JustCare

Tag: Drug

  • Don’t trust TV drug ads

    Don’t trust TV drug ads

    Elisabeth Rosenthal writes for KFF Health News about why you should not trust drug ads on TV. Ignore the celebrity endorsements by Lady Gaga and others; they won’t tell you about a better less expensive drug. If our government were not in the pocket of the pharmaceutical corporations, it would ban all direct to consumer drug advertising as every country other than the US and New Zealand do.

    Pharmaceutical companies spend huge amounts of money to sway you to buy their drugs because their ads work really well, even when the ads promote drugs that are of little value. Indeed, pharmaceutical companies now spend more than $1 billion a month on these ads. They are among the biggest spenders of TV ads.

    The Clinton Administration is responsible for allowing these ads, which had been banned. The FDA thought it could somehow keep the drug companies from misleading people by saying ads could not be misleading and had to list side effects. Really?

    Rosenthal reports on University of Colorado professor Michael DiStefano’s recent study of best-selling drugs, which found that the pharmaceutical companies spent more on ads targeted to individuals, featuring drugs with fewer benefits, than on ads for doctors. DiStefano is concerned: “I worry that direct-to-consumer advertising can be used to drive demand for marginally effective drugs or for drugs with more affordable or more cost-effective alternatives.”

    Thankfully, five of the ten drugs that will have Medicare negotiated prices beginning in 2026, are drugs that the pharmaceutical corporations spent the most advertising to patients.

    The government’s legal challenges to PhRMA’s misleading ads, even by the former Trump Administration, are not easy to win. PhRMA claimed that a requirement to disclose a drug’s list price in an ad violated first amendment rights and prevailed.

    New FDA requirements sound great, but they are so vague and subjective as to be meaningless; moreover, the FDA cannot enforce them effectively. As of November 2023, PhRMA consumer ads must provide a “non-misleading net impression about the advertised drug.” Drug ads should be “clear, conspicuous, and neutral.”  “Audio or visual elements that might interfere with the consumer’s understanding” is not permitted and and anything in writing must be “easy to read.”

    The FDA does not require the pharmaceutical corporations to submit ads for approval before releasing them. The drug companies are expected to self-police. And, the FDA does not have the money or the power to hold pharmaceutical companies to account when they misled. Each year over the last five years, the FDA sent out an average of six “warning letters.” And, it’s not at all clear that the companies receiving those letters did anything about their misleading ads.

    The FDA now has a Bad Ad Program for physicians, The program trains them on misleading ads and gives them a hotline to call to report misleading ads: 855-RX-BADAD. Given the FDA’s limited resources and power, it’s hard to imagine that will do any good. The FTC apparently does not have the power to protect consumers from false and misleading drug ads.

    For the public health, Congress should ban these ads altogether.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Are weight-loss drugs cost effective?

    Are weight-loss drugs cost effective?

    Millions of Americans now take weight-loss drugs, some as a treatment for diabetes but, increasingly, simply to lose weight.  A new study funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association suggests that these drugs might not be cost effective, reports Joshua Cohen for Forbes. Nearly six in ten people stop taking them before they lose significant weight.

    People who take weight-loss drugs—GLP1s—can improve their health, particularly if they eat well and exercise. The drugs can help reduce the risk of heart attacks. They can also help people with chronic kidney disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

    Some believe GLP1s also can benefit people with sleep apnea and people with joint issues. As of now, Medicare only covers these drugs for people with diabetes and a small group of overweight people at risk for serious heart events.

    To be effective, people must continue to take these drugs, if not for the rest of their lives, for a prolonged period. People who go off them before they have shown clinical benefit tend to regain the weight they lost.

    People with diabetes are less likely to stop taking these medicines, Still, 58 percent of people who start taking them stop before they’ve experienced any real benefit. And three in ten people don’t renew their prescriptions after taking them for just one month.

    Only 32 percent of people who start on a weight-loss drug appear to continue taking them after a year. About one in three working people do not have health insurance coverage for these drugs if they don’t have diabetes. These drugs cost so much that businesses who cover them will drive up insurance costs significantly.

    So, insurers don’t cover these drugs because of their cost, which is insanely high. Moreover, most people don’t continue on them long enough to benefit their health. And, their benefits for those who stay on them appear to be marginal.

    Even people who take weight-loss drugs on an ongoing basis appear to lower their risk of heart failure by just 1.5 percent, according to one recent study. Put differently, one in 67 people on these drugs avoid a serious heart event and virtually none avoid death any more so than people who don’t take these drugs.

    Bottom line, it’s still too early to make a compelling case that insurers should cover weight-loss drugs for people who are not diabetics. At least for now, the data suggest that the costs might outweigh the benefits.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Poll shows that weight-loss drugs are extremely popular among adults in US, at least in theory

    Poll shows that weight-loss drugs are extremely popular among adults in US, at least in theory

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll shows that about half the US adult population is receptive to the idea of taking “a safe and effective prescription weight loss drug.” It’s not surprising; so many adults are trying to lose weight, But, the most effective drugs now on the market are extremely costly, and Medicare, as well as many corporate health insurers, will not cover them for weight loss.

