Top of the morning to you. Gray skies are hovering over the Pharmalot campus right now, but our spirits remain sunny, nonetheless. Why? We will trot out a bit of insight from the Morning Mayor, who would say “Every new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.” To celebrate the notion, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and invite you to join us. Our choice today is chocolate cappuccino. And remember, a prescription is not required. So no need to negotiate for a rebate. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a smashing day and, of course, do stay in touch. Postcards and telegrams are accepted….
Medicare announced the first 10 drugs selected for a new drug-price negotiation program, STAT reports. The drugs include Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, Januvia, Farxiga, Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, Stelara, and a product that goes by names including Fiasp and NovoLog. The new prices will be announced on Sept. 1, 2024, and will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The drugs were chosen from a list of 50 that cost Medicare the most money. But there is a chance that the program will never actually go into effect. Several of the companies that make the chosen medicines have sued the Biden administration in courts across the country, claiming the program is unconstitutional.
Pfizer expects to restart production at its North Carolina plant by the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2023 as it seeks to repair tornado damage to one of the world’s largest sterile injectable drug facilities, Reuters notes. The facility was struck by a tornado on July 19, and Pfizer had earlier said some drugs, including the painkiller fentanyl, could see a supply disruption. Pfizer has since placed limits on how much of those drugs its customers can buy. Most of the damage from the tornado was to a warehouse, and not production facilities, but Pfizer had indicated it would be a monumental task to repair the damage. A temporary warehouse location has been secured to accommodate product storage.