Breaking News

Who gets credit for cheaper drugs from Canada, the case for a health data diet, and how higher PrEP costs could impact uptake

January 8, 2024
theresa-g-avatar-small - light bg
Reporter & Podcast Producer

It's JPM 2024! Watch out all week for excellent coverage, including on our TikTok (!) where veteran reporters have already shared some of their best survival tips, including: make time for lunch.

politics

A breakthrough in importing cheaper drugs to the U.S.

The Biden administration has approved Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to import a limited set of brand drugs from Canada, paving the way for other states to follow suit and setting up a fight to take credit for the drug-price-lowering measure in the race for president.
 
The approval is a breakthrough in a decades-long debate over whether to allow drug imports. Congress passed a law in 2003 to let wholesalers and pharmacists import Canadian drugs, but only if the FDA approved drug importation as safe, and until now the agency had refused to make that determination. The approval allows Florida to import drugs for two years, but it won't be simple. Canadian health officials don't want Americans raiding their medicine cabinets, and drug companies are expected to challenge drug importation in court. Read more on what's next from STAT's John Wilkerson.

health tech

An important diet that has nothing to do with food

It's that time of year when gym membership sign-ups skyrocket, and everyone you know is doing some sort of dry or clean or green January. But on top of the traditional approaches to wellness, Americans have become increasingly obsessed with tracking our health and fitness.

In a new First Opinion, computer scientist and professor Samantha Kleinberg points out one problem: it isn't working. Tracking is hard, but often, we're also tracking the wrong things. "Take sleep sensors," she writes. "To know whether your afternoon coffee or noisy neighbors impact your sleep quality, you need data on those factors. Instead, apps simply estimate how long or deeply you slept — something you probably already knew — without doing anything to improve the quality of your sleep." Data isn't the enemy, Kleinberg stresses, but we do need a bit of a data diet. Read more on what this could look like, and why it's important.


pharma

Why an authorized generic inhaler could cost asthma patients more 

AdobeStock_564072395_Editorial_Use_Only-1

Adobe

As of the new year, thousands of asthma patients in the U.S. are no longer able to get refills for Flovent, one of the most popular inhalers in the U.S. Its manufacturer, GSK, has discontinued both versions of the product — Flovent HFA, an inhalation aerosol, and Flovent Diskus, an inhalation powder — and replaced each with what is known as an "authorized generic," essentially the same product sold under a private label. 

In theory, generics are supposed to be cheaper than brand-name drugs. But in practice, because of complex discount mechanisms and incentives adopted by drug manufacturers, the authorized generic could end up costing more to an insurance plan than Flovent, and more too than the competing brand-name inhaler. Read more on the change from STAT's Annalisa Merelli.



Public health

New study highlights potential benefits of taxing sugary drinks

 

In the five major cities where taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages have been implemented, purchases of those drinks declined an average of 33% in the two years after the tax went into effect. This matches an average price increase of 33% that largely fell on consumers, according to a new cross-sectional study from JAMA Health Forum.

The study estimated and analyzed price and purchase changes in five cities with the tax — Boulder, Philadelphia, Oakland, San Francisco, and Seattle — along with neighboring areas and unaffected controls from other cities between 2012-2020. The decline in purchases was immediate, and endured for months after the tax implementation, without any increase in people traveling to untaxed areas to make purchases. The study authors believe this suggests that these taxes could have population-level effects on consumption and health. The World Health Organization has long recommended that countries tax sugary drinks. And experts have argued that taxes on sugary drinks, tobacco, and alcohol could also benefit strained government budgets.


public health

Legal challenges to PrEP coverage could have serious consequences, per study

Despite the effectiveness of the oral HIV preventative medication PrEP ("pre-exposure prophylaxis" for long), the majority of adults in the U.S. who might benefit from it are not taking it. While public and private insurance covers PrEP, out-of-pocket costs vary and are often cited as a barrier to accessing the medication. And it could get worse: last year, a federal district court judge struck down a mandate for no patient cost-sharing on preventive services like PrEP with high ratings from the U.S. Preventative Task Force. The federal government appealed the decision and a stay was issued, but experts remain concerned about access.

Because of this concern, researchers calculated the potential percentages of patients who would stop taking PrEP if their out-of-pocket charges increased, using a national database of prescriptions from 2015-2019. They estimated that with no out-of-pocket costs, about 5.5% of people wouldn't pick up a new prescription. That rate doubled when the monthly cost rose to $10, and with costs of more than $500, they estimated that almost half of people would not take the prescription, according to the study results published today in Health Affairs.

But despite the potential damages of the legal battle ahead, "there is an opportunity to ensure payer coverage of PrEP is maintained and even improved," wrote lawyer Richard Hughes IV in a First Opinion last summer. Read more on his proposal, and listen to his conversation with editor Torie Bosch.


insurance

Why doesn't Medicare cover Wegovy? 

It seems like no drugs have ever captured the national attention like the new weight loss medications Wegovy and Ozempic have. (If you need the proof — have you seen our outstanding Obesity Revolution series?) Yet despite the buzz and promising clinical trial data, Medicare does not cover any weight loss prescription. 

In a new First Opinion, Harvard Medical School student Daniel Weiner writes about the origins of the federal restrictions on anti-obesity medication. It has nothing to do with cost, as one might expect, he says. Rather, it's "a legislative legacy reflecting a different cultural and clinical understanding of obesity." Weiner explains that advances in scientific knowledge, along with shifting attitudes about weight, mean that restrictions on coverage may need to be updated for the current day. "Obesity is no longer discussed alongside 'cosmetic' conditions as it was in 1990 — it's a disease we treat," he writes. Read more.


More around STAT
Check out more exclusive coverage with a STAT+ subscription
Read premium in-depth biotech, pharma, policy, and life science coverage and analysis with all of our STAT+ articles.

What we're reading

  • The life of the mother, New Yorker
  • What to expect from hospitals and health insurers at this year's JPM Healthcare Conference, STAT
  • Ohio governor orders restrictions on transgender care after vetoing ban, New York Times
  • Readers on Census data, nutrition education, and a better approach to epinephrine, STAT
  • Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans, KFF Health News

Thanks for reading! More tomorrow — Theresa


Enjoying Morning Rounds? Tell us about your experience
Continue reading the latest health & science news with the STAT app
Download on the App Store or get it on Google Play
STAT
STAT, 1 Exchange Place, Boston, MA
©2024, All Rights Reserved.

No comments