Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Schizophrenia Meds Minus Side Effects Coming Soon; Lower Insulin Costs Won't Help Everyone
Bloomberg: Schizophrenia Drug From Karuna Therapeutics May Offer Much-Needed Progress
Next year, doctors might finally have something new to offer people who suffer from schizophrenia: a much-needed drug that can better improve their symptoms without the side effects that too often cause them to stop taking their medications. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/21)
USA Today: Insulin Price Drop Is Good News. But People With Diabetes Need More
Novo Nordisk and Sanofi announced last week that they will lower prices on some of their insulin products by up to 78% effective January 2024. That follows Eli Lilly’s recent announcement that it will lower some of its insulin prices by 70% later this year. (Kimberly M. Baker, 3/20)
Dallas Morning News: Schools Are Stocking Up On Narcan, But Can Teachers Use It?
Narcan can be purchased in Texas without a prescription and is already saving teens at school. Earlier this month, staff at R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton administered the drug to a 15-year-old girl who was found unconscious in the bathroom by other students, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported. (3/22)
Bloomberg: Insulin Price Cuts Could Lift Profits For Eli Lilly And Novo Nordisk
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden gave Eli Lilly & Co. a shoutout on Twitter for its decision to slash insulin prices on the heels of his administration’s cap on insulin costs for Medicare recipients. He ended with a call to action: “Let’s keep it going.” (Lisa Jarvis, 3/16)
San Francisco Chronicle: How A New Kind Of Drug Crisis Is Descending On The Bay Area
Two decades ago, Tom Rudderow underwent spinal fusion surgery. At first, it appeared all had gone well. As he healed, however, his pain persisted. His surgeon eventually diagnosed him with arachnoiditis, an incurable disorder that, he was told, would cause him a lifetime of suffering. (Nuala Bishari, 3/21)
New England Journal of Medicine: Medicare Part D Coverage Of Antiobesity Medications — Challenges And Uncertainty Ahead
Medicare could soon be compelled to cover antiobesity medications, which intensifies the need to address questions of effectiveness and cost among its beneficiaries. (Khrysta Baid, M.S.P.H., et al, 3/16)
Newsweek: Protecting America's Medical Supplies Is A Bipartisan National Security Priority
As of now, active pharmaceutical ingredients imported from China comprise approximately 90 percent of the American supply of life-saving antibiotics like penicillin, azithromycin and cephalosporins. It should also be noted that in 2019, China was responsible for 95 percent of the United States' imports of ibuprofen, 91 percent of hydrocortisone, 70 percent of acetaminophen, 40–45 percent of penicillin, and 40 percent of heparin. (Rep. Juan Vargas and Rep. Diana Harshbarger, 3/19)
The Boston Globe: Not So Fast On COVID Vaccine Price Hike
Some of the most important drugs on the market — from Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) for hepatitis C infection to Truvada (emtricitabine-tenofovir) for HIV preexposure prophylaxis to Xalatan (latanoprost) for glaucoma and Xtandi (enzalutamide) for prostate cancer —were discovered with substantial support from the National Institutes of Health, the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. Despite this, patients faced affordability challenges for many years. (Hussain S. Lalani, Sarosh Nagar, Jerry Avorn and Aaron S. Kesselheim, 3/21)
