News 2014-2018

2018 News & Events

CP3 Director Gellad Calls Drug Pricing Rollbacks "Window Dressing"
December 6, 2018 — "Making promises to the president is not how you fix a fundamental market problem," CP3 Director Walid Gellad told the LA Times in a recent article about rising drug prices. Read More »
Walid Gellad Responds to Sanders' Drug Pricing Plan
November 20, 2018 — The "Prescription Drug Price Relief Act," proposed by Sen. Sanders and Rep. Khanna attempts to alleviate high drug prices for Americans as well as monopolies on drug manufacturing. Many, however, have noted that the act shares features with a recent proposal by the trump administration. Read More »
CP3 Director Gellad Comments on Pfizer's Price Increases
November 16, 2018 — "The drug price pledges made earlier this year were just for show — it was obvious at the time, and it's obvious now," notes CP3 Director Walid Gellad, in a Politico piece about Pfizer's recent price increases. Gellad also commented on the Trump administration's tendency to sharply Read More »
Inma Hernandez Named to "30 Under 30"
November 13, 2018 — CP3 Associate Director Inma Hernandez was chosen to be one of Forbes' "30 Under 30," in recognition for her career accomplishments and contributions to health care research. Read More »
Director Walid Gellad Describes Challenges to Drug Pricing Policy
October 26, 2018 — In a recent speech about drug pricing, President Trump described current problems impacting the issue, including the lack of a mechanism to lower prices in Medicare Part B. However, the administration did not outline clear solutions. In fact, as CP3 Director Walid Gellad writes in STAT, Read More »
Can an Old Patent Law Help Drug Costs?
October 5, 2018 — An old patent law may help control drug costs. CP3 Director Walid Gellad weighs in with others in this article from Kaiser Health News. Read More »
New Research from Inma Hernandez Shows Drug Prices Double After Shortages
September 18, 2018 — A new study, led by CP3 Associate Director Inma Hernandez, shows prescription drug prices more than double in the months following drug shortages. The work by Hernandez and her team has been picked up by Bloomberg and Stat news, among others. Read More »
Walid Gellad Notes CVS' Use of ICER Metrics Wll Impact Few Drugs
September 14, 2018 — "CVS has limited this threshold to very few cases so [it] will likely not have a big impact," notes CP3 Director Walid Gellad in a Biopharma Dive article about CVS' use of ICER metrics for drug pricing. The company decided in August to use value-based drug pricing analyses to determine Read More »
Davies' Study Suggests Opioids Are Overprescribed for Prostate and Kidney Surgeries
September 10, 2018 — CP3-affiliated faculty Benjamin Davies led research suggesting urologists should prescribe far fewer opioids for patients.  Reuters Health News reported on Davies' study, which suggests that urologists can decrease their prescribing habits by at least 50%, and opioid prescribing tended to Read More »
Hospitals Might Use Civica Rx Savings to Improve Other Services
September 10, 2018 —  “What you definitely don't want is this just being a way for hospitals to decrease their costs and their margins and build new ambulatory cancer centers in wealthy neighborhoods to make more revenue,” notes CP3 Director Walid Gellad in this Politico piece about Civica Rx.  Civica Rx, a Read More »
Dr. Gellad quoted about the importance of following financial disclosure rules
September 8, 2018 — Dr. Jose Baselga is a renowned cancer researcher who failed to follow the rules about disclosing his financial conflicts of interest.  This article, a collaboration between The New York Times and ProPublica, describes the incidents and the reasons for such rules. CP3 Director Walid Gellad Read More »
CP3 Director Walid Gellad Notes Risks of Gottlieb's Communication Strategy
August 27, 2018 — CP3 Director Walid Gellad weighs in on FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's communication strategy in a BioPharma Dive article.  Gellad notes, "[I]t shouldn't distract people from looking at areas of FDA policy he's not talking about." Read More »
CP3 Director Walid Gellad Talks to Politico about Drug Pricing Initiatives
August 3, 2018 — "This is not the kind of structural change we want in the market so that prices go down,” notes CP3 Director Walid Gellad in a Politico piece about drug companies' recent initiatives to lower prices.  Gellad describes the concessions as a mix of potential positive and negative outcomes, Read More »
Financial Conflicts of Interest in Medicine
August 1, 2018 — CP3 Director Walid Gellad weighs in on financial conflicts of interest in medicine in this piece on NPR's All Things Considered. Read More »
The Reality Behind Claims to Lower Drug Prices
