From Washington, DC

• The House of Representatives and the Senate are in session this week for Committee business and floor voting. The members of Congress hit the campaign trail next week until they return to Capitol Hill in November following the national election for a lame duck session.

• Per an HHS press release,
  • “In its ongoing commitment to support women’s health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), today launched an innovative grant program to provide almost $9 million to improve women’s health coverage and access to critical health benefits. These funds may be used to develop activities and launch educational campaigns to address disparities in access to reproductive health care and maternal health outcomes – many of which often result from challenges women face when trying to access information about available benefits or coverage, including for contraception and other family planning services. The Expanding Access to Women’s Health program grantees include the District of Columbia and the following 14 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.”

• Modern Healthcare reports,
  • “Fewer hospitals will face high readmissions penalties in 2025 as rates of reimbursement cuts stabilize for providers.
  • “It is the third consecutive year in which the percentage of hospitals assessed penalties of 1% or more moderated, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Penalties reduce the Medicare fee-for-service payments CMS makes to hospitals.
  • “For fiscal 2025, the number of hospitals included in the agency’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program is the lowest it has been in five years, with 100 fewer facilities participating than in fiscal 2021.
  • “The hospital readmissions performance period for fiscal 2025 pulls in claims from July 2020 through June 2023. The report is based on a rolling three-year time period, so the most recent one is the first to only include data generated after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
    
• FiercePharma tells us,
  • “For trade group the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the fight against pricing provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act isn’t over yet.
  • “Late last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed (PDF) a previous dismissal of PhRMA’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) lawsuit from February [2024 for lack of standing and proper venue], punting the complaint back to a lower Texas court.
• and
  • “Less than a year after snagging its first FDA approval in psoriasis, UCB’s blockbuster hopeful Bimzelx has picked up three more indications to add to its growing resume of inflammatory disease treatment.
  • “The FDA cleared Bimzelx to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) with objective signs of inflammation, and active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The med is the first IL-17A/F inhibitor approved to treat the three indications, UCB noted in a press release.”

From the public health and medical research front,

• The Washington Post informs us,
  • “About 37 percent of Gen Z men in the United States do not have an established primary care provider, according to a recent survey from the Cleveland Clinic. The survey, conducted this summer, involved 1,000 American men 18 or older living in the continental United States.
  • “Researchers assessed how different generations of men responded to questions about their health and health care, including whether they obtain yearly physicals, get screened based on doctors’ recommendations, and avoid smoking or vaping.
  • “The 37 percent of adult Gen Z men (born from 1997 through 2005) without a regular primary care provider compared with 27 percent of millennials (born from 1981 through 1996), 17 percent of Gen X respondents (1965 to 1980) and 7 percent of baby boomers and older (born before 1965).
  • “Nearly all the respondents said living a healthy lifestyle was a top priority, and 87 percent were concerned about how their current health habits would affect their future health. Millennials and adult Gen Zers were more likely to take care of their mental health (59 percent) than Gen X and boomers (53 percent), according to the survey.”

• Consumer Reports, writing in The Washington Posts, offers tips on how to alleviate hip pain.

• STAT News informs us,
  • “Of the roughly 15 million Americans who tried to quit smoking in 2022, 5 in 6 failed. It’s a jarring statistic — and an indictment of the treatment options for an addiction that kills 480,000 people in the U.S. each year.
  • “The smoking-cessation drugs on the market don’t work well for the majority of people, and they come with side effects and reputations that keep some smokers from ever trying them. Despite this, there hasn’t been a new class of drug approved for the condition in nearly two decades.” * * * 
  • “Chantix increases smokers’ success at quitting when compared to a placebo — but for every 100 people who use it, just 21 to 25 successfully stop, a recent meta-analysis found. It’s also associated with a raft of side effects, ranging from nausea to vivid dreams. Chantix, also known by its chemical name, varenicline, went generic in 2021 and can be purchased without insurance for roughly $68 for a one month supply, according to GoodRx.”  * * *
  • “In 2019, GlaxoSmithKline wrote to the FDA urging the agency to take several steps that would align its approach toward regulating NRT products with other nations’. Specifically, the drugmaker requested that the agency embrace a “Reduce to Quit” approach, whereby smokers are encouraged to use products like nicotine gum as they gradually reduce their cigarette consumption. 
  • “While the FDA has said it is open to this approach, which is used in countries like Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, the agency issued a guidance last year instructing drugmakers they would need to conduct a trial to evaluate the proposed regimen. GSK has warned that the need for another study “will make it less likely for innovator companies to pursue this indication in the U.S.”

