Amgen EVP Murdo Gordon highlighted the unmet need for women at high risk, including those with a prior fracture. At $1,825 per month or $21,900 for a one-year course in the US, he says Evenity's cost is much lower versus competing 18- and 24-month anabolic agents.

But because of the remaining uncertainty in the clinical evidence for this "potentially curative treatment," – Imfinzi for Stage III NSCLC – UK reimbursement will come from the Cancer Drugs Fund until more data accrues from the PACIFIC study, due to report in 2021.

Millions of people lack access to quality healthcare services and products in China, but now one company has raised millions in funding and vows to harness the power of the internet to get temperature-controlled drugs and quality diagnostic services to everyone who needs them.

I.V. Zulresso is the first US FDA-approved drug for postpartum depression (PPD) and Sage's first commercial product – with a list price of $34,000. It will help the company build a presence in PPD as it completes late-stage development for oral candidate SAGE-217.

China's national reimbursement drug list will undergo a much anticipated expansion in 2019, and therapies for cancer, pediatric and rare conditions from international firms including Roche and Actellion are likely to receive long-awaited coverage.

With dermatologists reporting issues with prior authorization requirements, Ortho Derm is offering several reduced-price products under a new cash-pay format.

Vertex CEO Jeff Leiden has defended his company’s approach to pricing, as well as his $17m salary, at a heated UK public hearing on access to cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has weighed in on the pros and cons of rebate reform, surveying an assortment of payers, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical companies on alternative rebate models and their potential impact. 

Healthcare is among the few sectors that is still optimistic about China's market growth amid a slowing economy, driven by closer integration with ever-strong global demand, but the ongoing US trade war and rising protections present new challenges, says a major US trade group in China.