Good morning. Elizabeth Cooney reporting from STAT’s worldwide headquarters in Boston today, with contributions from Ed Silverman before he takes a break from the news in favor of a cultural excursion. Happy to receive any tips you might have.
Public Citizen filed a petition urging the Food and Drug Administration to immediately require stronger warnings about an increased risk of spinal fractures when patients stop taking the Prolia osteoporosis drug sold by Amgen (AMGN). The advocacy group cited a “growing body of evidence” showing patients who stop using the drug have an increased risk of multiple vertebral fractures in the spine as soon as seven months after their last dose. Such fractures can cause severe, disabling pain.
Drug makers have voluntarily agreed to mention some pricing information in their TV ads as a response to a more stringent Trump proposal, but there are some jarring numbers in the fine print, STAT explains. For example, most people pay $5 per month or less for Janssen’s drug Stelara. But some pay $11,002. The figures come from a new Janssen website launched as part of the broader pharmaceutical industry’s push to disclose some pricing information in its television ads. So far, there plenty of puzzlers.
