Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fed Up With Drug Cost Sticker Shock, Consumers Finding Medication Online For Nearly Half The Price
ProPublica and The New York Times: Prescription Drugs May Cost More With Insurance Than Without It
Having health insurance is supposed to save you money on your prescriptions. But increasingly, consumers are finding that isn’t the case. Patrik Swanljung found this out when he went to fill a prescription for a generic cholesterol drug. In May, Mr. Swanljung handed his Medicare prescription card to the pharmacist at his local Walgreens and was told that he owed $83.94 for a three-month supply. Alarmed at that price, Mr. Swanljung went online and found Blink Health, a start-up, offering the same drug — generic Crestor — for $45.89. (Ornstein and Thomas, 12/9)
ProPublica and The New York Times: How To Save Money On Your Prescription Drugs
If you’re willing to do a little extra work, it is possible to lower your prescription bills. A reporter for The New York Times and a reporter for ProPublica both found instances this year in which drugs prescribed for family members could be purchased for less money without using their insurance coverage. (Ornstein and Thomas, 12/9)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: The Way Over-The-Counter Drugs Are Regulated Is A Mess
The Food and Drug Administration has, for years, limited the amount of acetaminophen in any prescription painkiller to 325 milligrams a dose. Yet walk into your local CVS and you’ll still find dozens of non-prescription painkillers containing 500, even 650, milligrams of the ingredient. The FDA also requires prescription codeine products to include a warning that they are unsafe for kids under 12. If your local drugstore carries it, you may find non-prescription codeine cough syrups that still list dosing information specifically for children. (Mershon, 12/11)
Bloomberg: The Little Blue Pill: A History Of Viagra
And what a run it was. Approved 19 years ago, Pfizer Inc.’s Viagra ushered in a pharmaceutical and cultural revolution, put the phrase “erectile dysfunction” in the medical mainstream, launched a thousand bad jokes and made friskiness a staple of prime-time television commercials. Bloomberg News spoke to people at the center of the phenomenon. Their comments have been edited for clarity. (Tozzi and Hopkins, 12/11)
