AFPs cause 'health risks'

Members of Congress weigh in on AFPs, while measles surges highlight the importance of World Immunization Week, kicking off today. (631 words, 3 minutes, 9 seconds)

AFPs cause ‘health risks,’ say Members of Congress

Alternative funding programs (AFPs) “can create significant health risks,” says a bipartisan letter sent yesterday from Reps. Rick W. Allen (R-GA) and Lucy McBath (D-GA) to Acting Labor Secretary Julie A. Su.

AFPs, in a nutshell: AFPs remove specialty drugs from an insurer’s formulary of covered drugs, making patients apply to drug makers’ charitable patient assistant programs (PAPs). AFPs get charity drugs for free and take a fee from insurance companies, who save money.

Why it matters: AFPs reduce insurance coverage for drugs, make patients wait for PAP approval to obtain drugs, and put drug access at risk. AFPs and plan sponsors don’t make the risks clear to beneficiaries, the letter says.

The risks: “Help paying for these medications is not guaranteed from either the patient assistance program or the AFP. Patients may have to shoulder the full cost of a drug if they do not enroll in an AFP, and many experience delays in receiving their specialty medication, which can have detrimental health effects,” says the letter.

What should happen now: The letter calls on the Department of Labor to look into the prevalence of AFPs and to inform whether the department has the authority to investigate AFPs, whether the department educates employers about AFPs, and whether AFPs are currently violating federal laws.

Read the letter.

Preventable measles surge highlights necessity of vaccination

As measles surges across the United States, World Immunization Week is a reminder that this doesn’t have to happen. 

The spread: As of Monday, seven outbreaks and 125 cases have been reported in 18 states; 69% of cases were caused by outbreaks rather than overseas travelers, says UPI. This is the worst outbreak since 2019, when unvaccinated communities in New York experienced significant outbreaks and the U.S. annual total reached 1,274 cases.

How did we get here? Herd immunity requires 95% vaccination, but measles vaccination rates below 90% were recorded in 12 states for the 2022-23 school year, NBC reports. Although measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, vaccination rates have lagged since the pandemic, threatening our nation's elimination status.

Why it matters: Measles is one of 20 life-threatening diseases for which we have an effective vaccine. Immunization saves 3.5-5 million lives a year, and from 2000-2022, measles vaccination averted 57 million deaths.

“Vaccination is often cited among the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century,” reducing death by 83.6%-100% for a dozen diseases, says BIO’s recent report on the vaccine pipeline.

What’s needed now: “Many common infections don’t have any vaccines in clinical development. That needs to change. We need to pursue both scientific and policy changes that can help spur investment in these vital products,” says Phyllis Arthur, BIO’s SVP for Infectious Diseases & Emerging Science Policy.

More Health News: 

STAT News (Opinion): Bashing accelerated approval isn’t supported by the data
“Overall survival is usually considered the gold standard in oncology because people with cancer generally want to take medications that can help them live longer. So judging the FDA’s accelerated approval program without assessing its full impact on overall survival presents a very slanted story,” write Peter J. Pitts and Timothy R. Franson, M.D. 

The Washington Post: Bird flu virus found in grocery milk as officials say supply still safe
“Viral fragments of bird flu have been identified in samples of milk taken from grocery store shelves in the United States, a finding that does not necessarily suggest a threat to human health but indicates the avian flu virus is more widespread among dairy herds than previously thought, according to two public health officials and a public health expert who was briefed on the issue.” 

President Biden’s Wednesday: Delivering remarks at the North America’s Building Trade Union National Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess.