Advanz Pharma has immediately hit back at a decision announced by the UK’s competition regulator to impose fines of more than £100m over the firm’s historical pricing of liothyronine tablets.

Ivabradine exhibited interesting pricing dynamics in the UK in June, with the average cost of the heart failure treatment more than trebling despite the lowest offer in the market remaining stable.

UK off-patent industry association the BGMA has responded to recent fines issued by competition regulator the CMA over illegal deals for hydrocortisone, highlighting the benefits of functioning generic competition as well as urging improvements to the UK’s pricing and reimbursement system to better recognize situations where supply is limited.

Firms censured by the UK’s CMA competition regulator over illegal deals that drove up the price of hydrocortisone for around a decade have vowed to appeal against the decision and the imposition of fines totaling more than £260m.

The US Association for Accessible Medicines discussed six areas for reform during a recent US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing “shining a spotlight on the anti-competitive tactics used by some brand name pharmaceutical companies to delay patient access” to generics and biosimilars.

Canadian firm Valeo Pharma revealed the extent of coverage for its Lovenox biosimilars, months after launching the low molecular weight heparin in-licensed from Shenzhen Techdow Pharmaceutical.

US-based giant Amgen has seen its Mvasi biosimilar become the sole bevacizumab product listed on Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that while Medicare coverage of generic drugs likely improves patient adherence and reduces other health care utilization, inefficiencies stemming from its “complex and opaque system of intermediaries” mean that it has overpaid on most prescription generics compared to retailer Costco. 

US representatives Kurt Schrader and Adam Kinzinger have introduced the BIOSIM Act to improve access and realize the full potential of biosimilars by encouraging an additional payment for providers when they use a biosimilar cheaper than the reference biologic. AAM and a group of organizations have extended support to the bipartisan bill.