    Though a large portion of Americans are overweight, only a very small portion of them have taken a drug to help lose weight as of now. The drugs are expensive. They often are not covered by insurance and require injections, They might need to be taken for the rest of your life to keep weight off. And, they are not FDA-approved for weight loss.

    The KFF poll finds that once people learn that the weight-loss drugs currently available are administered through regular injections, many fewer are interested in taking them.  The percentage of people interested in taking one of these drugs also drops if their insurance does not cover them and if the Food and Drug Administration does not approve them for weight loss. Interest also declines when people learn that weight-loss drugs must be taken in perpetuity if people want to avoid regaining weight.

    Increasingly, insurers are finding ways not to cover these drugs for weight loss. They can cost as much as $28,000 a year. So, these drugs could drive up people’s insurance premiums significantly if covered for everyone wanting to lose weight. Insurers tend to cover these drugs for people with disabilities.

    To contain spending, some insurers are not approving these new weight-loss drugs unless people take less costly drugs first. Some insurers are requiring prior authorization and asking for people’s diagnosis and body mass index.

    If insurers expand their coverage of weight-loss drugs, insurance premiums for everyone are sure to go up. But, a large portion of the population does not seem to care, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

    NB: If you’re thinking about losing weight, read this. Being mildly overweight in older age has its benefits!

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • MedPac: High drug prices mean higher Medicare spending

    MedPac: High drug prices mean higher Medicare spending

    Not only are drug prices rising at the pharmacy for people with Medicare, but drug prices are rising for hospital inpatients as well. MedPac, the agency that oversees Medicare, says rising drug prices are responsible for a huge increase in Medicare Part B drug spending. It wants Congress to rein in these prices.

    During its October 7 meeting, MedPac members discussed Medicare Part B drug spending. For years, MedPac has said that Congress needs to rein in drug prices. But, the pharmaceutical industry has consistently managed to keep Congress from responding appropriately and regulating prices.

    MedPac members focused on prices for infusible and injectable drugs. Medicare pays for these drugs at the average sales price plus six percent. Members believe that Aduhelm, the new FDA-approved drug for people with Alzheimer’s disease, could literally wipe Medicare out. Yet, there is little clinical evidence that Aduhelm actually helps people with Alzheimer’s or helps them enough to warrant its launch price of $56,000.

    Prices are rising on injectable and infusible drugs that have therapeutic alternatives. So, some MedPac members are asking why Medicare should pay the high prices that these drugs command.

    And, some MedPac members believe that Congress must change its payment formula for Part B drugs. Medicare’s payment rate–average sales price plus six percent–creates an incentive for pharmaceutical companies to keep raising their rates.

    Part B drugs have seen nearly 10 percent annual Medicare spending growth over the last 12 years, which MedPac members attribute to higher drug prices. Drugs in the US have higher launch prices than in other countries and higher price increases each year. And, prices keep rising on drugs which have little or no evidence of being effective.

    Democrats in Congress are working on legislation in the reconciliation bill that should rein in these prices. Time will tell if they succeed.

    Here’s more from Just Care: 

  • Common OTC drugs linked to cognitive impairment

    Common OTC drugs linked to cognitive impairment

    Common over-the-counter (OTC) medicines used to treat colds and allergies, as well as sleep aids, are linked to cognitive impairment in older adults, including an increased risk of dementia.

    It’s more than likely that the medicines, which are known as anticholinergic drugs, are in your medicine cabinet. Some common brand names are Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), and Dimetapp (dextromethorphan), a commonly used cough suppressant found in cold remedies.

    Older types of antidepressants (tricyclic) and bupropion, better known as Wellbutrin as an antidepressant and Zyban as a smoking aid, are also anticholinergic agents. Other medications with known anticholinergic effects are sold OTC as sleep aids, and with a prescription to treat chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypertension.

    Using brain scans, researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine found that people who took anticholinergic drugs had a lower metabolism and smaller brain sizes. The drugs work by blocking acetylcholine, a chemical known as a neurotransmitter that operates in the nervous system.

    “Given all of the research evidence, physicians might want to reconsider anticholinergic medications if available when working with their older patients,” first author Shannon Risacher, PhD, assistant professor of radiology and imaging science, said in a statement. The study was published in JAMA Neurology in 2016.

    The research involved 451 people, 60 of whom were taking at least one medication considered to have medium to high anticholinergic activity. Those taking the drugs didn’t do as well as older adults on memory based on cognitive tests, as well as other tests used to measure activities including verbal reasoning, planning and problem solving, which are known as executive functions.

    This study is not the first to find a link between anticholinergic drugs and cognitive issues in older adults. In 2003, another Indiana University team found that meds with a significant anticholinergic effect can cause cognitive issues in as little as 60 days of continuous use. And drugs with a weaker effect could cause impairment within 90 days.

    This post was first published in www.medshadow.org.

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