Trending News Today: Cancer Drug Costs Should Align with Value, Panel Says

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, has become a key leader in the fight against high drug costs, according to The Hill. Dr Gottlieb previously said the FDA must take action against brand name manufacturers that have been blocking generic products from emerging in an effort to reduce competition. President Donald Trump addressed the issue of drug costs during his campaign and has delegated efforts to Dr Gottlieb, who is facing the problem head-on, according to the article.

Yesterday, the House voted down the controversial “right to try” bill, which would allow patients to access investigational treatments, according to Politico. The vote, which fell short of the two-thirds majority, may be a setback for President Trump, who voiced support for the bill. Opposing Democrats questioned whether the legislation would actually help patients, while also noting that the GOP did not bring the bill to a committee before the vote, according to the article.

A White House panel yesterday suggested several steps to control the rising cost of cancer treatments, according to STAT. Notably, the panel recommended that value should be determined for costly cancer medications, as they concluded price and value are currently misaligned, according to the article. By aligning price and value, the panel said that patients would receive better care and manufacturers would have incentive to develop more effective drugs, STAT reported.