After report, FTC to sue PBMs

On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission released a scathing, two-years-in-the-making report about PBMs — a report that concluded, “This vertically integrated and concentrated market structure has allowed PBMs to profit at the expense of patients and independent pharmacists.”

Then on Wednesday, the agency followed up, saying it’s going to sue the biggest PBMs (Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx) over their tactics for negotiating prices for drugs including insulin.”

In case you missed it, that report didn’t pull punches:

[PBMs’ power] can have dire consequences, with nearly 30 percent of Americans surveyed reporting rationing or even skipping doses of their prescribed medicines due to high costs.

The interim report also finds that PBMs hold substantial influence over independent pharmacies by imposing unfair, arbitrary, and harmful contractual terms that can impact independent pharmacies’ ability to stay in business and serve their communities.

The lawsuit news was breaking at press time, so there isn’t much detail. Still, you’re allowed a big smile knowing that it’s happening.

Side note: Georgia’s Buddy Carter weighed in, too:

I’m proud that the FTC launched a bipartisan investigation into these shadowy middlemen, and its preliminary findings prove yet again that it’s time to bust up the PBM monopoly.

Mounjaro beats Ozempic

People taking Mounjaro lost more weight than people taking Ozempic, according to a new study from data-analytics company Truveta.

Based on the health records of more than 18,000 overweight or obese adults, it found that…

• 82% of people on tirzepatide lost 5% of their body weight, compared to only 67% of those taking semaglutide.
• 42% of people on tirzepatide lost at least 15% of their body weight within a year, compared to only 18% of those taking semaglutide.
• “At six months, average weight loss was 10% on tirzepatide and about 6% on semaglutide.”

Side note: More than three-quarters of GLP-1 drug users quit within two years, according to the latest study of pharmacy claims data.

Pharma allowed to combat online misinformation

When some chucklehead influencer on TikTok says something stupid about a drug (“Adderall makes your earlobes shrink!”) drug companies have trouble refuting it because of the regulations about what they can say online.

Now the FDA has released draft guidance that loosens the leash on those companies when they want to combat misinformation^*.

Essentially, the companies will be allowed to refute specific claims that are “false, inaccurate, and/or misleading” (but not statements that are someone’s “own experience, opinion, and value judgments”). As long as the companies’ responses target a specific claim, they don’t need to meet all the usual labeling and advertising requirements.

The guidance itself is full of boring legalese, but you can skip to the more interesting stuff — the FDA’s examples — on page 13 of the PDF by clicking here.

^*  We used to call it “lies.”

Short takes

Losartan boosts chemo (in mice)

Giving losartan to mice with acute myeloid leukemia makes the cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy. The science: Losartan inhibits the AGTR1 receptor in blood cells, which is critical for cell reproduction — and it’s overabundant in leukemia patients. “This disrupted cancer growth, slowing the development of leukemia and led to longer survival.”

Fighting acne with omega-3s

A lot of people with severe acne (98.3%!) are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, found German researchers. So … what if you fixed that? It makes a big difference.

Over 16 weeks, a Mediterranean diet and algae-derived omega-3 supplements led to sizable reductions in inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin lesions in 60 people with mild to moderate acne.

This was a small study, of course, but the Germans hope it will lead to a larger, more comprehensive one.

A simple autism test?

People with autism have different gut microbes^* than people without, and that fact has led Chinese researchers to develop an autism test using biomarkers from stool samples. Their test was 82% accurate in identifying autistic children, which could be incredibly useful for earlier diagnosis.

(They don’t know if the changed microbiome is the cause of the autism or the result of it — either way, it serves as a useful tool.)

^* “In all, 51 types of bacteria, 18 viruses, 14 archaea, seven fungi, and a dozen metabolic pathways, were altered in autistic children.”

Covid is still FLiRTing

Like Kardashians, Covid-19 still lurks in the shadows. Just when you think it might be gone for good, it reminds you that it’s still out there … and still mutating. Right now it seems that the new FLiRT variants (KP.2 and KP.3 mostly) are surging.

[E]mergency room visits due to Covid-19 from June 16 through June 22 […] were up 23.3% from the previous week.

Also, Covid-19-related hospitalizations during the week of June 9 through 15 were 13.3% higher than they were than the week before.

“Surging” might be a strong word, as the numbers are still low. But keep in mind that Covid surveillance has pretty much shut down, so there’s probably a lot circulating that health officials don’t know of. “I’ve got a cough, so I’ll stay home today.”