Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Insulin Is The 'Poster Child For Illogical Drug Pricing'
Los Angeles Times: Insulin Prices Reveal Greed Of Healthcare Middlemen
Politicians for years have been making a show of wringing their hands over sky-high prescription drug prices. And no drug has drawn more scrutiny, or calls for action, than insulin. Insulin was discovered 100 years ago by a trio of Canadian scientists. They sold the patent to the University of Toronto for a mere $1.The patent was made available royalty-free to drug companies to foster widespread use of the life-saving hormone. Drug companies, in turn, did what they do best: They cashed in. (David Lazarus, 11/30)
Charleston Gazette Mail: How Build Back Better Helps Diabetics
It costs the drug makers about $6.16 to produce a vial of insulin. Yet, the purchase price is $332 for the same vial, according to the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Insulin availability is a matter of life and death, given that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. (Joseph Wyatt, 11/25)
Medical Press: US Drug Prices Are Costing Us More Than We Think
Aduhelm, the first new Alzheimer's drug in 18 years, could easily become the best-selling drug in Medicare, despite its potential massive cost and tremendous uncertainty about whether the drug even works, says Rachel Sachs, the Treiman Professor of Law and nationally renowned expert on drug pricing and health policy. (Schoenherr, 12/7)
NorthJersey.com: Build Back Better Can Help NJ Pharmacies. Here's How
I have worked in pharmacies for 62 years, served as a licensed pharmacist for nearly 50 years, and owned a community pharmacy in Teaneck for the past 34 years. Over the last six decades, I have talked with countless customers who struggle to afford the high cost of their prescription drugs. One story in particular has always stayed with me. A few years ago, I had a customer who was suffering from severe Melanoma. Every three months, the medication she was taking doubled and sometimes tripled in price until eventually it was more expensive than her monthly mortgage. I believe we live in one of the greatest countries in the world, where no one should be forced to choose between the medication they need to survive or whether to put a roof over their head. (Michael Fedida, 12/4)
Tampa Bay Times: A Drug Price Safety Net Is Fraying For Medicaid And Uninsured Patients In Florida
Millions of Floridians can pick an insurance plan this enrollment period with the peace of mind that federal law defends their health care rights. Floridians also know that their state legislators have worked diligently to defend them from harmful practices like step therapy and the unnecessary burden of prior authorizations. But what about those Floridians — many of them elderly — who are still falling through the gaps in our health care system? Congress created a safety net drug pricing program for Medicaid patients and the uninsured, but the results tell us this safety net is failing, exacerbating unfair drug pricing for Floridians. To date, Congress has failed to act to contain the cost of the 340B program that is meant to protect the most vulnerable patients in our state. (Brian Nyquist, 12/6)
