| |MAY 20258US President Donald Trump's new price range for Rx drugs with other developed countries might not affect the generic companies in India, reported by HDFC Securities. Based on the report, this order purposes to reduce the cost of prescription medicines in the US, and bring them into line same as in other developed countries.Under this order, the US will pay less than the lower-priced developed countries. This introduces the "Most- Favoured- Nation" (MFN) price model. This pricing model was applied to Medicare in 2020, but now this has been expanded to cover both Medicare and Medicaid. In February 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a report showing that drug prices in the US were considerably higher than in other countries. Later, it follows Trump's previous statement that the government wants to cut down the prices of prescription drugs by 30 to 80 percent.The report also shows that the average drug price in the US was 277 percent compared to the international price. The difference between branded drugs was even higher, 422 percent more than in other countries. The report mentions that it isn't clear which drugs, companies, and countries will be covered under the MFN model. Within 30 days, the officials were likely to inform them regarding the target prices of the pharmaceutical companies.The added discounts on these drugs and importation programs for low-income patients will be another privilege, but it is noted that these orders probably face legal issues. The court blocked the MFN rule in 2020-21 when it was introduced in the beginning. It is believed that generic drug companies will not have any impact because of this policy. POTOP STORIESRoche has announced FDA approval for the Ventana MET (SP44) RxDx Assay, emphasizing their first companion diagnostic designed to identify MET protein appearance in patients with "non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer" (NSQ-NSCLC). This test now allows the identification of patients entitled to treatment with Emrelis (telisotuzumab vedotin-tllv), AbbVie's MET-targeted therapy.Matt Sause, CEO of Roche Diagnostics, stated, "Recognizing molecular markers like MET are crucial in selecting the right treatment, and this assay empowers clinicians to provide personalized options at critical points in the patient journey."Despite recent advances, lung cancer remains the world's leading cause of cancer-related deaths, often caused by limited treatment options. NSCLC accounts for about 85 percent of all lung cancer cases, and among those with wild-type EGFR, around 25 percent show high MET protein expression, making MET a key biomarker for therapeutic decisions.The FDA's enhanced approval is supported by promising data from AbbVie's Phase 2 LUMINOSITY study, which showed a 35 percent overall response rate and a median duration of response of 7.2 months in MET-high NSQ-NSCLC patients treated with Emrelis.This marks the first immunohistochemistry (IHC) test approved for detecting MET expression. The assay evaluates the percentage and staining intensity of tumor cells, allowing pathologists to determine MET overexpression, which is defined as less than 50 percent of cells showing strong (3+) staining.The new test highlights Roche's leadership in accuracy diagnostics and expands its portfolio of IHC and in-situ hybridization (ISH) companion diagnostics, supporting informed clinical decisions and advancing tailored medicine.Founded in 1896, Roche remains a developer in diagnostics and biotechnology, committed to refining lives through scientific innovation and patient-centric healthcare solutions. POGENERIC DRUGMAKERS MAY AVOID MAJOR IMPACT FROM TRUMP PRICE CUTSFDA APPROVES ROCH'S NSCLC DIAGNOSTIC LINKED TO EMRELIS
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