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July 31, 2020 Coronavirus

There is widespread anticipation of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so life can “get back to normal.” Some three dozen vaccines, made with a variety of technology platforms, or approaches (naked RNA, weakened or killed viruses, hybrid viruses, subunit vaccines, etc.), are now in clinical trials. Many of these vaccine development programs have been assisted by a White House crash program, “Operation Warp Speed,” which was launched in May. At the announcement, President Trump said the goal would be to have 300 million doses of a...

July 30, 2020 Coronavirus

Title: Trump's proposed executive orders on drug pricing may hinder R&D and drug development Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor, Health Care Finance Recently, President Trump proposed four different executive orders aimed at lowering drug prices in a move that some see as calculated to secure votes from seniors in the run-up to November's presidential election. There's no doubt that drug prices have become a challenge for many Americans, but as finer details of the executive orders have yet to emerge, it's unclear whether...

July 29, 2020 Issues, Policy Proposals

Millions of people will continue to have access to affordable short-term health plans, thanks to a new ruling from the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A three-judge panel of the court upheld by a 2-1 margin a Trump administration rule extending the maximum duration of a short-term plan to just under a year. Insurers can also renew the plans for up to three years. Short-term plans are appealing because they're so affordable. Unlike those for sale on the exchanges, they're not required to...

July 28, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2, Innovation, Issues

It's hard to find a silver lining in a pandemic. But one of the few may be the rapid rise of telemedicine. With people stuck at home, doctors retooled their practices to see patients via videoconference. Insurance companies and regulators expanded the number of services available via telemedicine—and made reimbursement for telehealth consultations on par with conventional in-person visits. The Federal Trade Commission has now called on officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)  to permanently extend the emergency...

July 27, 2020 Coronavirus - Alternate, Issues

By Shiv Sharma and Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. As the nation emerges in fits and starts from the lockdowns spurred by the first wave of COVID-19 illnesses, we're beginning to appreciate the full impact of the pandemic, how tenacious it is, and that the sickness and death directly caused by the virus are only part of the picture. The three-month-plus suspension of routine, non-emergency medical care has created secondary, silent epidemics of societal and medical problems that require the urgent focus...

July 24, 2020 Issues, Policy Proposals

Sally C. Pipes joins the Lars Larson Show to question the Trump administration's latest action on drug pricing. President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Friday, July 24 that puts limits on drug pricing in the United States. Pipes explains that 90 percent of drugs are generic and already save most Americans a great deal of money. But the pending executive order ties the average reference drug price to those in other countries - Canada, UK, Germany, France,...

July 24, 2020 Issues, Policy Proposals

President Trump issued four executive orders Friday that he said will lower drug prices — but in reality, three of the orders will cause far more harm than good and represent electioneering at its worst. The three harmful executive orders allow the importation of drugs from Canada, reduce the price of insulin, and introduce an International Pricing Index for prescription drugs. The International Pricing Index will effectively impose price controls on prescription drugs under Medicare Part B — and in so doing, dramatically...

July 24, 2020 Issues, Policy Proposals, Price and Costs

President Reagan famously said, “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government and I’m here to help”. It is time for President Trump to learn this wisdom. Along with Speaker Pelosi, Senator Sanders, and Representative Ocasio-Cortez, President Trump seems to believe that giving the government the authority to impose price controls on medicines will help patients. And, following the signing ceremony on Friday, he is now officially trying to make government price controls a reality. Of...

July 23, 2020 Issues, Policy Proposals

It’s not often that Joe Biden agrees with President Trump. But the former vice president found common ground with his presumptive opponent this month when he announced he would outline a plan to bring medical manufacturing back to the United States, something the president has long endorsed. This isn’t the first time political opponents have come together to support “Buy America” plans. Late last month, Sens. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, and Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, introduced several bills designed to increase...

