Bill Seeks Increased IVIG Pay
Legislation seeking to increase reimbursement for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Patient groups and IVIG manufacturers have said that Medicare's current coverage is so low that many physicians have stopped administering the therapy. A patient survey by the Immune Deficiency Foundation found that since January 2005, almost half of surveyed Medicare beneficiaries with primary immunodeficiency diseases had their treatments postponed by a physician, and 26% had serious health consequences because of the delays. About 10,000 Medicare beneficiaries receive IVIG, according to the House legislation H.R. 2914. The bill would increase payment for IVIG and for ancillary services. It would also maintain the preadministration fee physicians have been receiving and provide management fees for home IVIG infusion. H.R. 2914 was introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) and, as of press time, had 17 cosponsors, but no companion legislation in the Senate.
Accutane Suits Advancing …
With the first verdict rendered in the approximately 400 suits pending against Accutane (isotretinoin), several more cases are headed for court this fall. In late May, a New Jersey Superior Court jury found Accutane manufacturer Roche guilty of failing to warn users of a risk of inflammatory bowel disorder. The jury awarded $2.5 million in compensatory damages and $119,000 in medical expenses to 36-year-old Andrew McCarrell, an Alabama resident who claimed he developed IBD after taking the drug for 4 months. The jury did not award punitive damages. A second suit was due to go to trial in Madison County, Ill., in April, but has now been rescheduled for Oct. 15. In that case, the plaintiff is alleging that Accutane caused his Crohn's disease. Another suit is due to be heard in Pensacola, Fla., in September.
While Another Is Dropped
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs in another high-profile Accutane suit have dropped their efforts to prove that the Roche drug led their teenaged relative to commit suicide. Julia Bishop and Karen Johnson, the mother and grandmother of Charles Bishop, asked the U.S. District Court in Tampa to dismiss the suit they had brought alleging that Accutane had driven the then-15-year-old to fly a stolen Cessna airplane into a skyscraper in Tampa in early 2002. The crash garnered worldwide attention as it occurred just months after Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Bishop also left a note expressing support for Osama bin Laden. According to reports in the Tampa media, Mr. Bishop's mother and grandmother said they were too exhausted to continue to pursue the suit.
Lupus Grants Awarded
The Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program awarded more than $2 million in the form of two grants for research on lupus and lupus biomarkers. The grants will fund investigations in mouse models, but the findings could lead to human advances. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston will experiment with targeting a certain cascade of proteins in a mouse model to target certain areas where lupus causes tissue damage and to minimize immune suppression in other areas of the body. Grant recipients at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research at the North Shore Medical Center in Manhasset, N.Y., will examine estrogen's role in triggering lupus activity in certain mouse models but not in others. That research could have long-term implications for testing patients with lupus for hormonal disorders.
CDC: 43 Million Lack Coverage
Nearly 15% of Americans43.6 millionlacked health insurance in 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Americans aged 1864, nearly 20% lacked health insurance in 2006, a slight increase from about 19% in 2005, the CDC said. About 9% of children did not have health coverage in 2006, a marked drop from 14% in 1997, the year the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was enacted. The CDC noted that the percentage of uninsured Americans in the 20 largest states varied from less than 8% in Michigan to nearly 24% in Texas. The CDC study was based on data collected from interviews in more than 100,000 households nationwide.
AMA: Investigate Store Clinics
The American Medical Association has called for investigations into potential conflicts of interest posed by joint ventures between store-based health clinics and pharmacy chains. Physicians at the AMA's House of Delegates in Chicago voted to ask state and federal agencies to determine whether these joint ventures pose a threat to patient welfare. "There are clear incentives for retailers to participate in the implementation and operation of store-based health clinics," said AMA board member Dr. Peter Carmel in a statement. "The nation's physicians want the AMA to ensure these incentives do not compromise the basic obligation of store-based clinics to provide patients with quality care." The AMA also noted that some insurers are allowing store-based clinics to waive or lower patient copayments, while still requiring physicians to collect such payments. The House of Delegates, noting concerns that these lower copayments for in-store clinics could inappropriately steer patients to the clinics on the basis of cost, rather than quality of care, voted to seek equal treatment for physicians regarding health insurers' copayment policies.