Trending News Today: Roche to Donate Hemlibra to World Hemophilia Federation Program

In his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced a campaign to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, the campaign will focus on prevention efforts targeting areas with the highest rates of HIV and increase access to medications. The initial goal is to reduce new HIV infections by 75% in 5 years, the article reported.

On Wednesday, Roche announced it will donate its hemophilia A drug emicizumab (Hemlibra) to a World Hemophilia Federation (WHF) program, Reuters reported. According to the article, the donation will focus on children and patients who have developed inhibitors to current hemophilia A treatments. Other companies, such as Sanofi’s Bioverativ, Sobi, CSL Behring, and Grifols, have also made contributions to the WHF Humanitarian Aid Program, which said it helped more than 16,000 patients in 60 countries in 2017, the article reported.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent letters to a number of insurers and medical providers asking for information on billing and payment procedures, The Hill reported. According to the article, the lawmakers are planning legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills. President Trump previously voiced support for the effort when he held an event with patients who had received unexpected medical bills, the article reported.