July 23, 2020 Coronavirus, Issues

Despite the surge of new cases of COVID-19, increases in the percentage of positive tests, and scores of ICUs at or near capacity, some commentators are still saying things like, “The so-called surge in cases is more fake news pushed by media cheerleaders eager to destroy the U.S. economy and culture if it makes Trump a one-term president,” and “in fact, our pandemic nightmare might well be coming to an end.” They and others emphasize that the daily number of Covid-19...

July 22, 2020 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller talks about new symptoms showing up in those infected with COVID-19, some of which are different than the initial ones noticed at the start of the pandemic. Miller explains the findings come from different studies, including an Italian study that showed many continuing symptoms after the coronavirus pandemic passed. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 07-21-20...

July 22, 2020 Coronavirus

The John Batchelor Show interviews Dr. Henry Miller to talk about the latest debate around wearing masks, social distancing, and when we can expect testing to peak and decline. Miller and Batchelor also talk about those who may have the coronavirus who are undetected, and how many Americans are truly undetected in relation to testing. ...

July 20, 2020 Coronavirus

It’s good news that the death rate from Covid-19 has trended dramatically downward since April, even as the number of new cases is surging. But it’s far from the whole story. Unlike common colds caused by other coronaviruses, Covid-19 is more than a transient, self-limited respiratory infection. There have been numerous reports of nonrespiratory manifestations, including loss of smell or taste, confusion and cognitive impairments, fainting, sudden muscle weakness or paralysis, seizures, ischemic strokes, kidney damage, abnormal blood-coagulation tests, transmission to...

July 20, 2020 Coronavirus - Alternate, Coronavirus Multimedia, Issues, Multimedia

PRI senior fellow in health care studies Dr. Henry Miller joins "Next Round with PRI" to give an update on what scientists are learning about COVID-19 and the progress in finding a vaccine. He also weighs in on whether schools should be reopening this fall, gives his thoughts on what the Trump administration is doing good and bad in fighting the pandemic, and offers advices on how we can reduce our chances of getting the coronavirus. https://youtu.be/r8PCYOt_h5Y...

July 20, 2020 Policy Proposals

The pharmaceutical industry has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic with, arguably, the greatest surge in drug innovation in history. Consider that Remdesivir (produced by Gilead) has already received an emergency use authorization by the FDA for Covid-19. Losmapimod (produced by Fulcrum) is another promising treatment for Covid-19 that is in Phase III trials. And, these are just two of the many treatments that are showing great potential for patients. There are also multiple vaccines that are advancing at light speed while still maintaining the necessary safety protocols....

July 15, 2020 Infographics, Multimedia, Price and Costs

The Professor and Pete go to the movies to learn why there is a drug affordability problem. After watching a scary thriller about list prices and net prices, an adventure on the prescription escalator, and a movie on biosimilars, they learn that a) specific patient populations are impacted by the drug affordability problem; and b) these issues can be fixed with targeted reforms to achieve innovation and affordability....

July 14, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

Miller talks with Lars Larson on the stategy to quarantine travelers from other states. New York recently moved to quarantine anyone visiting for at least two weeks. Miller points out that the logistics are difficult as the guidelines are different for those arriving by plane, train, or car, which could be as many as 120,000 people. Dr. Miller's segment begins at the 47-minute mark. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 07-14-20...

July 14, 2020 Coronavirus

The COVID-19 trends in the United States are moving in the wrong direction. More than 4,200 deaths occurred during the week of July 5th, and the highest number of new infections in a single day—more than 66,000—was reported on July 10th. As the numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths surge to record levels in multiple epicenters, local and state officials are struggling with whether and how much to reverse the rollback of restrictions on individuals and businesses. For example, following a gradual reopening...

July 14, 2020 Coronavirus, Coronavirus Multimedia

Sally C. Pipes joined JT Nysewamder on Alabama Morning News in Birmingham to talk about the latest developments with the drug remdisivir. The drug, produced by Gilead, is being studied for potential use against COVID-19. Pipes and JT also discuss the cost of the drug, and how expensive it is to bring drugs to market in the United States. Listen to the interview here. ...