And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured moment to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up. For now, we plan to hang with Mrs. Pharmalot, romp with the official mascot, and search for the Great Pumpkin. And what about you? This remains a fine time to enjoy the great outdoors. Pumpkin patches, after all, are beckoning and so is the annual trick-or-treat ritual on this side of the pond. This is, in fact, your last opportunity to find a costume for the occasion. Those of you feeling adventurous could dress up as a politician running for office. Speaking of scary propositions, here is something to get you in the mood. Otherwise, this is a chance to winterize your castle, catch up on reading, or visit someone special. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
Amid sporadic shortages of a drug that is essential in preparing patients for lifesaving, cancer-fighting treatments, one manufacturer has returned to the market — but is selling its medicine for 10 to 20 times the prices offered by the only other companies with available supplies, STAT reports. Over the past week, Areva Pharmaceuticals began marketing vials of fludarabine at a wholesale price of $2,736, much more than the $272 charged for the same dosage by Fresenius Kabi and the $109 price from Teva Pharmaceuticals. The move comes as hospitals grapple with persistent shortages of fludarabine, an older chemotherapy used in the run-up to bone marrow transplants in patients with a form of leukemia and CAR-T cell therapy.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals will not proceed with a clinical trial of a drug to treat a rare eye disorder called Stargardt disease – at least for now – tying its decision to the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, Pharmaphorum explains. The law will allow Medicare to negotiate for a “reasonable” price for selected brand name drugs. Alnylam pointed to a provision that exempts orphan drugs for rare diseases from negotiations — but only if they have one approved orphan use. Its drug, vutrisiran, is already approved as Amvuttra to treat the rare disease hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, so approval in Stargardt disease would prompt the pricing negotiation mechanism.
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