Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: The Pros, Cons Of Walmart's Insulin
The New Republic: Walmart’s Exploitative Insulin Deal Is Bad For America
The deal Walmart has inked with Novo Nordisk, which will allow it to sell the Danish drug manufacturer’s short-acting Novolog insulin for $75 a vial, is nothing short of revolutionary—that is, if you believe the press release the retail Goliath released at the end of June, announcing the arrangement. Several news outlets more or less echoed these sentiments, noting that the price amounted to a discount of up to 75 percent off the typical $300 list price of a life-sustaining drug whose skyrocketing costs have been explicitly tied to multiple deaths in recent years. As the Good News Network put it, “Walmart is seeking to bring ‘everyday low prices’ to medical care.” (Natalie Shure, 7/6)
Las Vegas Sun: Walmart’s Low-Priced Insulin Shows What A Rational Drug Market Should Look Like
For years, advocates of health care reform have been saying the market for prescription drugs is rigged, with powerful pharmaceutical companies setting prices at unreasonably high levels. Drug companies steadfastly have insisted they don’t do that. Thanks to Walmart, now we know for sure: They do. (David Lazarus, 7/4)
Also —
MarketWatch: FDA Made A Mistake In Approving A Questionable Alzheimer’s Drug, But Medicare Could Act To Reduce False Hopes And Unethical Profits
At this writing three members of the FDA Advisory Committee have chosen to resign in protest over the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to approve aducanumab for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment. Their decision to resign is commendable for at least three ethical reasons. (Leonard Fleck, 7/2)
