U.S.
residents pay too much for their prescription drugs and medical supplies, which
reflects on our cost-plus reimbursement practice which is fueled through
insurance reimbursement, whether government or private sector. This article
reviews some pharmaceutical companies which are offering greater transparency
and value for their products.
Transparency
from a Drug Manufacturer
AstraZeneca,
PLC, a UK pharmaceutical company recently published the results of its study on
the blood thinner, Brillanta, which was used to prevent secondary heart attacks
for stroke patients, and declared it performed no better than aspirin. [1]
Stop the presses, this may not be a first, but it is unusual for a drug company
to declare that its product is not effective, but then again this is in Europe
where drug manufacturers can’t market their products directly to consumers and
governments contract with pharmaceutical providers directly. This level of
transparency should be encouraged in the U.S. where clinical study results are
often buffered to enhance the perception of the drug intervention, as opposed
to stating statistical significance in the absolute. By that I mean, how many
people would have to be treated with the drug to show a statistically reliable
difference and what would that difference mean to a realistic population of potential users? Dr. Norman
Hadler of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about the
misinformation that is published about clinical studies and subsequent practices
which do not improve health.[2]
Generic Drug
Manufacturers Are Investigating Small Market Diseases for Drug Development
When the
patents expire on pharmaceuticals, any approved drug manufacturer can start to
develop its off-label version of the medicine.
The three largest manufacturing centers for generic medications are in India,
Israel, and the United Kingdom. Indian companies have applied to the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration for pharmaceutical product licensing at an increasing rate. Sun
Pharmaceuticals in India, has FDA approval for a treatment of the rare blood
disease, myelo-dysplastic syndrome. Another Indian drug company, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (yes, this is the real
name) has FDA approval for a skin spray for plaque psoriasis (a skin disease)
and it is working on an improved injection for treatment of migraines.[3]
Indian pharmaceuticals companies have increased their research and development
budgets for new drug treatments for diseases which are being
ignored by the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.By
working with existing compounds from expired patents scientists can save time
when developing some of the new treatments. Indian companies are devoting 17% of their budgets to research and development which exceeds what the large U.S. pharmaceutical companies spend, typically less than 10%. Because of the direct to consumer marketing and other financial incentives, the drug companies spend much more of their annual budgets on marketing, than on research. Most new research is done at universities in the U.S. and is funded through grants by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. India does not have a government
agency, like the National Institutes of Health to invest in medical research, but it does partner with the NIH on some projects.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/11/big-pharmaceuti
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/11/big-pharmaceuti
Moon Shot
for Treatment of Melanoma
More than a
third of patients with advanced melanoma (skin cancer) survived five years with
a new molecular drug treatment which makes T cells target the cancer. The
study by Bristol-Meyers Squibb, followed 107 people with advanced melanoma to determine the effects of
Opdivo.The drug has the potential to double the number of five-year survivors for people with advanced
melanoma. The U.S. Food and Drug Industry
approved the drug for treatment of melanoma in 2014. Study results were
presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.[4] http://news.bms.com/press-release/aacr/first-presentation-overall-survival-data-opdivo-nivolumab-shows-significant-survi
And this is
the healthpolicymaven signing off with useful information for healthcare
consumers. The healthpolicymaven is a trademark of Roberta E. Winter and
Praevalere Inc. Feel free to share this article virally. Roberta Winter is the
author of Unraveling U.S. Healthcare-A Personal Guide, Rowman & Littlefield, 2013.
[1] Denise
Roland, AstraZeneca Says Its Blood Thinner Is No Better Than Aspirin, Wall
Street Journal, March 24, 2016
[2]
Norton M. Hadler, The Citizen Patient, University of North Carolina Press, 2013
[3]
Suryatapa Bhattacharya, Indian Drug Makers Target Niche Markets, Wall Street
Journal, April 19, 2016
[4]
Drug Seems to Extend Survival for Advanced Melanoma, Medline Plus, U.S.
National Library of Medicine, April 18, 2016
