Brainstorm Health: Lilly Insulin Price Cut, Biogen Nightstar Acquisition, American Health Debacle

Last week, some of Big Pharma’s most prominent CEOs faced a long-awaited Congressional grilling over drug prices. That conversation produced some surprising consensus on steps that may be taken to lower the crushing weight of drug costs borne by American consumers—alongside the usual finger-pointing to other players in the health care industry over who’s to blame.

But the slowly snowballing consensus that something has to be done to address this longstanding issue appears to have struck at least one drug giant. On Monday, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, a more than $130 billion market value company, announced that it would introduce a version of its best-selling type 1 diabetes insulin product, Humalog, at half of its current list price.

The company said a new “authorized generic” version of Humalog 100 will be sold at a 50% discount off of the current list price, or just under $140 per vial (an authorized generic is identical in every way to the original branded drug, other than the name and label).

“Patients, doctors and policymakers are demanding lower list prices for medicines and lower patient costs at the pharmacy counter. You might be surprised to hear that we agree—it’s time for change in our system and for consumer prices to come down,” said Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks in a statement announcing the cut.

That sounds nice. But how significant is the move in practicality given Lilly, and other insulin makers’, behavior over the past decades?

As some critics have noted since Lilly’s move, the insulin space has seen massive list price increases over the years. Humalog has been on the scene since the mid-90s; one of its major competitors, Novo Nordisk’s NovoLog, was quick to follow. But while Humalog’s list price was closer to $20 when first introduced, it ballooned to about $300, as did NovoLog’s. Lilly’s and Novo’s price increases for the insulin often occurred in lock step, or just about the opposite of what you’d expect in a competitive market for a legacy product that’s still the same thing it was 20 years ago.

Lilly will also continue to sell its branded version of Humalog (again, this is the exact same treatment as the newly-discounted authorized generic) at its original, higher list price, meaning the reduction’s main beneficiaries will be uninsured people who bear the full brunt of the price. The benefit for insured patients and those who buy the original branded product will be modest at most (and potentially non-existent).

Still, others noted that the voluntary move by Lilly is, at the very least, a step in the right direction. And it’s a recognition that plenty of patients feeling the squeeze of these high list prices are starting to come onto Big Pharma’s radar.

Read on for the day’s news.

DIGITAL HEALTH

Biogen snaps up gene therapy firm Nightstar Therapeutics. The gene therapy M&A train rolls on. Biotech giant Biogen on Monday said it's reached an agreement to acquire gene therapy specialist Nightstar Therapeutics for $800 million in cash. Nighstar's focus is on an experimental gene therapy for an eye disease that can lead to blindness; this is just the latest in a string of gene therapy-based deals that includes Roche's $4.8 billion bid for Spark Therapeutics and Sarepta's move to snap up partner Myonexus. (Fortune)

INDICATIONS

Purdue Pharma mulls bankruptcy. Reuters reports that OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma is mulling whether or not to file for bankruptcy, a move likely spurred by the privately-held firm's potential liabilities given the thousands of lawsuits it's facing over alleged illegal marketing practices for the powerful opioid painkiller. Under bankruptcy law, Purdue would negotiate settlements with the various plaintiffs under the purview of a bankruptcy judge. The company has denied allegations of wrongdoing. (Reuters)

THE BIG PICTURE

A microcosm of America's health care debacle. Here's a Twitter thread that perfectly encapsulates the frustrations countless patients face when navigating the American health care morass. It's the story of a single mother's labyrinthian path to procuring antibiotics for herself and her two children—a process that involved nearly a dozen phone calls, trips to three different pharmacies across more than 50 miles, wildly divergent costs for her and her children for the exact same medication (purchased under the same insurance policy), and more. It's well worth a read.

REQUIRED READING

Huawei Might Soon Sue the U.S. Government, by Hallie Detrick

Why Most New Ideas Fail—And How to Make Yours an Exception, by Anne Fisher

Google's DeepMind AI Can Predict Wind Farm Energy Output 36 Hours in Advance, by Renae Reints

The Case for a 'Health New Deal', by Sandro Galea