Johnson & Johnson has sued a U.S. government agency over a closely watched dispute focusing on payment methods for some hospitals that participate in a federal drug discount program. In its lawsuit, the company argued that HRSA has wrongfully interpreted a federal law concerning the use of rebates in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. J&J recently sought to change payment terms for its Xarelto blood thinner and the Stelara plaque psoriasis treatment.
U.S. drugmakers and biotechs have come to rely on Chinese partners for manufacturing, research and ingredients. Now, some of them are looking for alternatives as geopolitical tensions rise. Switch-overs in manufacturing, raw materials could mean higher drug prices and slower rollouts.
Data from over 3 million people who had been using Flovent showed a 17.5% increase in asthma-related hospitalization in the three months after Flovent was discontinued, and a 24.1% increase in the following three to six months. ICU admissions for asthma in those previously using Flovent increased 17.4% three months after discontinuation, and 23.1% three to six months after discontinuation. The data included children and adults.
The slow simmer of mistakes and misfortunes has come to a boil for the biggest U.S. drugstore chains. They've accumulated too many stores at a time of changing shopper habits. They're saddled with numerous government fines and a particularly ailing relationship with health insurers.
Novartis has lost a bid to keep a generic version of its top-selling heart failure drug Entresto off the U.S. market by blocking regulators from approving it, though the generic's launch faces other legal roadblocks. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, D.C., in an order made public this week, says the FDA did not overstep its authority in approving MSN Pharmaceutical's generic of Entresto, despite a slightly different label and alleged differences between the drugs.
CVS is closing 900 stores. Rite-Aid is closing 500. Walgreens announced Tuesday it plans to close 1,200 stores, meaning 1 in 7 will disappear. What is going on with America's drug stores? Walgreens and other chains overexpanded during the 1990s and 2000s to drive out competitors and draw more customers. They are now shutting down because of shifting consumer habits, competition and changes in the pharmacy industry. Around 25% of Walgreens' stores aren't profitable, CEO Tim Wentworth says, and the chain will look to close stores that are right by one another or struggling to hold down theft. Walgreens and other retailers say they have been hit by shoplifting since the pandemic, and resorted to locking up items or closing high-theft stores. But shoplifting alone doesn't explain Walgreens' problems, and the company subsequently admitted last year it 'cried too much' over the impact of the would-be scourge.