Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s Post

🌟 Breaking Barriers: Inhaler Costs Capped at $35 by Boehringer Ingelheim! 🌟 Boehringer Ingelheim is leading the charge towards a more equitable healthcare landscape with their groundbreaking announcement: starting June 1, out-of-pocket costs for all their inhalers will be capped at an affordable $35 per month. This initiative is a boon for patients with employer-sponsored insurance and offers a lifeline to those who are underinsured or uninsured, making essential respiratory medications more accessible to a wider audience. Inhalers are indispensable for millions managing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and with this cap, Boehringer Ingelheim is significantly easing the financial burden for many. Jean-Michel Boers, the president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim’s U.S. operations, underscored the company's commitment to fairness and support for vulnerable communities by providing "predictable, affordable costs at the pharmacy counter." In the midst of increasing scrutiny over the high cost of inhalers in the U.S. compared to other countries, this initiative represents a pivotal moment in the healthcare industry. It not only answers the call for more equitable pricing, as highlighted by Senator Bernie Sanders and other advocates, but also sets a precedent for other pharmaceutical companies to follow suit. As we applaud Boehringer Ingelheim for this significant step, we must also consider the broader impact: What will this price cap mean for the formulary status of these inhalers? Enhanced formulary placement could result from this pricing strategy, ensuring that more patients have access to these vital medications without financial hardship. This initiative marks a crucial step forward in the pursuit of healthcare affordability and accessibility. Let’s continue to advocate for such positive changes across the healthcare sector, ensuring everyone has access to the medications they need to live healthier lives. #HealthcareInnovation #AffordableCare #AsthmaAndCOPD #InhalerCostCap #Pharmaceuticals #HealthcareEquity

ABC: Asthma Bernie Cost?   Long ago, my college economics professor talked about Adam Smith and the compelling benefits of market forces: Equilibrium based on supply, demand, perceived value, and the resultant price. Of course, pharmaceuticals in the U.S. are   From the article:   -       In a statement, Boehringer Ingelheim (GlaxoSmithKline executive) claimed that—contrary to the contents of the committee’s letter—it offers “discounts and rebates of 70% off the list price of our inhaler products to insurers, pharmacy benefits managers, and other parties. Unfortunately, these discounts rarely get passed along to the patient.” -       Other variables of drug-pricing arithmetic include pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, employers, and regulators.   Recently there was a focus on the price of insulin. Now, inhalers are an area of focus. All of us have friends and family members with asthma and diabetes. Normally, seeing “Senate HELP Committee” in an article headline would suggest to me the winner of an oxymoron contest. But in this case, perhaps for the first time ever, I will say: U. S. Senate, keep up the good work. 

The scrutiny continues over prescription drug prices. And it's understandable -- in many cases they have gotten out of the reach of patients at the pharmacy counter. The way patients access medicines in the US is complicated and broken. Policy reforms are needed that will address the root of the problem, but the different groups involved point fingers at each other and so progress stalls. While patients pay the price for inaction - literally and figuratively. So we at Boehringer Ingelheim decided to take action now, capping patient out-of-pocket costs for our inhaler products at $35. Since we made our announcement, 2 other pharma companies have followed us. This will be a great benefit to patients. While a positive step, the solution isn't perfect. To get broader, more sustainable change, all actors - pharma, insurers, PBMs, policymakers and others -- need to focus on what they CAN do, not on what they CAN'T.