• Per KFF,
  • “A new KFF analysis examines the recent decline in opioid overdose deaths, with a focus on how trends vary by age, race, gender and state.
  • “Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a 20% decline in deaths during the latter half of 2023 compared to the same period from the previous year.
  • “In the second half of 2023, White people saw the largest decline (-14%) in opioid overdose deaths while declines among Black people were about half that (-6%), compared to the same period the year before.
  • “All age groups experienced declines in opioid overdose deaths except one. Among people 65 and older, opioid deaths rose by 9% percent in late 2023, with factors such as low detection of substance use concerns potentially playing a role.
  • “In three-quarters of states, opioid deaths declined in the last six months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. In 2023, opioid death rates were the highest in West Virginia, Washington D.C. and Delaware, while states with the lowest opioid death rates included Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa.
  • “Newer provisional and partial data for the first quarter of 2024, which is not included in this analysis, point to a continuation of the overall downward trend in opioid overdose deaths through early 2024.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Managed Healthcare Executive points out,
  • “Employers expect prescription drug costs to increase an average of 8% in 2025, making prices the highest they’ve been in 15 years, according to a news release published yesterday. Data was taken from the results of the 2025 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey, an annual survey of managed care organizations, health insurers, prescription drug benefit managers (PBMs) and third party administrators (TPAs). Price inflation is the biggest factor on medical costs.
  • “Respondents predict that the highest rates will be reflected in all outpatient prescription drugs with an 11.4% increase, up from last year’s projected rate of 9.9%, calculated before PBM rebates. Outpatient prescription drugs trends are affected by factors such as drug price inflation, direct-to-consumer advertising and a changing drug mix.
  • “The increased use of drugs with the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1s) is a driving force in drug prices, due to their effectiveness in treating both type 2 diabetes and obesity, the survey reports. In 2023, obesity management was the top medical condition driving costs at 255.3%, followed by migraines at 31.4%.”

• Per Fierce Healthcare,
  • “What began as a dispute between two health tech companies over healthcare data exchange practices has now led to a federal lawsuit alleging antitrust violations.
  • “Venture-backed health tech company Particle Health filed an antitrust lawsuit against Epic in the Southern District of New York alleging that the electronic health records (EHR) giant is trying to muscle out competition in the payer platform market.
  • “The 81-page lawsuit (PDF), filed today [in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York], alleges Epic engaged in monopolistic, anti-competitive practices, using its “power over EHRs to expand its dominance into the fledgling market for payer platforms,” according to the lawsuit, which was reviewed by Fierce Healthcare.
  • “Particle Health argues in its federal complaint that Epic has not only engaged in anticompetitive behavior but has purposefully blocked the exchange of patient information.
  • “In an emailed response to Fierce Healthcare, an Epic spokesperson said Particle’s claims are baseless.”

• MedTech Dive lets us know,
  • “Stryker has struck its fourth takeover in as many months, acquiring Nico Corporation to add minimally invasive solutions for brain tumor removal and stroke care to its portfolio.
  • “Nico sells devices for navigating through the brain, visualizing the organ, removing tumors and clots and collecting tissue. The company received clearance for a device that allows visualization of the surgical field during brain surgery in 2012 and has since expanded its portfolio.
  • “Stryker will slot the products into a neurocranial business that reported U.S. organic sales growth of almost 11% in the second quarter. Specifically, the devices will form part of a neurosurgical unit that Stryker called out as a growth driver in the fourth quarter of 2023. Stryker did not disclose the terms of the deal.”