Bristol and AstraZeneca appeals, election news

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Hello and happy Thursday! I hope you can take a moment for some spooky fun today in the midst of the pre-election madness. Now is as good a time as ever to subscribe to STAT+ and get full access to our best stories and events for 40% off. News tips and opinions on the best Halloween candy (the correct answer is Dots) are always welcome (email protected).

Three calls in one pod

Three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit questioned the lawsuits brought by Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca against the Medicare drug negotiation program of the Inflation Reduction Act. It is the first appeals court hearing on the drug manufacturers’ lawsuits. A district court judge ruled against the companies.

The issues asked by the judges included:

• How much notice should companies give to leave the bargaining program
• Whether the government can link drug products manufactured by the same company in procurement negotiations
• Why didn’t Congress just set prices in statute
• If Medicare serves as both regulator and purchaser of drugs
• Whether the terms of a government contract can be considered a violation of the right to free speech.

If the circuit courts ultimately split in their rulings, the Supreme Court is more likely to take the case.

Presidential candidates make closing arguments on support for caregivers

In the final sprint to Election Day, both VP Harris and former President Trump are promising to offer help to family caregivers, a estimated at 53 million voters and growing.

Trump brought up tax credits for long-term caregivers again during a rally in North Carolina on Wednesday after unveiling the proposal at his Madison Square Garden event over the weekend, DCD co-writer Sarah Owermohle notes.

He said Harris “copied” him when she too pledged support for the carer during an event in Washington DC on Tuesday night. But what Harris seemed to be referring to was her.Medicare Home Plan”.released earlier this month. This proposal would provide Medicare coverage for home care on a sliding scale based on seniors’ needs and income. Harris suggested the program (conservatively projected to cost 40 billion dollars a year) would be funded by letting the Medicare program negotiate prices for more drugs. (Trump has not yet discussed who would be eligible for his plan or how it would be funded.)

But both candidates have reason to compete for the votes of a huge and growing share of the U.S. population, dubbed the “sandwich generation,” who are grappling with caring for aging family members. In the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, for example, AARP survey suggests that one-third of voters identify as caregivers. In North Carolina, where both candidates rallied Wednesday, 1 in 4 voters they say they are caregivers, and most 50-plus voters say they would choose a candidate with a support plan.

Chiropractors for RFK

The Make America Healthy Again movement has a new super PAC called the MAHA Alliance, and one group dominates the committee’s top donors: chiropractors.

In the group’s first campaign finance reports, 26 of the original 51 donors were chiropractors. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign nodded to chiropractors as a base of support, even for sale “Chiropractors for Kennedy” stickers.. Chiropractors have long complained hostility from the medical establishmentand some bent on disinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the other donors, one was Robert Malone, a physician who gained fame by spreading misinformation about Covid-19 and claimed to have a role in the development of Covid-19 vaccines. Another, Merily Pompa, pleaded guilty to stealing from the trust fund of the children she and her husband – also a chiropractor – adopted.

The ghost of past elections

There was a firestorm over the Affordable Care Act (again) the following week NBC video obtained of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), saying health care reform will be “a very big part of the agenda” for the GOP House next year. The video also shows a confused exchange between an event attendee and Johnson about whether changes to the Affordable Care Act would be on the table.

First, Johnson was asked some very strange questions about HSAs and direct primary care. He said the desire for health care reform is no secret and that the GOP Physicians Caucus has given him a list of reform ideas. Co-chairman Doc Caucus Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said, “Members of the Caucus have proposed legislation focused on prevention and education, access to care and price transparency. By improving in these areas, we can ensure that our health care policies are centered on the value of a healthy human life.”

Johnson also spoke of bringing “a fire to the regulatory state” and condemned the agencies as being weaponized against the people.

“No Obamacare?” a participant then asked. “No Obamacare,” Johnson said, rolling his eyes. “ACA is so deeply entrenched that we need massive reform to make this work.”

Some news have characterized that exchange that a hint that Johnson wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act entirely. His office says he tried to say otherwise.

“Despite the Harris campaign’s disingenuous characterizations, the audio and transcript make it clear that I made no such promise to end Obamacare and, in fact, acknowledged that the policy is ‘deeply entrenched’ in our health care system. “However, House Republicans will always seek to reduce costs and improve the quality and availability of health care for all Americans,” Johnson said in a written statement.

Regardless of how you read these comments, some context to consider. Trump’s campaign was disavowed ACA repeal and more Trumpworld figures we have been clear that repeal and replace is not a top priority. Also, Democrats are always eager to say that the entire Affordable Care Act is under threat because it is a winning political argument for them.

The saga of the lack of FDA

All doses of Novo Nordisk’s successful diabetes and obesity treatments are listed as available, meaning they could be removed from the agency’s drug shortage list, STAT. Elaine Chen reports.

If the drugs are taken off the shortage list, it’s unclear whether the FDA will bar compounders from continuing to make copies of the drug, given the agency. to burn through a reversal in a situation similar to Eli Lilly drugs.

What we read

• Hassan, Cassidy neutral site preparation framework, Axios
• First Opinion: The Progressive Campaign Against Biomedical Innovation, STATE
• Court ruling threatens to cut billions in political ‘black money’, The Wall Street Journal
• Eli Lilly Hits Rarely as Sales and Earnings Disappoint, STATE