Three months into COVID-19, and things are looking down (in a good way)

CMS has released their latest round of drug pricing data, giving us further insights into how the prescription drug supply chain is responding to the new challenges and demands presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. While many expected the pressures to cause massive shortages and price increases, the data shows that while shortages have definitely jumped, this new CMS drug pricing data shows that not only have generic drug prices stayed in check, but they actually appear to be deflating! But of course, the details matter, and we’ve got them for you.

Ben LinkJuly 28, 2020NADAC, Medicaid, Generic, COVID, Methylphenidate, Concerta, Ritalin, dexamethasone, Plaquenil, Hydroxychloroquine, ADHD, Zoloft, sertraline

The prescription drug supply chain's sky is not falling ... yet

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic pulled the rug out from under our lives, us nerds in the drug pricing world have been anxiously anticipating what its impact on the prescription drug supply chain will be. This week, CMS released its latest monthly round of prescription drug cost information, which gives us our first bits of insight of how the virus and its stresses on the supply chain are impacting generic drug costs. While it’s too early to tell, the first indicators show that prices are slightly moving northwards, but in general, it doesn’t seem close to being the disaster that many anticipated.

Ben LinkMay 21, 2020NADAC, Medicaid, Generic, COVID, Naproxen, Hydroxychloroquine, Metformin

Flash finding: 28% of all COVID-19 drug trials involve chloroquine products

For the past few weeks, we have been tracking the number of COVID-19 trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, with specific emphasis on drug trials. As of Tuesday, the week-over-week number of drug trials increased by 101 to a total of 431, and the number of different active ingredients undergoing trials for COVID-19 is now up to 190. When digging into those numbers, we found that the chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine craze appears to have spilled over to the research community, launching 124 trials on these two drugs – a staggering 28% of the total drug trials, as of today.

Ben LinkApril 30, 2020COVID, Clinical Trial, Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir

Drug prices shift as COVID-19 begins making its mark on the supply chain

For the past 20 months, in the pre-COVID-19 era, we’ve released a monthly report called “What’s Happening To Generic Drug Prices,” where we track month-by-month price changes from the CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey of community pharmacy invoice acquisition costs for prescription drugs. This month, we still are providing that update, but in digging through the latest round of drug pricing data from CMS, we spotted some very interesting drug pricing movement on generic drugs, and one massive increase on a drug that was recently being tested for emergency use for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Check out our latest drug pricing report for important updates on the latest drug price changes, plus an updated NADAC Packed Bubble Chart and Abnormal Drug Price Increase Tracker.

Ben LinkApril 23, 2020NADAC, Medicaid, Generic, COVID, Naproxen, Hydroxychloroquine, Prograf, Tacrolimus, Naprosyn, Mytesi

What’s happening to generic drug prices? March 2020 NADAC Survey Update

It’s NADAC survey results week, which means it’s time for our next installment of “what happened to generic drug prices last month.” We saw more price increases than decreases this past month. Also, for the second month in a row, we saw an increase in annualized spending based on typical utilization trends. It is becoming clear that the generic marketplace is not providing the deflation and efficiency that we have become accustomed to in recent years. As always, the details matter, and we’re here to provide them for you. Check out our latest drug pricing report for important updates on the latest generic drug price changes, plus an updated NADAC Packed Bubble Chart.

Ben LinkMarch 24, 2020NADAC, Medicaid, Generic, Gleevec, Imatinib, COVID, Naproxen, Hydroxychloroquine

What’s happening to generic drug prices? October 2018 NADAC Survey Update

It’s NADAC survey results week, which means it’s time for our third installment of “what happened to generic drug prices last month.” It looks like there was a bit of net deflation, but overall, there were an equal number of price increases and decreases. But as always, the details matter. Check out our latest drug pricing report for a lot of important updates, plus an updated NADAC Packed Bubble Chart!

2,500% price increase? New 46brooklyn report highlights hydroxychloroquine pricing tactics

It is well-known that competition in the generic manufacturer marketplace drives drug prices down considerably. Plaquenil, a brand-name drug that has been on the market since 1955, eventually saw generics enter the market almost a quarter of a century ago. By all accounts, generic Plaquenil – known as hydroxychloroquine – had become a very affordable drug at approximately 10 cents per pill. But FDA actions quickly dried up the supply of the drug, causing prices to balloon more than 2,500%. 46brooklyn’s newest drug pricing report examines how state Medicaid programs were impacted by this price spike, and how some states continued paying elevated rates even after the price came crashing back down.

Ben LinkAugust 9, 2018Plaquenil, Hydroxychloroquine, Medicaid, Generic, Spread