�������ýҕ�l

The rising cost of prescription drugs is a problem nationwide, but it's particularly acute in South Carolina, pushing the issue to the forefront when Democratic presidential contenders spar in Tuesday night's debate in Charleston. Health care is the dominant issue among women 50 and older in South Carolina, where 78% gave elected officials poor grades in dealing with the costs of health care and prescriptions, according to a Harris Poll survey released by AARP last week. (Gibson, 2/25)

Back in 2006, the FDA launched an effort to force drug companies to win regulatory approval for medicines already on the market that actually were never approved. Numerous treatments had been available for years on a grandfathered basis because they predated stricter requirements. But while the FDA program, called the Unapproved Drugs Initiative, succeeded in ensuring many older medicines are now safe and effective, it has come at a cost. (Silverman, 2/26)

President Trump is campaigning for re-election in 2020 by saying he has made great progress in reducing drug prices. But the issue has been a source of frustration for him recently, according to people familiar with the matter, as polling shows a majority of Americans disapprove of his handling of the issue and Democratic challengers for the White House focus on how his initiatives have stalled. Key parts of the president’s plan to combat prescription costs have been blocked by courts, dropped by the administration or delayed. Meanwhile, drug companies this year have raised prices for hundreds of medications. (Armour, 2/21)

As out-of-pocket costs rise for medicines used to treat certain neurologic disorders — such as dementia and neuropathy — patients are less likely to take their drugs as often as prescribed, according to a new study. And the findings are the latest indication that increasing drug costs may lead to worsening health and, consequently, higher health care expenses in the future. (Silverman, 2/20)

Arkansas defended its law regulating pharmacy benefit managers from an ERISA preemption challenge, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that the law is a necessary attempt to rein in an “obscure but singularly powerful industry.” (Wille, 2/25)

In an unusual move, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has reversed course and decided a pair of new drugs for treating acute migraine attacks have greater value than thought initially. And the cost-effectiveness watchdog is pointing to its decision as an example of its willingness to exercise greater flexibility in the face of long-standing criticism of its approach to evaluating new medicines. (Silverman, 2/25)

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), a small but influential Boston-based research group, has signed a deal with private technology company Aetion to help it use patient health data in its reports on whether individual drugs are priced properly. Large national regulators, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), are considering increasing the use of data gathered outside of clinical trials on the effectiveness of treatments, often referred to as real-world data. (Humer, 2/24)

A leading association of eye doctors has warned its members about safety concerns about Novartis’ new eye drug, sending the company’s stock down sharply Monday while that of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which produces a competing product, rose. The American Society of Retina Specialists sent its membership an email about the drug, Beovu, on Sunday, warning that some doctors were reporting not just a known side effect, eye inflammation, but also a new one, vasculitis. (Herper, 2/24)

Canada’s drug pricing agency is contemplating significant changes to how it will apply new regulations aimed at lowering costs, Reuters has learned, as drugmakers unhappy with the policy delay introducing new medicines in the country and blame it for job cuts. (Martell, 2/20)

The drug industry has long been one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, but in recent years it hasn't packed the punch it used to. WSJ's Brody Mullins explains why the pharmaceutical industry's influence has declined. (2/25)