July 24, 2018 — “It’s going to take a lot of time and there's a lot of hurdles in the way, but that’s not what you want to explain when you want to show how you’re lowering drug prices," notes CP3 Director Walid Gellad in a Washington Post article about the reality behind the Trump administration's plans Read More »
New Drug Pricing Proposals from Trump Adminstration
July 23, 2018 — A STAT News article described the Trump administration's proposed plans for lowering drug prices. CP3 Director Walid Gellad discusses these developments. Read More »
Merck's Measures for Lowering Drug Prices
July 20, 2018 — CP3 Director Walid Gellad weighs in on Merck's measures for lowering drug prices.  In this LA Times article, Dr. Gellad notes, "What Merck did was not of much benefit at all. In fact, it’s counterproductive if the industry is saying it wants to help but really is just pretending." Read More »
Merck Agrees to Freeze or Lower Drug Prices
July 19, 2018 — Merck has joined other pharmaceutical manufacturers in an agreement to freeze or lower some prices.  In a recent State News article, CP3 Director Walid Gellad explains the implications of this agreement. Read More »
Responses to Administration's Action on Drug Prices
July 3, 2018 — CP3 director Walid Gellad is quoted in a Politico article about the Trump administration's plans to change drug prices. Read More »
Concurrent Opioid and Benzodiazepine Use Quintuples Overdose Risk
June 22, 2018 — A recent article in JAMA has brought awareness of the heightened overdose risk of patients who are concurrently prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines. CP3 affiliated faculty member, Dr. Inma Herdandez, and her team determined that these patients have a risk of overdose that is five times Read More »
Medicare Merger Could Raise Costs
May 16, 2018 — HHS Secretary Alex Azar has been making a big push to consolidate the Medicare Part B and Part D programs in an attempt to lower prescription drug costs. In the Stat Plus article discussing the push, CP3 Director Walid Gellad noted that such a consolidation could actually raise out of Read More »
Promises to Lower Drug Prices Likely Won't Work
May 14, 2018 — HHS Secretary Alex Azar expanded on Trump's recent drug pricing speech, noting that government negation of drug prices would have limited effects. Azar also repeated that he wants drug companies to include prices in television ads. CP3 Director Walid Gellad offered his opinion of the Read More »
Opioid Makers' Promotions Influence Prescriptions
May 14, 2018 — A new study suggests that doctors who accept money and perks from companies who manufacture opioids are more likely to prescribe these drugs to their patients, notes an article in US News and World Report.  On average, prescription rates rose 9% in the year after payments, with each perk Read More »
Twitter Response to Drug Pricing Speech
May 11, 2018 — Stat News, The Hill, Fortune, and Endpoints News have featured CP3 Director Walid Gellad's tweets in response to Trump's recent drug pricing speech. Read More »
Reaction to Trump's Drug Pricing Speech
May 11, 2018 — In an NPR article discussing Trump's recent speech about lowering prescription drug costs, CP3 Director Walid Gellad gives his take on the speech and what it may mean going forward. Read More »
Associated Costs Cause Gene Therapy Treatment Price to Soar
May 7, 2018 — Experts believe that the cost of a new gene therapy treatment for hemophilia may cost patients as much as $1.5 million. Developments in gene therapy treatments for other diseases are expected to trend drug prices upward, according to an article on CNBC. CP3 Director Walid Gellad was Read More »
CVS Can Help Lower Patients' Drug Costs
April 11, 2018 — Rx Savings Finder program, a new tool for CVS Pharmacy's pharmacists and Caremark consumers, can help identify less expensive less medications for patients.  CVS describes the tool as a response to variation in insurance plans' drug coverage and patient costs.  In a Washington Post article Read More »
Potential Drug Pricing Proposals in White House Budget Request
February 12, 2018 — This week's installment of Politico's Prescription Pulse breaks down the details leaked about the drug pricing proposals included in the new White House budget request.  Thought to be included in the proposals are a speanding cap on out-of-pocket drug payments for serniors, free generic Read More »
Perspective on the 340B Debate
January 24, 2018 — In a perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine, CP3 Director Walid Gellad and HPI Director Everette James describe the controversy surrounding the 340B Drug Pricing Program.  A recent CMS rule will reduce Medicare Part B payments to hospital outpatient departments for Read More »

