2016 News & Events

Dr. Gellad Discusses Proposition 61
October 24, 2016 - Dr. Gellad spoke with Ben Bradford of Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, CA, about Proposition 61. Proposition 61, the Drug Price Standards Initiative, proposed regulating drug prices by requiring state agencies to pay no more than the US Department of Veteran's Affairs for prescription drugs. Read more.
Note: Proposition 61 appeared on the November 8,2016, ballot in California and was defeated.

Rising Drug Prices
October 18, 2016 - In a radio interview with Dan Gorenstein of NPR Marketplace, Dr. Gellad discuss the spike in drug prices (7% last year). Listen here.

Sarepta to Charge $300K for Duchenne Drug
September 19, 2016 — In an interview with Ed Silverman of Statnews, Dr. Gellad discusses the new Sarepta Therapeutics Drug for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, coming in at roughly $300,00 per year for patients. Read more.

Mylan EpiPen Firestorm
August 29, 2016 - Dr. Gellad, in an interview with Anna Edney and Cynthia Koons of Bloomberg, discusses the controversial price hike in Mylan's EpiPen. With a price hike of roughly 400%, there are serious concerns over where this number came from and how customers are going to afford it. 

Dr. Gellad's Editorial on the Costs of Delayed-Entry Generics
June 27, 2016 — Dr. Gellad published an editorial in JAMA Internal Medicine, commenting on a recent study describing the costs associated with delayed entry of generic Lipitor.

Yan Tang Accepts Position at RTI
May 15, 2016 —  CP3 is proud to announce that Yan Tang, PhD, a postdoctoral trainee of CP3, accepted a position at RTI International.  Yan's predecessor, and CP3's first postdoctoral fellow, Jenny-Lo Ciganic, is now junior faculty at the University of Arizona School of Pharmacy.

Do Prescription Drug Ads Help or Hurt Consumers Seeking Relief?
April 20, 2016 - An article by Chandra Johnson of the Patriot Ledger investigates the potential harm prescription drug ads can have on consumers. The American Medical Association is against direct-to-consumer advertising, citing it "inflates demand for new and more expensive drugs, even when these drugs may not be appropriate". Johnson interviewed Dr. Donohue regarding this issue of over-, and unnecessary, use of prescription drugs.

Finally, Some Theranos Data, but not from Theranos
March 28, 2016 - An article by Matthew Herper of Forbes discusses a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers at Mt. Sinai investigating the accuracy of Theranos, a blood test company which replaces routine blood draws with finger pricks. Researchers analyzed results from patients using Theranos and other rival blood test companies and found disparities between their results. Like many, Dr. Gellad would like to see more data from Thernos before basing any medical decisions on results from their blood tests.

Your Doctor is Ripping You Off
March 22, 2016 - An article co-published by Salon, NPR, the Boston Globe, and the Tampa Bay Times, discusses physicians receiving payments from pharmaceutical companies - does it correlate with how they prescribe drugs (name brand or generic?). An analysis by ProPublica is able to provide evidence that a relationship does exist and prescribing habits may be dictated by monies received. Dr. Gellad speaks to the pervasiveness of these payments throughout the profession.

How Well Do Older Americans Understand TV Drug Ads
March 21, 2016 - An article by Dylan Scott of Statnews discusses an upcoming study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which will test older (60 and older) Americans' understanding of drug commercials. They will compare their comprehension of simple versus complex TV ads. As Dr. Donohue  is quoted - "how much can we throw at people and expect them to retain?". 

How to Make the Most of Drugs We Already Have
February 23, 2016 - In an interview with Austin Frakt of the NY Times, Dr. Gellad discussses the off-label use of many medications, sometimes in lieu of further research on the part of the drug companies to evaluate additional uses.  

Industry-Wide Drug Price Hikes
February 4, 2016 - Recent surveys have shown significant drug price hikes throughout the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Walid Gellad discusses this with Ashley Milne-Tyte of NPR MarketPlace.

