| | | | |  | | By Katherine Ellen Foley and Lauren Gardner | Presented by The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association | With Grace Scullion
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Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) expects the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to release its final report by year's end. | Andrew Harnik / AP Photo | HOUSE GOP MULLS COVID PANEL'S FUTURE — House Republicans are weighing whether to end the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis launched by Democrats in 2020 or change its focus, your co-host and POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein scoop. GOP members and their staff are considering three options: Keep the panel but shift to Biden administration oversight, terminate it and shift Covid-19 work to the House Oversight Committee or establish a China-focused panel that would include Covid origin probes as well as trade and security issues. Dems watch the clock: Three Democrats on the panel told Alice and Lauren they're moving to wrap up their work next month, given the subcommittee's uncertain future. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said Democrats should release before the end of the year a final report summing up their investigation into the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic. "If the committee continues, I think it will become the Committee on the Origin of the Coronavirus and the People's Republic of China Committee," he said. "It's always good to understand the origin, but we should also try to understand the response and how we prevent it from happening again." IT'S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO PRESCRIPTION PULSE. It looks unlikely that the House Oversight Committee's investigation into the Washington Commanders' workplace culture will continue under GOP rule next year, according to The Washington Post's NFL reporter . Send tips, feedback and divided Congress predictions to David Lim ( dlim@politico.com or @davidalim ), Lauren Gardner ( lgardner@politico.com or @Gardner_LM ) or Katherine Ellen Foley ( kfoley@politico.com or @katherineefoley ). TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST , Ben Leonard talks with Ruth Reader about why venture capitalists are pulling back on investments in health tech because of recession fears and rising interest rates — threatening a period of stasis in medical innovation.
| | | | | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: During Diabetes Awareness Month, America's pharmacy benefit managers, PBMs, continue their specialized work helping diabetes patients take their drugs safely and affordably. With a PBM on her side, Kaeana's daughter, who lives with diabetes and a rare liver condition, gets her medications for $40 - not the $6,000 these prescription drugs would otherwise cost her. Hear Kaeana's Story. Learn more about how PBMs are working on behalf of all Americans living with diabetes. | | | | | | | 
Sen. Bill Cassidy told POLITICO that he'll firm up his HELP Committee agenda post-Thanksgiving. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | SANDERS, CASSIDY PURSUE TOP HELP PANEL SPOTS — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Thursday he'll seek the Senate HELP Committee gavel next Congress, a scenario that would put another prominent pharmaceutical industry critic atop one of the chamber's key health panels. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is the other. Sanders vowed in a statement to focus on "universal health care" and "lowering the cost of prescription drugs," POLITICO's Ben Leonard writes. On the GOP side: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Thursday he wants the ranking Republican seat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Lauren reports, passing on the HELP Committee's ranking member spot. Hours later, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who, like Paul, is a doctor, announced his intention to assume that role. "Given the committee's duty to conduct oversight over the entire government, I remain hopeful that we will pursue a robust and bipartisan investigation into the origins of Covid," Paul said on Twitter Thursday. On the agenda: Grace caught up with Cassidy on Thursday in the Senate subway, where he told her he'd have a better idea of his agenda after Thanksgiving. But he offered a sneak peek — his priorities include beefing up oversight of surprise medical billing and HHS, as well as exploring ways to lower drug prices in the private sector. "I think Democrats like to suggest that they've addressed it entirely in the [Inflation Reduction Act] legislation last Congress, but I think that's probably not going to be the case, so we can address that," Cassidy said. "They were doing it principally through the Medicare Part D program — I don't think they were doing enough with the private sector." WYDEN EYES WAYS TO CUT CONSUMER HEALTH COSTS IN 2023 — Wyden said Tuesday he wants to target lowering co-payments, deductibles and other costs for people covered by private insurance, Lauren reports. It's unclear whether Republicans will collaborate with Democrats on additional legislation to address drug pricing after the IRA's passage and the GOP's weaker-than-expected showing in the midterms.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our "Future Pulse" newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | | CALIFF, PAZDUR, TALK RETURN TO OFFICE — FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and Richard Pazdur, the head of the agency's Oncology Center of Excellence, kicked off a daylong series of panel discussions at the Friends of Cancer Research annual meeting with the keynote talk on Thursday, Katherine reports. As the two discussed the myriad of popular topics within the FDA's purview — including vape regulation, changes to accelerated approval and a potential over-the-counter overdose drug — they also touched on returning to work at the White Oak, Md., campus. "It doesn't make sense for us to go back to make an administrator happy," said Pazdur. People involved in intellectual pursuits can complete their jobs anywhere and often mull over some work on the weekends, he added, noting that a hybrid solution would be a far preferable setup. No word yet on when the final decision will be made, but Califf said last month it would come "in the next few weeks." FDA: SOME ANTI-OVERDOSE DRUGS COULD BE APPROVED FOR OTC USE — The FDA said Tuesday it's considering whether some forms of naloxone, a common opioid overdose reversal drug, should be available without a prescription, Katherine reports. The agency is assessing evidence that some nasal spray and autoinjector forms of the drug, which has been approved for more than 50 years, should be available over the counter. Naloxone sales nearly doubled in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, going from 5.1 million units to 9.3 million units, but the alarming increases in opioid overdose deaths suggest easier access to the drug could be beneficial, the FDA said.
| | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association:   | | | | | | UGANDA WILL TEST THREE VACCINES TO COMBAT ONGOING EBOLA OUTBREAK — The World Health Organization has recommended testing three experimental vaccines against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus fueling an outbreak in Uganda, POLITICO's Carmen Paun reports. Two vaccines received major funding from the U.S. federal government and the third comes from the U.K. The first of those vaccines will be shipped out next week. The outbreak started in September and has killed 55 people and sickened 141 across nine districts of the country, including the capital Kampala.
| | | | STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Our Future Pulse newsletter will continue to bring you the biggest stories at the intersection of technology and healthcare, but now five times a week. Want to know what's next in health care? Sign up for our Future Pulse newsletter. If you aren't already subscribed, follow this link to start receiving Future Pulse . | | | | | | | | FDA SENDS WARNING LETTERS TO VAPE COMPANIES WITH KID-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS — On Wednesday, the FDA sent warning letters to five companies behind 15 vapes being sold illegally that the agency says are marketed to children. None of the companies — Wizvapor; R and M Vapes; Shenzhen Quawins Technology Co., Ltd.; Ruthless Vapor; and Moti Global — have submitted a marketing application. All their products look like toys, food or characters from cartoons and other media popular with minors, the agency said.
| | | For STAT , Nicholas Florko shows that even in the FDA's backyard, customers can easily purchase 13 illegally sold medicines and vapes. Indivior seeks to buy Narcan's owner, Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Julie Wernau reports for The Wall Street Journal .
| | | The FDA published a final rule updating record-keeping requirements for certain foods.
| | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: During Diabetes Awareness Month, America's pharmacy benefit managers, PBMs, continue their specialized work of helping diabetes patients get and take their prescription drugs affordably, conveniently and safely. Despite consistent manufacturer price increases on insulin products, PBM pharmacy experts help patients access and take medications as prescribed.
With a PBM on her side, Kaeana's daughter, who lives with diabetes and a rare liver condition, can obtain all of her medications for $40 – not the $6,000 these prescription drugs would otherwise cost her.
"Without help, we would be paying $6,000 a month for medication, but because we have a PBM, I'm only paying $40 out of pocket," Kaeana states. "It's very important to have access to affordable medication, because if we didn't, my child wouldn't be alive."
Hear Kaeana's Story and learn more about how PBMs are working on behalf of all Americans living with diabetes. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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