 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Paxlovid gets closer to full approval |
A panel of independent experts voted this week to recommend that Paxlovid, the COVID-19 medication made by Pfizer, be granted full approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). |
The FDA's Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted 16-1 in favor of Paxlovid, finding the medicine was safe and effective for treating COVID-19 in high-risk adults. Paxlovid was granted emergency use authorization in December 2021. Since then, it has been used by millions of Americans to treat coronavirus infections. This endorsement comes soon after the FDA determined the drug was effective and not linked to what has been called "Paxlovid rebound," when symptoms return soon after finishing a course of treatment. Treatments like Paxlovid, along with fellow COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir from Merck and Ridgeback, became more widely known after the White House announced its Test-to-Treat initiative that aimed to give people quick and easy access to medication after testing positive for a coronavirus infection. The drug has some drawbacks, however, as it does have known interactions with other medicines and often can't be prescribed if it means stopping another prescription that a patient is taking. And while full approval would put another feather in Pfizer's cap, the company itself isn't expecting many returns for this drug, at least this year. Pfizer is anticipating a steep drop in revenue brought in from Paxlovid for 2023, expecting a 58 percent drop as the federal government ends its purchase agreement for vaccines and treatments. |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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President Biden’s budget proposal includes ambitious measures seeking to bring down health care costs, but the divided government poses a steep challenge to these proposals, and lawmakers have yet to indicate where they’re willing to come together. Biden’s budget proposes increasing discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by $14.8 billion over 2023, raising taxes on people … |
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| A new analysis of genetic information conducted by an international group of researchers has found evidence to suggest that COVID-19 originated from infected animals sold at a market in Wuhan, China. As first reported by The Atlantic, French evolutionary biologist Florence Débarre recently uncovered genetic data from the global virology database GISAID. The data had been submitted by Chinese researchers who collected the genetic … |
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French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, one of the top three insulin manufacturers for the U.S., announced on Thursday it would be cutting the list price for its most prescribed insulin product Lantus by 78 percent, joining fellow major insulin manufacturers in drastically minimizing the prices of some of their insulin products. Along with cutting down the price of Lantus, a long-acting injection insulin, the company said it … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- The FDA's vaccine advisory panel meets Wednesday to discuss GlaxoSmithKline's application for an RSV vaccine in people ages 60+.
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Pharmacy benefit companies are committed to securing a more affordable health care future by increasing competition and through a robust biosimilar market that lowers drug costs for patients. |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Strawberries recalled over possible health risk |
Strawberries sold at many major stores are being recalled over a Hepatitis A outbreak. | |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- California's COVID misinformation law is entangled in lawsuits, conflicting rulings (Kaiser Health News)
- Florida bill would ban young girls from discussing periods in school (The Washington Post)
- Healey will end the COVID vaccination mandate for state workers, state health emergency (WBUR)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Energy department briefs senators on COVID-19 origins (Roll Call)
- What is Babesiosis? A rare tick-borne disease is on the rise in the Northeast (NPR)
- Polio cases derived from new oral vaccine reported for first time (Stat)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned whether a local reporter was sober during a recent interview, following a tense exchange over the journalist's … Read more |
| An attorney for Donald Trump says the former president would not refuse to surrender to authorities if he is indicted in the Manhattan district attorney's … Read more |
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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Prescription for Change: Improving Competition to Lower Drug Prices — Watch Replay Rising prescription drug prices are a major concern for many Americans. One in four patients in the U.S. face financial challenges affording their medications. The Hill brought together policymakers and leaders from across the health care ecosystem to discuss strategies for increasing biosimilar competition to lower drug prices and create a more affordable system for consumers, including Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), member of the Senate HELP Committee, and Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), member of the House Ways And Means Committee. Watch |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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