2017 News & Events

Proposed CVS-Aetna Merger May Change Health Care Delivery
December 9, 2017 — In a live discussion on C-SPAN, Dr. Gellad discussed the potential impact of the proposed CVS-Aetna merger.  The merger could transform the way that health care is delivered by making it more accessible to consumers and managing costs.  In taking questions from callers, Dr. Gellad also Read More »
FDA Approves Digital Pill to Track Adherence
November 14, 2017 — The FDA has recently approved a pill embedded with a sensor that tracks when a pill has been ingested.  The pill and sensor, called Abilify MyCite, is the first of its kind approved by the FDA.  In an NPR story about this milestone, Dr. Gellad discusses the benefits and concerns about the Read More »
Biotech News Source Profiles Dr. Gellad
November 9, 2017 — Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News profiled Dr. Gellad, tracing his career path and highlighting his unique presence on Twitter.  The profile shares Dr. Gellad's thoughts about the utility of Twitter to reach a wider audience, to make connections and foster collaborations, and to Read More »
Associated Costs Cause Gene Therapy Treatment Price to Soar
October 16, 2017 — An article in USA Today discusses the high costs associated with a new gene therapy treatment.  Kymriah, a leukemia drug, has a high initial cost that rises even higher because of associated treatments, such as those to manage side effects.  The article quotes Dr. Gellad, who notes that Read More »
California Drug Price Transparency Bill Passes into Law
October 9, 2017 — In an interview with Nightly Business Report, Dr. Gellad discusses his thoughts about California's drug price transparency bill, SB 17.  The recently passed bill requires pharmaceutical companies to provide notification at least 60 days before prices will rise 16% over a two year period.  Read More »
Parkinson's Drug Pricing Leads to Controversy
August 25, 2017 — An article published in STAT describes the controversry surrounding a new drug approval.  The drug, Gocovri, manufactured by Adamas Pharmaceuticals, is the first FDA-approved long-acting medication for Parkinson's disease and carries a very high price tag.  The article quotes Dr. Gellad's Read More »
Hospitals Could Do More for Survivors of Opioid Overdoses
August 22, 2017 — In an interview with Andrea Hsu of NPR, Dr. Donohue, senior author on a recent publication in JAMA, discussed their research findings regarding opportunities on the part of health care systems to intervene on behalf of overdose patients. Using Medicaid data from 2008-2013, researchers Read More »
Outcomes-Based Pricing of Evolocumab
August 7, 2017 — In a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine, CP3 Researcher Inmaculada Hernandez simulates the annual price of Evolocumab under an outcome-based pricing method.  Read More »
VA Formulary System is Example for Medicare
June 15, 2017 — In a commentary in the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Gellad uses his experience practicing medicine at the VA to explain that their formulary system might be an example to Medicare as it works to lower prescription drug costs.  Dr. Gellad outlines the way that the formulary works and what a Read More »
Dr. Davies' Forbes Post Regarding Cancer Drug
June 5, 2017 — In Forbes, Dr. Ben Davies discusses the impact of new data on Abiraterone for prostate cancer and what it may mean for drug spending.  Read More »
New England Journal of Medicine - Perspective
May 25, 2017 — In a perspective piece published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Gellad, Director of CP3, and Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, discuss the accelerated drug approval process and the potential impact the drugs' pricing and coverage can have on patient access.  Read More »
Interview with Minnesota Public Radio
April 25, 2017 — Dr. Walid Gellad spoke with Kerri Miller of Minnesota Public Radio about drug pricing in the current administration. Listen here. Read More »
Examining Polypharmacy
April 10, 2017 — Polypharmacy--taking multiple medications--is an increasing problem in the United States, especially among older patients.  An article in the New York Times describes the risks associated with polypharmacy, including harmful drug interactions, adverse events requiring hospitalizations, and Read More »
Mylan hit with class-action lawsuit over EpiPen Pricing
April 3, 2017 — Monday Mylan was hit with a class-action lawsuit accusing them of illegally inflating EpiPen prices. In an interview with Wes Venteicher of the Trib, Dr. Gellad speaks to the fact that although Mylan is specifically names in the suit, it's a general indictment of drug pricing in general Read More »
Drug Shortages
March 21, 2017 — Each year the United States experiences a shortage of over 100 drugs, many of which are sterile injectable products for life-threatening conditions like septic shock and cancer. In an editorial in this week’s issue of JAMA, CP3 co-director Julie Donohue, PhD, and her colleague Derek Angus Read More »
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic (JAMA)
March 13, 2017 — In JAMA Internal Medicine, CP3's Director Walid Gellad, along with Drs. Good and Shulkin, published a viewpoint on addressing the opioid epidemic in the United States. They share lessons learned from the Nation's Veteran population - specifically those treated in Department of Veteran's Read More »
Should Medicare Leverage Buying Power?
February 7, 2017 — Dr. Walid Gellad spoke with Alison Kodjak of NPR about the potential impact Medicare negotiations with pharmaceutical companies could have on drug prices.  Read More »
Price Fixing Insulin
January 31, 2017 — In an interview with Reema Khrais of Marketplace, Dr. Gellad discusses allegations that three of the largest drug makers of insulin are engaged in price fixing.  Read More »

