Drugmaker caps inhaler price at $35 | Wilnesh News

A woman is using an inhaler.

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Good afternoon! For some Americans, inhalers will soon become much cheaper.

The world’s three largest inhaler manufacturers have agreed Limit out-of-pocket expenses Their inhaler products and similar inhaled medications cost $35 per month for some U.S. patients.

British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline declare Last week its cost cap was as follows Similar actions Developed by AstraZeneca and privately held Boehringer Ingelheim.

But one man is holding out: Teva Pharmaceuticals, another major inhaler maker, has yet to make a similar commitment.

The cost caps for the other three companies will not take effect immediately. They don’t come out of nowhere either.

In January, Sen. Bernie Sanders and other members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee launched a investigation Why do four companies charge more for inhalers in the United States than in other countries.

The broader pharmaceutical industry faced years of political scrutiny and public anger last year as Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi turned to the United States to combat high healthcare costs in the United States. cost cutting Under pressure from the same Senate panel, certain insulin products are no longer available for some U.S. patients.

So, who usually uses inhalers, and how much do they cost?

Inhalers are most commonly used by people with chronic lung conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They can use a daily inhaler to prevent or control symptoms and a fast-relief inhaler when their breathing worsens, such as during an asthma attack.

estimate 25 million Americans Suffering from asthma while around 16 million Have COPD.Many patients rely on inhalers to help breathe, and some end up having to ration these products Because of the price, the Senate HELP Committee said in a January press release.

The panel said drug companies charge the following for some of their inhaler products:

In addition to the price differences, the panel also argued that the companies inappropriately extended their monopoly over their products.

The committee believes they used strategies including obtaining additional patents near the end of a market exclusivity period, moving patients to newer versions of inhalers with longer patent protection, and striking deals with generic drug manufacturers to avoid cheaper competition. Regular inhalers can cost as little as $30.

School nurse Keri Personnete holds a children’s inhaler in the nurse practitioner’s office at the Early Learning Center in Barrington, Illinois, on February 15, 2017.

Stacey Westcott | Chicago Tribune | Tribune News Service | Getty Images

It is worth noting that GlaxoSmithKline said it recently reduced the list price of Advair HFA by an average of 20% and the price of a similar product, Advair Diskus, by an average of 50%.

GlaxoSmithKline’s new price cap applies to both products and the rest of its asthma and COPD inhaler portfolio. These include the company’s popular Trelegy Ellipta and other Ellipta inhaler products, among others.

The caps come after GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) discontinued its branded asthma inhalers Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus in early January.The company replaced them Identical to the “authorized generic” version of the inhaler except for the brand.

The company’s price cap would particularly benefit patients taking drugs that currently cost more than $35 a month. GlaxoSmithKline added in a press release that the bill will come into effect on January 1, 2025.

At the same time, AstraZeneca’s price cap will apply to the company’s entire line of inhalers used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These include Symbicort, Breztri Aerosphere, Bevespi Aerosphere and Airsupra.

The cap will apply to uninsured or underinsured patients and will take effect on June 1.

On the same day, Boehringer Ingelheim’s out-of-pocket cost cap will go into effect for all of its inhaler products.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s cap will apply to the “most vulnerable patients,” including those who are uninsured or underinsured. This cap applies to its Atrovent HFA, Combivent Respimat and Spiriva products, among others.

Sanders applauded the three companies for announcing cost caps.

“This will significantly reduce costs for millions of Americans living with asthma and COPD, making the inhalers they need more affordable,” he said in a press release last week.

We’ll be watching to see if Teva announces its own cap hit.

Please feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.

Latest Healthcare Technology

Digital diabetes management tools increase healthcare spending but fail to improve patient outcomes, report finds

Many digital diabetes management A new report from the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) finds that these tools aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

PHTI is a non-profit organization that conducts independent evaluations of digital health solutions. In its first report since its founding last year, the institute explores whether tools from DarioHealth, Glooko, Omada, Perry Health, Teladoc’s Livongo, Verily’s Onduo, Vida and Virta have a meaningful impact on people with type 2 diabetes .

The companies claim their digital diabetes tools can help people monitor their blood sugar, and many also provide additional information about medications, diet and exercise.

The solutions PHTI included in its report were typically created five to 15 years ago and use an app or website to connect to a discontinuous glucose monitor, which patients use to measure their blood sugar through a finger prick.

PHTI found that these digital diabetes management tools “failed to deliver meaningful clinical benefit,” the report said. For example, these solutions often only help patients record “small reductions” in HbA1c, a blood test that measures average blood sugar levels over a three-month period. Furthermore, the small benefits of these tools “diminishes over time,” the report said.

As a result, PHTI said, these digital diabetes management approaches increase net health care spending for health plans, providers and self-insured employers.

“These tools are not replacing the other care that people with diabetes are receiving,” PHTI executive director Caroline Pearson told CNBC. “Once you factor in the cost of the technology, you’re not going to see enough savings from any clinical benefit. to offset the additional price.”

The institute analyzed these diabetes management tools by reviewing existing published literature, such as scientific articles, as well as data submitted by the companies themselves, the report said.

PHTI’s report drew mixed reactions from doctors and several health experts. Digital Therapy Alliance, whose members include DarioHealth, critical The institute’s analytical framework.

The group said the limited options for solutions and stakeholders, as well as PHTI’s reliance on predictive models, could be improved. It called for future reports to be more “transparent and inclusive”.

“DTA respectfully disagrees with the conclusions reached, particularly in the case of DarioHealth, as we can only speak to the evidence and performance of DTA member companies,” the organization said in a statement. a statement.

While PHTI evaluated solutions for connecting non-continuous glucose monitors, it said it did not evaluate how continuous glucose monitors impact patient outcomes. Continuous glucose monitors provide patients with instant blood glucose readings, and they are becoming an increasingly popular product for people with type 2, although not all insurance companies cover them.

The report said traditional blood glucose meters are now “more common” in the United States.

Pearson said there were some bright spots in the report, such as Virta’s tool for nutritional ketosis, a diet that often requires drastic lifestyle changes. Technology is also evolving, Pearson added, so she believes the advent of continuous glucose monitors and GLP-1 could “dramatically” change the way diabetes is treated.

But for now, she said the initial reaction to the PHTI report is one of appreciation, as it can be difficult for providers, health plans and self-insured employers to determine which solutions are worthwhile.