Sales of Remicade, Johnson & Johnson's blockbuster drug that treats autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, are declining. But the drug still controls more than 90% of the market and commands a high U.S. price tag even though cheaper versions have existed for almost 3 years.
The bottom line: Biosimilar competition for Remicade "is essentially a failed market," Bernstein pharmaceutical analyst Ronny Gal wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday.
Almost a quarter of traditional Medicare spending, or $114 billion, goes toward patients who have kidney disease. A large chunk of that, $35 billion, is spent on patients whose kidneys have failed and require dialysis or a transplant, according to the latest federal data.
Why it matters: Kidney disease diagnoses are growing, especially among older adults. Because treating it requires a lot of discomfort and money, the Trump administration is pushing for policies that will encourage more people to get dialysis treatment at home instead of in clinics, Politico reports.
A group of senators is considering a plan to limit how much drug companies can raise their prices in Medicare's prescription drug benefit, among other changes.
The big picture: Some of the proposals would majorly restructure the way Medicare pays for drugs and are sure to draw massive industry pushback — if lawmakers can even agree to them.
A federal appeals court seemed likely on Tuesday to strike down what remains of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, but sent more mixed signals about its willingness to throw out the rest of the health care law along with it.
Why it matters: If a ruling striking down ACA comes to pass — like the one a lower court handed down last year — it would throw some 20 million people off their coverage, create ripple effects through almost every facet of the health care system and ignite an enormous political firestorm.
Intense effort is underway to understand and prevent acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the agency pushes doctors to report symptoms early, per its new Vital Signs report.
Why it matters: Doctors continue to seek the cause of the serious neurologic syndrome after the largest recorded outbreak in 2018 — 233 patients in 41 states reported symptoms that often included limb weakness or paralysis. The CDC has expressed frustration in determining the source of the illness, as some but not all patients show evidence of enteroviruses, which are spread through the nervous system, in their bodies.
Doctors — theoretically, the best-informed patients out there — don't receive significantly more high-value care than non-doctors, according to a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper.
Why it matters: Many policies are designed based on the idea that if people have more information, they'll be better health care consumers.
Republican attorneys general and the Trump administration will make their case before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday for striking down the entire Affordable Care Act.
Why it matters: If all of this ends with the Affordable Care Act being struck down, it'll kick millions of people off their coverage, upend the health care system and force the political debate about health care back into 2010-level intensity.
