Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Grocery Pharmacy Consolidations Forcing Mom-And-Pop Drugstores To Close
The Wall Street Journal: The Pharmacist Is Out: Supermarkets Close Pharmacy Counters
In some towns, it is getting harder to pick up your blood-pressure pills with that gallon of milk and rotisserie chicken. Hundreds of regional grocery stores in cities from Minneapolis to Seattle are closing or selling pharmacy counters, which have been struggling as consumers make fewer trips to fill prescriptions and big drugstore chains tighten their grip on the U.S. market. (Terlep and Kang, 1/26)
NPR: When Insurers Don't Cover Drugs, Prescriptions Often Go Unfilled
The majority of Americans have health insurance that includes coverage for prescription drugs. But unfortunately that doesn't ensure that they can afford the specific drugs their doctors prescribe for them. In fact, many Americans report that their insurance plans sometimes don't cover a drug they need — and nearly half the people whom this happens to say they simply don't fill the prescription. That's according to a poll released this month on income inequality from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (Neighmond, 1/27)
The Associated Press: Hospital Group Fights Drug Shortages By Making Needed Meds
U.S. hospitals fed up with shortages of critical medicines — mostly generic drugs that aren’t profitable — have banded together. Seven hospital systems and three philanthropies formed nonprofit CivicaRx in 2018 to produce what they need. The group now includes 1,200 hospitals nationwide — about 1 in 4 — and already is shipping medicines. (Johnson, 1/26)
Kaiser Health News: Call For FDA To Withdraw Preterm Birth Drug Divides Doctors And Insurers
Doctors fear that the only drug approved to prevent preterm birth, the nation’s leading cause of infant mortality and disability, will no longer be available to expectant mothers. The drug, sold under the brand name Makena, has been in limbo since October, when an expert panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration reviewed the accumulated evidence and concluded that Makena is not effective in preventing preterm birth. (Huetteman, 1/27)
