California to offer free opioid overdose reversal drugs
First responders and other eligible groups will receive a generic drug to combat overdoses. Elsewhere, as Colorado contemplates controls on prescription drug costs, patients and their caregivers fear a future without the drugs they need to survive.
Los Angeles Times: California to buy drug to reverse opioid overdose
California will provide first responders, universities and other qualified organizations with a generic version of the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday. CalRxs Naloxone Access Initiative will buy over-the-counter naloxone for $24 a pack, which is about half the market price, from Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a New Jersey-based manufacturer, according to a news release from Newsoms’ office. (Lin, 4/29)
The Colorado Sun: A Colorado board wants to lower prescription drug costs. Why are so many patients opposed?
Heather Kluck, who lives in Colorado Springs, calls her 12-year-old daughter, Avery, my miracle child. When Avery was diagnosed as a baby with a rare genetic condition called Aicardi syndrome, doctors told Heather and her husband that Avery might not survive her first year and would likely never walk or talk. He defied these predictions, although he has significant developmental delays. (Ingold, 4/30)
Reuters: J&J, Bristol Myers lose challenges to US drug price negotiation program
A US judge on Monday rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson to a law requiring them to negotiate the prices of their blockbuster blood clot prevention drugs with the government’s Medicare health insurance program of the US or pay heavy penalties. U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi in Trenton, New Jersey, became the fourth federal judge to defend the program, one of Democratic President Joe Biden’s signature initiatives, against challenges from the pharmaceutical industry, rejecting his argument that it was an illegal taking of his property. (Pierson, 4/29)
Stats: Pharmaceutical reputation with patient groups slips again thanks to prices and shortages
The pharmaceutical industry saw its reputation take a nosedive last year among patient advocacy groups thanks to growing concerns about rising drug prices and a lack of confidence caused by growing shortages, according to a new survey. (Silverman, 4/29)
Learn more about drug shortages
Today: 60-year-old man dies after unable to access chemotherapy drugs amid shortage
In 2022, Jeff Bolle of Milwaukee learned he had bile duct cancer, which has a dismal long-term survival rate. At the time, doctors hoped that surgery and chemotherapy could prolong his life. Before his diagnosis he was in good health, which made everyone feel optimistic. He underwent surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy before a chemotherapy shortage cut short his treatment in May 2023, two rounds short. (Holohan, 4/29)
CBS News: Managing drug shortages becomes new normal for Pittsburgh-area hospital pharmacists
Staying ahead of drug shortages is a constant battle for hospital pharmacists. “We definitely feel that. Every year, there are more drug shortages to worry about,” said Rebecca Taylor, vice president of pharmacy services at UPMC. New data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists shows there are shortages of 323 drugs nationwide, the highest since tracking began in 2001. (Wow, 4/29)
Reuters: A dose of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy back in supply, FDA website shows
The US Food and Drug Administration website on Monday showed one dose of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy as available after a shortage, while three other doses remained available limited due to increased demand. The website listed the 1.7 milligram (mg) dose as available and the 2.4 mg dose of the drug as available for supply. But the lower doses of 1 mg, 0.5 mg and 0.25 mg were still listed as shortages. (4/29)
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