December 12, 2024

Pfizer's Ibrance slows tumor progression in another type of breast cancer

Pfizer said this morning that its drug Ibrance showed efficacy in a type of breast cancer that the treatment is not currently approved for, potentially expanding its use.

Ibrance, which generates annual sales of $4.3 billion, is currently used for patients whose tumors are positive for the estrogen receptor (ER) and negative for a second biomarker, called HER2. That population represents 70% of women with breast cancer. But the new results are in patients whose tumors test positive for both the estrogen receptor and HER2, a population that represents 10% of breast cancer patients.

Although not a game-changer for Pfizer, the data could could help cushion Ibrance's losses of market share to Kisqali, a similar drug from Novartis.

drug pricing

Report: Unsupported drug price hikes cost the U.S. $815 million last year

Last year, drugmakers substantially raised prices on five widely used medicines without any new clinical evidence to justify the increases, leading patients and health insurers in the U.S. to spend an additional $815 million, according to a new report from ICER.

The drug for which spending increased the most due to a price increase was Gilead's HIV treatment Biktarvy. The company raised the wholesale price by 5.9%, while the net price — after rebates and discounts are calculated — rose by 3.8%, most likely because the company offered more concessions than previously. Consequently, spending for this drug climbed by $359 million, according to the report.

infectious disease

Gilead to test once-a-year HIV prevention shot

Gilead said that next year, it'll begin Phase 3 testing for a once-a-year shot to prevent HIV infection. Such a medicine, if proven effective, would be the closest thing to a vaccine the field has produced in four decades of research. The company anticipates it could file for regulatory approval in late 2027.

The drug is another formulation of lenacapavir, a medicine that Gilead has already shown can prevent HIV infections with just one shot every six months.

The trial comes amid a series of rapid advancements in the field of PrEP, as HIV prevention drugs are known. PrEP has been available for a decade in the form of a daily pill, but that can be hard for many people to take consistently, and HIV infections have continued to surge or remain roughly flat in many places.

politics

Bill to force PBMs to sell pharmacies seen to have low odds of passing

Yesterday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would prohibit companies that control health insurers or pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies, rattling investors. But some Wall Street analysts believe the legislation is unlikely to gain much traction, at least for now.

There's been ongoing concern that the largest PBMs — which are controlled by CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group — favor their own mail-order or retail pharmacies. Critics say that by doing so, these companies distort the distribution and pricing for prescription medicines.

However, analysts say that the bill is far from a sure bet, particularly given the upcoming change in administrations. They believe other legislative priorities will get more attention, despite a focus on health care matters more broadly.