Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. We can tell by the volume of traffic outside our window and the volume of e-mail arriving. But today is especially busy because it is National Cup of Stimulation Day. Of course, we are celebrating by firing up the coffee kettle in order to indulge. And you are invited to join us. Our choice today, by the way, is butter pecan, which Mrs. Pharmalot also fancies. But … on to other matters now. As you can see, we have assembled a few choice items of interest to help you on your journey today, which we hope is manageable and interesting. Meanwhile, keep in touch. Postcards and telegrams are always exciting to receive. …
The results of a key Alzheimer’s drug trial on Wednesday have reignited decades-old hopes that targeting amyloid beta helps arrest the progression of the fatal brain disease, giving a big boost to similar studies being run by Roche and Eli Lilly, Reuters explains. Eisai and Biogen said their experimental drug significantly slowed cognitive and functional decline in a large trial of patients in the early stages of the disease by 27% compared with placebo, a rare positive outcome in a field littered with failure. Prospects for other high-profile, anti-amyloid drugs currently undergoing clinical trials, including those from Roche and Lilly are higher as a result.
Medicare is planning to build out a sizable new bureaucratic infrastructure to handle its new power to negotiate drug prices and penalize drugmakers for price hikes, STAT reports. In materials sent to lawmakers earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes establishing a Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group with six divisions, including those devoted to Rebate Agreements & Drug Price Negotiations, Data Assessment and Analytics, and Manufacturer Compliance and Oversight. The proposal includes hiring 95 full-time employees, such as analysts, contracting officers, pharmacists, data managers, and economists, according to documents.
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