‘The Greed Is Astounding’: Lawmakers Berate EpiPen-Maker’s CEO Over Price Gouging
But Heather Bresch defended the company's actions while trying to explain the industry's complex drug pricing structure.
The New York Times:
Mylan’s Chief Is Chastised By Lawmakers Questioning EpiPen Pricing
Members of Congress on Wednesday pelted the chief executive of Mylan, the company behind the EpiPen, the treatment for severe allergy attacks, with questions about steep price increases on the product and accused her of turning her back on families that could no longer afford the lifesaving treatment. The chief executive, Heather Bresch, was the latest in a string of drug company leaders to be interrogated by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as public outrage has grown over the rising cost of drugs. (Thomas, 9/21)
In other national health care news —
Politico:
Democratic Liberals, Moderates Feud Over Public Option
A liberal attempt to revive the so-called public option — a government-run insurance plan to shore up gaps in the Affordable Care Act — is opening old wounds between the Democratic Party’s liberal and moderate wings. Thirty-three mostly liberal Democrats, including all the Senate leadership, have signed onto a nonbinding Senate resolution introduced last Friday to add the public option to Obamacare, arguing that it is needed to fix problems with the president’s signature health care law. (Haberkorn, 9/22)
Politico:
Anne Filipic Warns That Obamacare Doom-And-Gloom Can Be Self-Fulfilling
With insurers dropping out and premium rates going up, Obamacare has hit its roughest patch in years. Even some Democrats are acknowledging the law needs fixes. But according to Anne Filipic, the doom-and-gloom predictions aren't just misplaced — they're making her job harder. "We have real challenges in reaching the remaining uninsured and helping them understand that there are affordable options," the president of Enroll America told POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast. "This broader narrative isn’t helpful to them." (Diamond, 22)
Stat:
Secret Trove Reveals Abbott's Bold 'Crusade' To Sell OxyContin
Abbott’s relationship with Purdue and its part in building the OxyContin brand are detailed in previously secret court filings unsealed by a Welch, W.Va., state court judge at the request of STAT. The records were part of a case brought by the state of West Virginia against Purdue and Abbott that alleged they inappropriately marketed the drug, causing users to become addicted to the opioid. The case was settled in 2004 when Purdue agreed to pay $10 million to the state. Neither company admitted any wrongdoing.The documents include internal Abbott and Purdue memos, as well as sales documents and marketing materials. They show that Abbott sales reps were instructed to downplay the threat of addiction with OxyContin and make other claims to doctors that had no scientific basis. The sales reps from the two companies closely coordinated their efforts, met regularly to strategize, and shared marketing materials. (Armstrong, 9/22)
The New York Times:
Maternal Mortality Rate In U.S. Rises, Defying Global Trend, Study Finds
One of the biggest worldwide public health triumphs in recent years has been maternal mortality. Global death rates fell by more than a third from 2000 to 2015. The United States, however, is one of the few countries in the world that have gone against the grain, new data show. Its maternal mortality rate has risen despite improvements in health care and an overwhelming global trend in the other direction. (Tavernise, 9/21)
Stat:
Is The Gut Microbiome An Important Cause Of Obesity?
The very first study reporting a link between the gut microbiome and obesity found that lab mice bred for obesity had half as many bacteria belonging to the Bacteroidetes phylum as lean mice did, and lots of bacteria in the Firmicutes phylum. It had the effect of a starter’s gun at a race: Scientists at labs around the world were off in pursuit of microbes causing obesity. The most intriguing support for that idea: transferring microbes from the guts of normal-weight mice into the guts of obese ones, and obese mice’s gut microbes into slim ones, seemed to cause the animals to switch to the body type consistent with their new bacteria, not their old selves, found a 2004 study. (Begley, 9/22)