The Biden Transition.
Biden enters the presidency with a couple of health care things top of mind: The pandemic (obviously) and the ACA court case set to begin this week.
- Depending on the Georgia Senate run-off results, the Democratic-led House & Executive branch will either face a Republican Senate or be unified across all three bodies (with, of course, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court). Of course, a divided government hamstrings any uber-progressive efforts.
Over his presidency, look for Biden to expand access to health care through government-run vehicles like Obamacare and a new insurance vehicle called the public option.
- To go further in depth on Biden’s health care plans, read this informative NPR article.
Biogen’s Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug Approval?
After FDA reviewers voiced support last week for the controversial Alzheimer’s drug developed by Biogen, an independent expert panel ‘resoundingly concluded‘ just days later that the drug should NOT be approved.
- Background: Biogen developed Aducanumab, which is a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s. Earlier this year, the clinical trials created controversy when – after initially being halted for appearing ineffective – one of the two trials showed signs of promise after another analysis of the data.
Now what? The expert panel concluded that the drug has not proven to be effective enough to be approved – especially when considering the huge financial windfall Biogen would receive for a not-so-great drug.
- The drug is so high profile that approving it could be a PR nightmare for the FDA. What do you think?
Coronavirus updates.
Bad news first: 23 states set a single-day coronavirus case-count record last week. As you might expect, hospitalizations and deaths are ticking upward – a continual bad fact headed
Now the good news: Pfizer reported today that its vaccine proved 90% effective (!!!) – meaning that those receiving the two-dose vaccine experienced 90%+ fewer coronavirus cases than did the placebo group.
- The trial enlisted over 40k people and there were no major safety concerns so let’s gooooo! Read more about the trial here from Stat. Bottom line: cautious optimism based on the press release.
For context, here’s the efficacy for other hot-button vaccines:
- Measles: 97%
- Smallpox: 95%
- Chickenpox: 92%
- Seasonal Flu: 40-60%
Of course, the first doses will go to health care workers. The next biggest challenge: getting the general public to trust the vaccine, and distributing billions of doses worldwide.
Other news: Biden unveiled his COVID-19 task force chock full of well-known healthcare names.
Quick Hits
Biz Hits
- CVS CEO Larry Merlo is stepping down to hand the reins off to Karen Lynch – head of Aetna.
- Centene’s Q3 profit jumped on WellCare’s close and the ACA settlement funds influx.
- Read about Hims & Hers’ plans to expand into virtual therapy prior to the remote healthcare company’s IPO.
Policy Hits
- Notably, CMS is bumping Medicare Advantage rates ~2.8% for 2022 – this is considered a major win for payers.
Other Hits
- How costly are common health services in the United States? (There are lots of these published constantly, but this one is from one of the best sources).
Thought-Provoking Editorials
- Gilead’s Covid-19 drug is mediocre. It’ll be a blockbuster, anyway. (NY Times)
Healthy Muse Top Picks
- How Will the Vertical Merger Guidelines Apply to Healthcare? (NatLawReview)
- Why does Walmart think it has a right to play in healthcare? Top health exec Osborne explains (Fierce)
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