News Briefs
✦Walgreen Co. and Kroger Co. can continue to pursue a lawsuit (No. 19-1730) over Remicade (infliximab) against Janssen Biotech Inc. and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, according to a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The lawsuit claims that Janssen “used its size and bargaining power in the broader pharmaceutical market to enter into exclusive contracts and anticompetitive bundling agreements with health insurers that suppressed generic competition to Remicade, which in turn allowed Janssen to sell Remicade at supracompetitive prices.” The decision overturns a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (D.C. No. 2-18-cv-02357), which ruled in Janssen’s favor in March 2019. View the decision at https://bit.ly/2Tx21pa.
✦The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave a B grade to screening for hepatitis C infection in people between the ages of 18 and 79. The Affordable Care Act mandates that private insurers cover preventive services with a USPSTF grade of A or B. View the recommendation at https://bit.ly/38kjMxx.