Trending News Today: Trump Administration Seeks to Require Disclosure of Health Care Costs

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that requires the disclosure of health care costs to patients in an effort to improve transparency, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, the order would compel hospitals to publicize information on their negotiated rates for many common tests and procedures, which could enable patients to shop around for the best prices. However, the executive order calls for a rule-making process by federal agencies, which typically takes months or even years, the article reported.

Officials with the FDA have removed a partial clinical hold on AbbVie’s CANOVA (M13-494) study of venetoclax (Venclexta or Venclyxto) for patients with multiple myeloma, The American Journal of Managed Care reported. According to the article, the FDA had previously ordered a partial clinical hold on all venetoclax-related trials when the results from the BELLINI study showed a disproportionate number of deaths in patients treated with venetoclax. Regulators lifted the partial clinical hold based upon an agreement that the study protocol be revised, the article reported.

Novartis won a US federal court order preventing generic makers from selling versions of its multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod (Gilenya), Reuters reported. According to the article, Novartis had asked for a preliminary injunction to halt generic drug makers, including Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Torrent Pharma, and Aurobindo Pharma, from making or selling generic versions of Gilenya in the United States. Although the patent term extension expires in 2019, Novartis argued that a patent on how the drug is dosed that does not expire until 2027 should extend its exclusivity, the article reported.