2016 News & Events

Dr. Gellad Discusses Proposition 61
October 24, 2016 — Dr. Gellad spoke with Ben Bradford of Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, CA, about Proposition 61. Proposition 61, the Drug Price Standards Initiative, proposed regulating drug prices by requiring state agencies to pay no more than the US Department of Veteran's Affairs pays for Read More »
NPR Interview - Rising Drug Prices
October 18, 2016 — In a radio interview with Dan Gorenstein of NPR/MarketPlace, Dr. Gellad discusses the spike in drug prices - 7% last year. Listen to the interview on their website and read more. Read More »
Sarepta to Charge $300K for Duchenne Drug
September 19, 2016 — In an interview with Ed Silverman of Statnews, Dr. Gellad discusses the new Sarepta Therapeutics Drug for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, coming in at roughly $300,00 per year for patients.  Read More »
Mylan EpiPen Firestorm
August 29, 2016 — Dr. Gellad, in an interview with Anna Edney and Cynthia Koons of Bloomberg, discuss the controversial price hike in Mylan's EpiPen. With a price hike of roughly 400%, there were serious concerns over where this number came from and how customers were going to afford it. Read More »
Dr. Gellad's Editorial on the Costs of Delayed-Entry Generics
June 27, 2016 — Dr. Gellad publishes editorial in JAMA Internal Medicine, commenting on a recent study describing the costs associated with delayed entry of generic Lipitor.   Read More »
Yan Tang Accepts Position at RTI
May 15, 2016 — Proud to announce that Yan Tang, PhD, who just completed the postdoctoral training program at CP3, accepted a position at RTI International.  Yan's predecessor and CP3's first postdoctoral fellow, Jenny-Lo Ciganic, is now junior faculty at the University of Arizona School of Pharmacy. Read More »
Do Prescription Drug Ads Help or Hurt Consumers Seeking Relief
April 20, 2016 — An article by Chandra Johnson of the Patriot Ledger investigates the potential harm prescription drug ads can have on individuals seeking relief. The American Medical Association is stead-fast in its position against direct-to-consumer advertising, citing it "inflates demand for new and Read More »
Finally, Some Theranos Data. But Not From Theranos
March 28, 2016 — An article by Matthew Herper of Forbes discusses a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers at Mt. Sinai investigating the accuracy of Theranos, a blood test company which replaces routine blood draws with finger pricks. Researchers analyzed results Read More »
Your Doctor is Ripping you Off
March 22, 2016 — An article co-published by Salon, NPR, the Boston Globe, and the Tampa Bay Times, discusses the impact of physicians receiving payments from pharmaceutical companies - does it correlate with how they prescribe drugs (name brand or generic?). An analysis by ProPublica is able to provide Read More »
How well do older Americans understand TV Drug Ads
March 21, 2016 — An article by Dylan Scott of Statnews discusses an upcoming study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which will test older (60 and older) Americans' understanding of drug commercials on TV. They will compare their comprehension of simple versus complex TV ads. As Dr. Donohue stated Read More »
How to Make the Most of Drugs We Already Have in NYT
February 23, 2016 — In an interview with Austin Frakt of the NY Times, Dr. Gellad discussses the off-label use of many medications in lieu of additional research on the part of the drug companies to evaluate additional uses.   Read More »
Medicare Drug Price Negotiation
February 5, 2016 — Dr. Gellad quoted in New York Times article on Medicare drug price negotiation.   Read More »
NPR Interview -- Industry-Wide Drug Price Hikes
February 4, 2016 — Recent surveys have shown significant drug price hikes throughout the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Walid Gellad discusses this with Ashley Milne-Tyte of NPR MarketPlace. Read More »
Medicare, A Lousy Drug Negotiator
February 2, 2016 — In an interview with Margot Sanger-Katz of the NY Times, Dr. Gellad discusses Medicare drug pricing. As Ms. Sanger-Katz states, currently private insurance companies seperately negotiate deals on behalf of Medicare patients. What if instead, the government directly negotiated with drug Read More »

