 2015

Hep C and long-term costs: Why safety is suddenly part of the value equation

We spoke with Brian Overstreet, President of Advera Health Analytics, about AbbVie's Viekira Pak’s safety signals and why safety will increasingly be seen as part of overall medication costs. 

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 30, 2015

Merck lowers cost of Remicade in UK as biosimilars enter market

Earlier this year, the National Insitute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) lowered approved biosimilar versions of Remicade (infliximab). 

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 29, 2015

Drug shortages & patent expiration: Authorized generics as more than a lifecycle strategy

We spoke with Dr. Cary Yonce, Vice President of General Therapeutics and Life Cycle Management at Sanofi, about the patient demand for generic Arava and the company's response to that demand 10 years after patent expiry.

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 27, 2015

Walgreens puts expansion of Theranos presence on hold

Currently, the pharmacy giant has 41 Theranos Wellness Centers in stores in Arizona and California.

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 26, 2015

ICER: US drug prices should align with value

According to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), Americans cannot determine when they are getting value and when they are overpaying for drugs. 

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 25, 2015

San Diego-based compounder to offer $1 alternative to Turing's Daraprim

The market responds to Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharma's 5,000% price hike on the drug.

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 22, 2015

REPORT: American man in India illegally exported execution drugs to Nebraska, other states

Chris Harris set up an office in India from which he offered sodium thiopental to states, which wanted to stock execution drugs, according to an investigative report by BuzzFeed. The sales date back to 2010.

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 21, 2015

Lilly's unconventional launch for Trulicity's consumer campaign

After Trulicity was approved for treatment of type 2 diabetes, Lilly took the uncommon step of going to payers first.

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 20, 2015

Bristol-Myers, Novartis score big in major blood cancer drug cost-benefit analysis

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has completed an "Evidence Block" for multiple myeloma and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)—the first in a series of such analyses for cancer medications. 

By Nicole Gray • Oct. 19, 2015