Tag:
drug pricing
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Greece accuses pharma of withholding meds, triggering shortages
Greece and the drug industry aren't getting along so well. After several years of stiffing drugmakers on their bills, the Greek government now accuses more than 50 pharma companies of cutting off supplies of key drugs, the Guardian reports.
German cost agency spurns Xalkori, Komboglyze
The well-armed German pricing gatekeepers have dismissed two more Big Pharma drugs. Pfizer's ($PFE) lung cancer treatment Xalkori and the Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY)/AstraZeneca ($AZN) diabetes drug Komboglyze both got an initial thumbs-down from the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).
Premium pricing for Novo's Tresiba in EU, a tiny bit of good news
It is little compensation for being shut out of the U.S. market with its best new product, but Novo Nordisk said it will price Tresiba at a premium in Europe, where the product is facing off against market leader Lantus.
China hits Big Pharma meds with 15%-plus price cuts
Pharma's path to a big payoff in China is growing narrower and narrower. The government has just announced its fourth drug-price cut since 2011, with 400 meds subject to forced discounts. And on that list are several of Big Pharma's key products.
Bill suggests wholesale pricing to fight drug shortages
Paper-thin margins on some generic sterile injectable drugs are often cited as one of the big reasons that so many have ended up in short supply, because few companies, if any, want to make them. When a plant is closed for upgrades or a supplier decides to drop a drug because the reward is too low, then presto--the drug is in short supply and patients who rely on it are in a world of hurt.
GSK, J&J earn top marks for boosting access to meds for poor
Here's some good news for Big Pharma's image: The latest Access to Medicine Index shows that major drugmakers are doing a better job of getting their products into the hands of patients in poor countries. Since the last report two years ago, some companies have clearly stepped up their game.
GSK wins Canadian tax case over transfer pricing
GlaxoSmithKline prevailed in a tax challenge from the Canadian government. The U.K.-based drugmaker won backing from the country's highest court, in a much-watched battle over using transfer pricing to cut its tax bill.
Drug-price worries don't stop with cancer
New diabetes and obesity drugs may falter because they have cheaper alternatives, and even rare-disease drugs may see some pushback on price.
Indian ministers put final touches on 348-drug 'essentials' list
India has taken another step toward broad drug-price controls. A panel of government ministers finalized its proposal for containing drug costs and broadening access to meds, with a list of 348 "essential drugs" that would be subject to a government price squeeze.
Bayer chief deplores ongoing drug-price cuts
Penny-pinching governments have put pharma's head in a vise, Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers says. Joining a chorus of pharma executives, Dekkers warned that continuing to squeeze drug prices will crush innovation and drain the lifeblood from the R&D-based business model.