2015 News & Events

Inside the Impossibly Byzantine World of Prescription Drug Prices
December 21, 2015 — In an interview with Dylan Scott of Statnews, Dr. Gellad discusses misleading list prices pharmaceutical companies report and the behind the scenes negotiations which result in the actual cost to consumers.  Read More »
Doctors Vote to Stop Drug Ads to Consumers
November 20, 2015 — The American Medical Association is calling for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and medical devices. The group says the commercials are boosting demand for expensive — and sometimes inappropriate — treatments, and fueling the rise in drug prices. Read More »
The 'Pink Pill': The Female Viagra
October 1, 2015 — Dr. Gellad speaks with Melanie Abbott of BBC Radio about flibanserin, a failed antidepressant now called the 'female Viagra'. Listen here.  Read More »
Efficacy and Safety of Flibanserin
September 1, 2015 — CP3 Co-Director Walid Gellad, MD, MPH authored a viewpoint in JAMA describing the efficacy and safety of flibanserin for female hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).  Dr. Gellad was a member of the FDA panel that reviewed data on the medication on June 4, 2015. Read More »
VA grant to study opioid medication use
March 2, 2015 — CP3 Co-director Walid Gellad receives three year VA grant to study opioid medication use among Veterans receiving care from multiple health systems. Read More »
2015 AcademyHealth New Investigator grant
February 9, 2015 — Dr. Olufunmilola Abraham (previously Odukoya) was selected as a recipient of the 2015 AcademyHealth New Investigator grant for her research entitled “OTC Sleep Aids: Older Adult Medication – Taking Behavior and Safety Risks." Read More »

2014 News & Events

CDC study on formulary impact on prescription drug abuse
September 30, 2014 — Gerald Cochran and Julie Donohue will lead a team of CP3 faculty and staff in a new two year partnership with the CDC to study how formularies can impact prescription drug abuse and overdose. Read More »
Could Hepatitis C Eventually be a Rare Disease?
September 23, 2014 — Dr. Gellad spoke with David Templeton of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette regarding the treatment of individuals with Hepatitis C. Medications exist which can treat and cure a patient with Hepatitis C, unfortunately they come with a large price tag. The decision for many patients is made by Read More »
Vasculitis Research Initiative to assess Disease Impact
August 28, 2014 — Carolyn Thorpe discusses her study, "Vasculitis Research Initiative to assess Disease Impact (V-RIDI)," in a video posted by the Vasculitis Foundation Read More »
The Impact and Evolution of Medicare Part D
August 21, 2014 — CP3 Co-Director Julie Donohue, PhD publishes perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine accompanied by audio interview: "The Impact and Evolution of Medicare Part D." Read More »
Medicare Part D benefit design and generic drug use
June 30, 2014 — Graduate student and CP3 member Yan Tang published an article in the June issue of Medical Care examining the impact of Medicare Part D benefit design on the use of generic drugs. Read More »
Potential cost savings for Medicare Part D
June 15, 2014 — Dr. Yuting Zhang publishes an article in Health Affairs outlining potential cost savings to Medicare Part D. Read More »
Medication adherence for cancer therapy drugs
February 1, 2014 — Dr. Gellad publishes editorial in the Journal of Clinical Oncology about the importance of medication adherence for new oral targeted cancer therapy. Read More »