Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Despite The Rush, Remdesivir Needs A Large Clinical Trial
Bloomberg: U.S. Hospitals Need To Study How Well Remdesivir Really Works
For months, hospitals have suffered the consequences of the country’s pandemic blunders. Intensive-care units have overflowed. Medical staff have struggled to get personal protective equipment, and have worked beyond exhaustion. It seems unfair to ask them to make up for another government misstep. But U.S. hospitals need to band together to run a clinical trial of the Covid-19 treatment remdesivir, even though the Trump administration has already decided the drug is what all hospitals should be using, going so far as to corner the worldwide market for it. (Peter Bach, 7/13)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ensure Treatment For All: Government Must Make Coronavirus Drug Accessible
We’re all in this together, or so we are often told when it comes to the coronavirus crisis. If it applies to wearing masks in public and keeping socially distant, it has to apply to a lifesaving medical treatment for COVID-19 as well. That means that remdesivir, the promising anti-viral drug with the recently released eye-popping price tag of about $3,000 a course, has to be accessible for everyone. (7/3)
The American Independent: Prescription Drug Costs Are Skyrocketing. The Senate Isn't Doing Anything About It.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to hold a vote on multiple bills to lower prescription drug costs even as prices continue to increase. Since July 1, 42 medications have increased in cost by an average of 3.5%, according to GoodRx, including drugs to treat asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure. (Dan Desai Martin, 7/13)
The Arizona Republic: Prescription Drug Affordabilty Is A Problem. This Is Not The Answer
Seniors’ access to affordable prescription drugs remains hotly debated in Congress and an issue of high interest in Mesa, home to many aging adults and the district I represent at the Arizona state House. Back in 2003, President Bush and the U.S. Congress found an innovative way to add a Prescription Drug Benefit to Medicare. It is known as Medicare Part D. (Michelle Udall, 7/6)
