Diabetics Encounter Obstacles To Obtaining ‘Breakthrough’ Inhaled Insulin Option
Early sales of MannKind Corp.'s new insulin drug Afrezza, that is delivered through an inhalation device, are disappointing as patient adoption has been slow due to factors like doctor reluctance to prescribe and an FDA-mandated lung test. In other pharma news, a provision of the health law establishing a pathway for biosimilars may save patients as much as $800 a month in co-pays.
Los Angeles Times:
MannKind's Inhaled Insulin Drug Proves Hard For Diabetics To Get
It took 10 years and $1 billion for MannKind Corp. in Valencia to get its breakthrough inhaled-insulin drug approved by U.S. regulators. Now comes the hard part: getting people with diabetes to use it. If Cynthia Goldstein's experience is any indication, it's not going to be easy. (Pfeifer, 6/3)
The Huffington Post:
Little-Known Provision Of The Affordable Care Act Is About To Pay Major Dividends For U.S. Consumers
It's no secret that health care costs are on the rise, and have been for years. From monthly premiums to co-pays and now coinsurance for prescription drugs, consumers are being squeezed financially as a result of trying to keep their families healthy.
A relatively new factor in this cost-versus-care debate are biologic drugs, complex medicines made from living cells that treat deadly and debilitating diseases. Doctors are increasingly prescribing them to treat everything from cancer to rheumatoid arthritis to multiple sclerosis. (Greenberg, 6/3)
