Health Econ Final Exam Flashcards
Does the FDA grant patents or exclusivity?
Exclusivity
Can FDA market exclusivity exist in the absence of a patent?
Yes
Is FDA exclusivity usually longer or shorter than patent protection?
Shorter
Can the FDA approve a single drug with two different brand names for two different purposes? If yes, give me an example! If not tell me why not!
Yes
Example: Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss
When drugs that are all small molecules go generic what will be the effect?
There will be enormous savings to both the domestic and global economies
Small molecules have caused a lot of ________ upfront that can be burdensome but once they go off patent and become generic they are extremely profitable.
Spending
_________ are dramatically taking over the biology market
Biosimilars
Small molecules can be _________________ to be almost the same as the original drug
Reverse engineered
What is a biosimilar?
A biologic medication highly similar to a biologic medication that has already been approved by the FDA. The two have no clinically meaningful differences from the reference product.
Which one has significantly higher research and development costs and risks: biosimilars or generics?
Biosimilars
Is it normal and expected for both biosimilars and original biologics to have minor differences between batches of the same medication?
Yes
Biosimilars are often __________ than their FDA approved biologic
Less expensive
What are the cons of biosimilars?
They may not have identical efficacy and safety as their FDA approved counterparts
Why are biosimilars so expensive compared to generics?
Due to their complexity, development process, administration route, competition, and market demand
The first time we passed a biosimilars act was with the _____
ACA
Biosimilars were introduced to the market within the last ________
Decade
Within the market the US is dominating in _______ but not necessarily ________
Profits, total revenues
What is a blockbuster drug?
A very popular drug that generates annual sales of $1 billion or more for the company that sells it
What is the significance of blockbusters in the pharmaceutical industry?
Because drug development is so costly and most launches are duds, the industry as a whole relies on blockbusters - drugs with annual global revenues of $1 billion or more - to cover the flops and keep the entire enterprise afloat.
Do blockbusters dominate the prescription drug market?
Yes bc the revenue is so important and foundational to the system
Speciality pharma drives the costs ______ while generic drugs and loss of exclusivity drive costs ______
Higher, lower
The industry is trifucated! Tell me how!
Generics are biggest in number but smallest in dollars
Speciality pharma is small in number but majority of dollars
Small molecule brand drugs are large in numbers but less so in dollars
What did the Kefauver-Harris Act of 1962 do?
Required that manufacturers prove the effectiveness of drug products before they go on the market, and afterwards report any serious side effects through eliminating the 180 day loophole
What did the Prescrisption drug user fee act do?
Authorizes FDA to collect user fees from persons that submit certain human drug applications for review
What did the PDUFA reauthorization Act do?
Enabled the agency to reduce to 15 months the 30-month average time that used to be required for a drug review before PDUFA
How often does Congress re-authorize the PDUFA?
Every 5 years
What is the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization?
Allows the FDA to help strengthen the nation’s public health protections against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats including infectious diseases
What is the only country other than the US that does direct to consumer advertising of drugs?
New Zealand
What does DTCA stand for?
Direct to consumer advertising
Do the ads used in direct to consumer advertising have to be submitted to the FDA in advance?
No but many are with the goal of soliciting advice and maintaining mutual respect
What is the impact of direct to consumer advertising on pharmaceutical prices and demand?
DTCA can raise the demand for existing drugs, utilization, and price shifts
What is compassionate use also known as?
Expanded access
What is expanded access/compassionate use?
A potential pathway for a patient with a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition to gain access to an investigational medical product (drug, biologic, or medical device) for treatment outside of clinical trials when no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy options are available
What led to the development of emergency use authorization?
HIV/AIDS epidemic
What was the idea that led to the development of compassionate use/expanded care?
Idea that the FDA process was good but didn’t always service people who really needed drugs or were dying
Through compassionate use manufacturers may provide unapproved drugs to patients who meet specific criteria if ________
No other therapies are available
What does the 21st century cures act allow for?
Less rigorous pre-approval testing in order to achieve faster drug approvals
What drugs is the 21st century cures act particularly important for and why?
Drugs with much smaller patient populations - Some people wanted more money for opioid treatment, others wanted for NIH treatment, or stronger regulations around electronic health records, etc
What are the benefits of the Orphan Drug Act?
Provided incentives such as tax credits, marketing exclusivity, fee waivers, and the opportunity to apply for grants to support clinical trials
What was the problem with the orphan drug act?
Despite the fact that it made more medications available it did not always make them accessible bc of crazy high costs
What did the FDA Amendments Act do?
1) Increased the FDA’s power to require manufacturers to conduct postapproval studies by giving it authority to impose monetary penalties for noncompliance.
2) Required that information on the design of all clinical trials be recorded in a public database soon after a trial’s inception
3) Set in motion rulemaking to require that summary results also be included in the database within 12 months after the trial’s primary completion date.
4) Mandated the implementation of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) which can require physician certification, mandatory risk communications, or laboratory testing when specific high-risk medications are used
Is the distribution of drugs concentrated or spread out?
Concentrated because small companies came together and are under big umbrellas like Walgreens, CVS, and rite aid
Do a lot of prescription drugs have generic competition?
Yes
Are generic drugs cheap or expensive?
Cheap
Often copays are _______ than the actual cost of the generic drug
Greater
Biologics are starting to move off of patents and are becoming _____. What will this cause?
Generics - it will cause some real competition