— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and three other senators are investigating the “outrageous prices” pharmaceutical companies are charging for asthma inhalers, the Madison Dem announced.
Baldwin and other members of the Senate Health Committee have sent letters to four large drug companies requesting information on new product decisions, manufacturing costs and research and development related to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The other lawmakers are: U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.; and Ed Markey, D-Md.
In a statement on the investigation, Baldwin highlights the “exorbitant” prices being charged for inhalers by the companies being targeted — AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Teva. Each charge between $200 and $600 per inhaler, which patients usually buy every month, according to Baldwin’s release.
“While families struggle to afford this lifesaving device, these four companies are jacking up prices and turning record profits,” she said. “No American who needs an inhaler to live a healthy life, especially children, should be forced to ration or forgo their medication because of cost. It is time we hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable for price gouging Americans.”
In a statement responding to the letter, a spokesperson for Boehringer Ingelheim said the company is “committed to advancing the discussion on substantive policy reforms” needed to benefit patients with respiratory illnesses.
“Contrary to what is presented in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s letter, on average, we provide discounts and rebates of 70 percent off the list price of our inhaler products to insurers, pharmacy benefits managers and other parties,” the spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, these discounts rarely get passed along to the patient. We also provide products free to eligible patients through our patient assistance programs.”
The other drug companies and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The letters note the companies are charging much more for the same medications in the United States compared to other markets such as Europe. For example, AstraZeneca’s Breztri Aerosphere product costs $645 in the United States but $49 in the United Kingdom, while Boehringer Ingelheim’s Combivent Respimat product costs $489 in the U.S. but only $7 in France, Baldwin’s release shows.
Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair HFA product costs $319 in the U.S. compared to $26 in the United Kingdom, and Teva’s QVAR RediHaler costs $286 in the U.S. versus $9 in Germany.
The lawmakers argue “there is no reason for inhalers to be so expensive” given the “massive revenues” these businesses are seeing from these products. Baldwin says AstraZeneca, GSK, and Teva collectively made more than $25 billion in revenue over the past five years from inhalers. And all inhaler manufacturers in the U.S. saw more than $178 billion in total revenue between 2000 and 2021, according to her release.
The senators are asking the four targeted companies to provide information on: how executive decide to add new features to older inhalers or “move patients off” old products in favor of new ones; any evidence that new inhalers provide clinical benefits compared to older products; manufacturing costs and tax write-offs from patient assistance programs; and R&D spending related to asthma and COPD.
One in 11 adults in Wisconsin has asthma, Baldwin’s release notes.
See the release, which includes links to all four letters: https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/u-s-sens-baldwin-colleagues-launch-investigation-into-pharmaceutical-companies-high-price-of-asthma-inhalers/
— Assembly Republicans have introduced a medical marijuana plan that would use five state-run dispensaries rather than private outlets.
Assembly backers hailed the bill as a starting point for medical marijuana.
But Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, was noncommittal on the legislation, saying it would go through the normal process.
Meanwhile, state GOP Sen. Mary Felzkowski, a leading Republican proponent of medical marijuana, said she didn’t sign onto the bill because it would rely on state-run dispensaries.
The Irma Republican called the bill “progress towards providing those in need with access to medical marijuana” but said she prefers other models that give the private sector more control over how medical marijuana is dispensed.
“I am a firm believer that private entities, run by those with expertise in this area of medicine, are more efficient and more effective than any government agency,” she said.
The bill’s co-sponsorship memo didn’t include any senators.
During a Capitol news conference yesterday, state Rep. Jon Plumer, R-Lodi, said the program would come with significant state oversight, but argued it would be a good foundation for medical marijuana.
Under the bill, prescribers – which includes doctors, physician assistants and advanced practice nurse prescribers – would certify if a patient has conditions that qualify them for medical marijuana use. But Plumer said they would not actually prescribe marijuana as medication.
Those with qualifying conditions could then receive a registry identification card they could take to a pharmacist who would distribute the medical marijuana.
See more at WisPolitics: https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/mon-pm-update-assembly-republicans-unveil-medical-marijuana-bill-senate-republicans-noncommittal/
— Lawmakers are circulating legislation that would bar car insurance policies from insuring against liability for exposing a person to an infectious disease while in the vehicle.
Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, has set a Thursday co-sponsorship deadline for the bill, according to a memo sent to other lawmakers.
It notes a Missouri woman in 2021 sought a $1 million settlement against a man and auto insurer Geico after she contracted a sexually transmitted disease while having sex in his car, arguing his policy covered her injuries and losses.
An arbitrator initially found she should get $5.2 million from the Maryland-based insurance company, and that was supported by two lower court rulings, according to Sortwell’s memo. Those rulings were then overturned last year by the Missouri Supreme Court.
“Regardless of the current standing of the lawsuit, this string of cases opened up a can of worms and set a bad precedent that could risk higher auto insurance premiums in the future,” Sortwell wrote. “LRB-0372/1 ensures these ‘loopholes’ regarding infectious diseases are closed in Wisconsin’s auto insurance law.”
Under the legislation, infectious disease would include both sexually transmitted diseases and other communicable diseases, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
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— Gov. Tony Evers has announced seven appointments to the board overseeing the Milwaukee Brewers stadium, including selecting top aide Jenni Dye as chair.
Evers’ other picks are:
*Andrew Disch, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters;
*John Zapfel, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers;
*Corey Gall, Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association;
*Kevin Newell, Royal Capital;
*Preston Cole, City of Milwaukee Department of Administration;
*Michael Cantor, Sterling Project Development.
Zapfel also served on the board previously.
Under the bill Evers signed last fall, he gets six picks on the 13-member board. That includes one reserved each for Milwaukee County and the city.
Evers also was tasked with picking a representative for the Brewers from a list of at least three names submitted by the team.
Newell was picked from a list of names submitted by Milwaukee County, while Cole, the former state Natural Resources secretary, was picked from options turned in by the city. Cantor is one of the options the team submitted.
The appointments aren’t subject to Senate confirmation.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, will appoint three members each.
See the release: https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/gov-evers-announces-new-appointments-to-newly-reformed-southeast-wisconsin-professional-baseball-park-district-board/
— A UW-Madison think tank called COWS has changed its name to the High Road Strategy Center.
The group was originally called the Center on Wisconsin Strategy when it first launched in 1990, according to yesterday’s announcement. More recently, its name was changed to just COWS, no longer representing the original acronym.
Director Joel Rogers says the new name better reflects the organization’s updated mission.
“We are a think-and-do tank, applied research center, provider of technical assistance and advisory services – all aimed at moving more cities, regions, and even nations and their residents and governments toward high-road development,” he wrote in an email message.
The “high-road” approach is aimed at improving prosperity and abundance while maintaining a commitment to fairness and inclusion “in production and distribution, environmental sustainability, and accountable and efficient democratic government,” Rogers said.
See a recent story on the group’s work: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/cows-report-calls-for-higher-state-minimum-wage/
Listen to an earlier podcast with Associate Director Laura Dresser: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2022/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-laura-dresser-of-cows/
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