Bernie Sanders Wants To Impose Prison Sentences On Pharma Executives Who Play Role In Opioid Crisis
The proposed legislation from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would also prohibit companies from direct marketing of opioid products without adequate warning of their addictive properties and establish a reimbursement fund that would collect revenues from the penalties imposed. Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issues a proposed change for the DEA regarding distribution quotas, and Patrick Kennedy stands to profit from his advocacy for more spending on the opioid epidemic.
Stat:
Bernie Sanders Bill Would Impose Jail Time For Execs Behind Opioid Crisis
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce a bill Tuesday that would impose jail time for pharmaceutical executives whose companies engage in manipulative practices when marketing opioids. The legislation would impose a 10-year minimum prison sentence and fines equal to an executive’s compensation package if the individual’s company is found to have illegally contributed to the opioid crisis. It would also impose an additional fine on those companies of $7.8 billion — one-tenth the annual cost of the crisis, per a 2016 estimate. (Facher, 4/17)
The Associated Press:
Citing Opioid Crisis, Feds Seek Rule Change For Drugmakers
Drugmakers would be required to identify a legitimate need for controlled substances to justify their production under a proposed rule change intended to rein in the diversion of drugs for illicit purposes, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced Tuesday. According to the DEA, current regulations were issued in 1971 but need to be updated to reflect the nation’s opioid abuse crisis and changes in the manufacture of controlled substances. (Raby, 4/17)
Politico:
Patrick Kennedy Profits From Opioid-Addiction Firms
Patrick Kennedy, the former Democratic representative and scion of the liberal political dynasty, has emerged as the unlikely go-to player for companies seeking to benefit from the Trump administration’s multibillion-dollar response to the opioid crisis, reaping well over $1 million in salaries and equity stakes in the firms. The 50-year-old son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who stepped down from Congress in 2011 amid his own decades-long battles with addiction and mental illness, is a high-profile mental health advocate who sat on President Donald Trump’s opioid commission. (Cancryn, 4/17)
In other national health care news —
The Hill:
New Affordable Drugs Advocacy Group Pledges Six Figures In First 2018 Endorsement
A new drug-pricing advocacy group on Tuesday announced its first endorsement of the 2018 campaign, backing Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) for standing up to pharmaceutical companies. The group, Patients for Affordable Drugs NOW, which was founded this year, says it will spend six figures on the race and is seeking to help counterbalance pharmaceutical companies’ spending in November's midterm elections. (Sullivan, 4/17)
The Associated Press:
Dem Senator: Trump VA Pick Vows Not To Privatize Vets Care
President Donald Trump's pick to be Veterans Affairs secretary is promising not to privatize the agency, a key Democratic senator said Tuesday, taking a stance on a politically charged issue that his predecessor says led to his firing. The confirmation hearing of Ronny Jackson, Trump's White House doctor and a Navy rear admiral chosen to speed up improvements to the VA, is scheduled for next week. On Tuesday, he met privately with Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, as a part of visits this week to assure lawmakers he could effectively lead the government's second-largest department. (4/17)
Stat:
Bezos Has Invested In Direct Primary Care. Could It Be In Amazon's Future?
It’s the stuff disruptors dream of. A group of Seattle doctors and investors had a plan to revolutionize primary care by freeing themselves, and their patients, from the dictates of insurance. They would charge a monthly membership fee for delivering on-demand medical services. No insurance bureaucracy. No reimbursement delays. No incomprehensible bills. In 2010, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became one of the project’s biggest investors, providing an infusion of capital and the instant credibility his name conveys. The company, called Qliance (pronounced Key-liance), scored early successes in Seattle but faltered amid a series of financial setbacks. It closed its doors last summer. (Ross, 4/18)
Stat:
U.S. Catching Up To Europe On Biosimilars, FDA Official Insists
The Food and Drug Administration lags behind its European counterpart when it comes to approving biosimilars — but a top agency official insisted Tuesday that the agency is not as far behind as some critics suggest. Leah Christl, the associate director for therapeutic biologics at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, pushed back on an oft-cited statistic that shows the European Medicines Agency has so far approved more than 40 biosimilars, drugs that are almost identical to biologics, compared to just nine approved in the U.S. by the FDA. (Mershon, 4/17)