Medicare Drug Price Negotiation
February 2, 2016 - Dr. Gellad is quoted in the New York Times article by Margot Sanger-Katz regarding Medicare drug price negotiation.

2015 News & Events

Inside the Impossibly Byzantine World of Prescription Drug Prices
December 21, 2015 - In an interview with Dylan Scott of Statnews, Dr. Gellad discusses misleading list prices pharmaceutical companies report and the behind the scenes negotiations which result in the actual cost to consumers. 

Doctors Vote to Stop Drug Ads to Consumers
November 20, 2015 - The American Medical Association is calling for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and medical devices. The group says the commercials are boosting demand for expensive, and sometimes inappropriate, treatments and fueling the rise in drug prices. Amy Scott of NPR Marketplace and Dr. Gellad discuss.

The 'Pink Pill': The Female Viagra
October 1, 2015 - Dr. Gellad speaks with Melanie Abbott of BBC Radio about flibanserin, a failed antidepressant now called the 'female Viagra'. Listen.

Efficacy and Safety of Flibanserin
September 1, 2015 - Dr. Gellad authored a viewpoint in JAMA describing the efficacy and safety of flibanserin for female hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). Dr. Gellad was a member of the FDA panel that reviewed the data on the medication on June 4, 2015. 

Machine Learning to Examine Medication Adherence Thresholds
August 1, 2015 — Former CP3 postdoctoral trainee and current assistant professor at the University of Arizona, Jenny Lo-Ciganic, PhD, published an article with several CP3 affiliated faculty demonstrating the use of machine learning to examine medication adherence thresholds and risk of hospitalization.

VA Grant to Study Opioid Medication Use
March 2, 2015 - Dr. Walid Gellad receives a three year VA grant to study opioid medication use among Veterans receiving care from multiple health systems. 

Defining Non-Medical Use of Prescription Opioids (Systematic Review)
February 11, 2015 — Dr. Jerry Cochran and colleagues from CP3 published a systematic review examining how non-medical use of prescription opioids is defined within health care claims data.      

2015 AcademyHealth New Investigator Grant
February 9, 2015 - Dr. Olufunmilola Abraham (previously Odukoya) received the 2015 AcademyHealth New Investigator grant for her research entitled “OTC Sleep Aids: Older Adult Medication – Taking Behavior and Safety Risks."

CDC Grant to Study Formulary Impact on Prescription Drug Abuse
September 30, 2014 — Drs. Gerald Cochran and Julie Donohue will lead a team of CP3 faculty and staff in a new two year partnership with the CDC to study how formularies can impact prescription drug abuse and overdose.

Could Hepatitis C Eventually be a Rare Disease?
September 23, 2014 - In an interview with David Templeton of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dr. Gellad addresses the treatment options for patients with Hepatitis C, the exorbitant drug prices, early treatment, and screening. 

Vasculitis Research Initiative to assess Disease Impact
August 28, 2014 — Carolyn Thorpe discusses her study, "Vasculitis Research Initiative to assess Disease Impact (V-RIDI)," in a video posted by the Vasculitis Foundation.

The Impact and Evolution of Medicare Part D
August 21, 2014 — CP3 Co-Director Julie Donohue, PhD published a perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine accompanied by audio interview: "The Impact and Evolution of Medicare Part D."

Medicare Part D Benefit Design and Generic Drug Use
June 30, 2014 — Graduate student and CP3 member Yan Tang published an article in the June issue of Medical Care examining the impact of Medicare Part D benefit design on the use of generic drugs.

Potential cost savings for Medicare Part D
June 15, 2014 — Dr. Yuting Zhang published an article in Health Affairs outlining potential cost savings to Medicare Part D.

Medication Adherence for Cancer Therapy Drugs
February 1, 2014 — In an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dr. Gellad speaks to the importance of medication adherence for new oral targeted cancer therapy.