Preview

In their article released ahead-of-print this week, William Feldman and coauthors analyze how brand-name manufacturers used patents in combination with other exclusivities granted to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved inhalers during the period 1986–2020 to limit generic competition.

Of the sixty-two inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) approved by the FDA during the past thirty-five years, only one contained an active ingredient with a new mechanism of action.

“Manufacturers recycle the same patents on multiple inhalers from different classes and shift old ingredients to new devices,” the authors report.

Two perspectives on the topic accompany the article.

C. Scott Hemphill and Bhaven Sampat argue that the modern system for competition between brand-name and generic drugs needs updating.

Robin Feldman also discusses potential reforms to inhaler patents.

To read more articles like these, subscribe to Health Affairs.

This week we announced the launch of Health Affairs Insider, a membership offering exclusive access to content beyond the journal. Memberships will be available on Tuesday, May 24.

Health Affairs Insider is a membership community that includes exclusive news from Health Affairs, entry to our growing portfolio of virtual events, curated email newsletters on priority health policy topics, a special gift for joining, and more.

Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil writes about the launch of Insider on Forefront.

In Health Affairs Forefront, three related articles were published about COVID-19 vaccination and testing equity.

Brian Phillips and coauthors describe the strengths and limitations of three approaches for measuring and visualizing progress toward equity in vaccination uptake.

Ramla Bile and coauthors discuss how the Seward Vaccine Equity Project has found success through community organizing.

Andrea Thoumi and coauthors identify lessons from a National Institutes of Health initiative which aims to increase access to COVID-19 tests in historically marginalized populations.

In the latest for a series on the dual-eligible population, Nancy Archibald relays perspectives from state Medicaid officials on improving care for dually eligible populations.

Bookmark Health Affairs Forefront to never miss an article.

In an episode of This Week, Tim Jost returns to Health Affairs to discuss Supreme Court cases that could strip enrollees in Medicaid and other programs of the right to sue to enforce their rights.

Tomorrow, you are invited to join the next installment of our Policy Spotlight series, featuring Nakela Cook, MD, MPH, executive director of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 to improve the quality and relevance of evidence available to help patients, caregivers, clinicians, employers, insurers, and policymakers make better-informed health decisions.

Date: Monday, May 23, 2022
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)

For more updates about events, join our Events email list.

About Health Affairs

Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.

Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.

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