California drug transparency bill latest to advance

On Wednesday, the California Senate passed SB 1010, a bill that would require drugmakers to justify increases in branded drugs' wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of 10% or more, or $10,000 or more, during any 12-month period. Manufacturers also would have to explain the price of any new therapy whose WAC is $10,000 or greater per year or per course of treatment. Drugmakers would be required to disclose the marketing budgets for those drugs, as well as the price paid to acquire a drug's rights if the sponsor was not the drug's original developer. The bill has been ordered to California's Assembly. ...