Stories making headlines today in the biopharma industry: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently endorsed the extended coverage of anti-obesity medication for additional health complaints, a move that paves the way for expanded access to these treatments for government healthcare program patients. This development notably encompasses cardiovascular benefits tied to a new group of obesity treatments, GLP-1s, with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy leading the charge. In other pharmaceutical news, 2021 saw GLP-1 brand promotion spearhead a surge in diabetes and weight loss prescription drug advertising expenditure, driving it past the $1 billion milestone. This represented over a 50% rise from the preceding year, and analysts predict continued escalation in spending within this sector into 2024. However, it's not all smooth sailing in the pharmaceutical industry. Merck's co-treatment approach combining PD-1 powerhouse Keytruda and AstraZeneca’s Lynparza, a PARP inhibitor, demonstrated no survival advantage for select first-line nonsquamous NSCLC patients. This underwhelming performance represents yet another setback for the combined treatment, which also didn’t achieve its secondary objective of progression-free survival. Meanwhile, GSK revealed plans to restrict out-of-pocket expenses for its inhalers to $35, joining the ranks of the three foremost drug manufacturers striving to alleviate patients’ costs in response to mounting US political pressure over the price tags of staple medications. The price revision and cost ceiling for their inhalers goes into effect at the latest by January 1, 2025. On the global front, policy makers have agreed to extend a critical international AIDS relief initiative - the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) - as part of the government's spending package. Despite typically securing a five-year authorization, the latest renewal covers only one year. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR is credited with saving about 25 million lives worldwide. In state-level healthcare tweaks, Kentucky has emerged as the fourth US state to advocate the preference for biosimilar medicine prescriptions prior to their branded counterparts. Governor Andy Beshear approved the legislation in a bid to broaden access to more affordable medication. #pharma #biotech #topstories #biodatastudio

Prescription Drug Prices Are on the Rise. How Can Employers Manage?: Potentially game-changing—and expensive—drugs for obesity, Alzheimer’s and other diseases are coming on the market, while the trend line for the cost of prescription drugs already on the market continues to rise. Here’s how employers can manage high costs more effectively. #HRTech #SHRM #BigData

A recent article noted that Novo Nordisk will no longer manufacture the Levemir insulin product. Many Medicare beneficiaries just completed the arduous task of reviewing their Part D prescription plans for 2024. They may have chosen Part D plans based on the fact that it covered their Levemir. They are locked into these plans until 2025 and can't make any changes. The article lists some alternatives for the Levemir, but not all Part D plans cover these alternatives. This means the person will be on the hook for the retail cost of the medication if not covered by their current plan. Hopefully the Part D plans will grant exceptions for people who fall into this situation. If you, or a loved one, is currently using Levemir, please speak with the prescribing provider about alternatives that are covered under their current Part D prescription drug plans. https://lnkd.in/eUVjikgb

FDA Approves Sotatercept, a First-in-Class Treatment for Adults with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension 28 Mar, 2024 • The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved sotatercept, for the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), World Health Organization (WHO) Group 1, to increase exercise capacity, improve WHO functional class, and reduce the risk for clinical worsening events. Sotatercept is the first FDA-approved activin signaling inhibitor therapy for PAH. • The approval is based on the Phase 3 STELLAR trial. • Results showed adding sotatercept to background therapy increased six-minute walk distance from baseline by 41 meters at Week 24 and significantly improved multiple important secondary outcome measures, including reducing the risk of death from any cause or PAH clinical worsening events by 84% versus background therapy alone (number of events: 9 vs 42) The drug is to be administered once every three weeks by subcutaneous injection. Healthcare providers are advised to monitor hemoglobin and platelets before each dose for the first 5 doses, or longer if values are unstable, and periodically thereatter to determine if dose adjustments are required. Read full story https://lnkd.in/gTjXKknZ

𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 Pulmonary drug delivery devices are designed to deliver medication directly to the lungs through inhalation. These devices are used to administer various pharmaceuticals, including bronchodilators, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and other medications used to treat respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, and respiratory infections. Download Pdf Sample@ https://lnkd.in/dd28taJG Global Pulmonary drug delivery devices market was valued at US $35.6 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach US $48.5 Bn by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period 2023-2030. Hovione Nanopharm Ltd, an Aptar Pharma Company MannKind Corporation Gerresheimer Propeller Health Vectura Group Smiths Medical Pulmatrix Inc. #PulmonaryDrugDelivery #InhalationTherapy #RespiratoryHealth #MedicalDevices #DrugDeliveryInnovation #HealthcareControversies #PatientCareDebate #PharmaceuticalIndustry #EnvironmentalImpact #EthicalHealthcare

CMS announces the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to Medicare price negotiations under Inflation Reduction Act: -Eliquis, a blood thinner -Xarelto, a blood thinner -Januvia, a diabetes drug -Jardiance, a diabetes drug -Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug -Imbruvica, a drug for blood cancers -Farxiga, a drug for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease -Entresto, a heart failure drug -Stelara, a drug for psoriasis and Crohn's disease -Fiasp and NovoLog, for diabetes #healthcare #pharmacy #medicine NBC News https://lnkd.in/g5ecMPMz