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Pharma lobby mounts last-ditch effort to fix prescription ‘donut hole.’ The pharmaceutical lobby is mounting a last-ditch effort to add a measure to an opioid abuse bill that would block an increase to the portion of a drug’s cost the industry must cover under Medicare, sources tell the Washington Examiner. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is under pressure to fix the so-called “doughnut hole” after the influential industry group failed to add a measure addressing the issue to a prior bill to fund the Department of Health and Human Services. PhRMA, as the group is commonly known, has been advocating for a package that would roll back a measure included in the February government spending bill that increases in 2019 the industry’s payment obligations in the Medicare Part D program. The provision would obligate pharmaceutical companies to provide a 70 percent discount on drugs offered in the Medicare Part D program, and PhRMA is trying to lower that discount to 63 percent before the increase takes effect.

Welcome to Philip Klein’s Daily on Healthcare, compiled by Washington Examiner Managing Editor Philip Klein (@philipaklein), Senior Healthcare Writer Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and Healthcare Reporter Robert King (@rking_19).  Email [email protected] for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list.

HHS won’t shift opioid, mental health funding to illegal minor oversight, secretary says. Health and Human Services will not touch money for key priorities in its plan to shift a small portion of its funding to oversight of minors detained while crossing the border, Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday. Azar told reporters during a briefing on Thursday that the agency will wall off opioid, mental health, and emergency funding as it cuts 0.2 percent from its overall budget. Yahoo News reported Wednesday that HHS will redirect up to $266 million from its budget to the oversight of illegal minors. “This is very routine with end of the year funding,” Azar told reporters of the transfer request. “This was done at least twice in Obama administration.” Yahoo reported on Wednesday that a part of the funding, nearly $80 million, would come from other refugee programs within HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees care for the detained minors. Currently there are more than 11,000 minors in HHS’ care. Another $13.3 million will come from the National Cancer Institute, and $5.7 million from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, according to Yahoo.

Kavanaugh accuser’s legal team floats possible Thursday hearing with Senate Judiciary Committee Christine Blasey Ford is asking to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Thursday, according to new reports. Ford was invited earlier this week to testify about her allegation against Kavanaugh on Monday, but her legal counsel is negotiating with the panel over the timing and other conditions. Debra Katz and Lisa Banks spoke with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on the phone Thursday after indicating their client, who claims Kavanaugh drunkenly groped her in the 1980s when they pair were at Maryland high schools, was “prepared to testify next week.” The proposed Thursday date next week has not been confirmed, according to multiple reports.

Nebraska unveils Trump-backed health plans for farmers, ranchers. Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural business workers in Nebraska are set to join together to purchase health insurance through a program that the Trump administration champions as an alternative to Obamacare. The nonprofit insurer Medica will be offering the coverage, known as an association health plan, for workers who are members of the Nebraska Farm Bureau.  The company “jumped at the chance” to offer the plans, Medica vice president of individual and family business Geoff Bartsh said at a press conference. As many as 1,000 people are expected to enroll. Prior to these offerings, farmers and ranchers were buying Obamacare coverage, whose premiums are expected to be about 25 percent higher than the new association plans. Members will be eligible for the plans if they have been part of the farm bureau for since at least July 1 of this year. They will also be able to offer the plans to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. Customers will be able to sign up for the plans between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1, and they will go into effect Jan. 1, 2019.

FDA warns common tick, flea meds are making pets sick. Common medicines to protect dogs and cats against fleas and ticks are causing them to develop tremors, seizures, or lose control of their movements, the Food and Drug Administration has warned. FDA officials are alerting pet owners and veterinarians to be on the lookout for these potential side effects in the drugs, which pets take about once a month. The side effects have been observed in the medicines Bravecto, Nexgard, and Simparica. Credelio, a similar medicine that was approved in January, is in the same category as the other drugs, but hasn’t been on the market long enough to observe the same side effects. Agency officials encouraged veterinarians to work with pet owners to see whether their animals had a medical history that should be considered when deciding whether to prescribe the drug. They also asked both vets and doctors to contact the FDA if they notice the side effects in their pets. “These products continue to be safe and effective for the majority of animals,” the FDA said in a statement. The FDA is working with drugmakers to have them include the latest side effects on their packaging.

Trump administration seeks an overdose antidote to protect against a fentanyl weapon. The Trump administration is developing a drug to protect against the threat of the opioid fentanyl being used in a terrorist attack. The Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that the new drug it was working on, know as nalmefene, was intended not only to help prevent the reported 40,000 deaths a year from the opioid crisis, but as a safeguard in case fentanyl is used in a terrorist attack. The drug naloxone can be used to help reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose, but the types that are currently on the market need to be administered more than once. The drug the government is developing now is meant for a much different scenario, that of a mass attack in which fentanyl is used as a weapon. The Trump administration has set up a one-year, $611,000-contract with the drug company Opiant, which is based in California. The new drug will be a nasal spray, and if the development goes well then Opiant will receive another $4.6 million for up to three years to finish development and receive FDA approval.

Trump says he and Republicans will “protect pre-existing conditions.” President Trump said that voting for Democrats would destroy the safety net through ‘Medicare for All’ during a rally in Las Vegas for vulnerable GOP Sen. Dean Heller. It is the latest attack from Trump on Democrats’ growing embrace of “Medicare for All.” “Republicans want to protect Medicare for our great seniors who have earned it and paid for it their entire life,” he said at the rally. It is the latest attempt by Republicans to note that “Medicare for All” would destroy Medicare for seniors, even though Republicans have repeatedly fought for cuts to the popular entitlement program.

RUNDOWN

Kaiser Health News As states try to rein in drug spending, feds slap down one bold Medicaid move

Washington Post Health and Human Services secretary confronts migrant child crisis

Axios Hospital reality TV violates patients’ privacy

Associated Press Maine courts to hear Medicaid expansion arguments

Morning Consult A gap between opioid bills has an easy fix in existing Medicaid waivers, experts say

STAT News AMA urges Congress not to loosen restrictions on privacy for patients with addiction history

Wall Street Journal Cocaine, meth, opioids all fuel rise in drug overdose deaths

CNN FDA concludes examination of Parkinson’s drug