HHS says it doesn’t have time to review itself.
Category: Policy & Legislation
FTC to Fight Drug Rebates and Fees that Reduce Competition
On June 16, 2022 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a policy statement on drug rebates and fees paid by drug makers. The rebates and fee are paid to Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) sometimes in return for excluding cheaper alternatives on a drug plan formulary. The way it works is a drug maker will jack up the price of a given drug (like insulin) but give a steep discount to the PBM in return for guarantees that the plan will not include generic versions that cost far lesson the formulary.
Does Voting Republican Kill?
According to a British Medical Journal study, counties that voted for GOP presidential candidates between 2000 and 2016 had smaller reductions in age-adjusted mortality rates over the past two decades than counties that backed their Democratic rivals.
Yet, Doug Badger finds the study deeply flawed.
Senators Sanders and Paul Try to Sneak in Drug Reimportation Amendment
Drug reimportation is an attractive idea until you think it though. Importing drugs from abroad would seem to make sense in a global economy. Proponents point to the fact that the United States pays the highest price for drugs of any developed country. U.S. prices are far more than developing countries pay. Opponents correctly point out what you’re importing is other countries’ price controls.