Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Democrats Angle For Another Vote On $35 Insulin Cost Cap
The Hill: Schumer: Senate Will Vote Again On $35 Insulin Cap After GOP Blocked It
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday night that he is going to bring a $35 cap on patients’ insulin costs back up for a vote this fall after Republicans blocked it over the weekend. “They blocked a $35 price for insulin for non-Medicare people,” Schumer said on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” “We’re going to come back and make them vote on that again.” (Sullivan, 8/9)
NBC News: After Republicans Block Insulin Price Cap, Is It Really Gone For Most?
The axing of the insulin cap provision in the Senate’s budget reconciliation deal would leave millions of people scrambling to cover exorbitant out-of-pocket prices for the diabetes medication. Patient advocates were disappointed with Sunday’s vote — Republican senators blocked the $35 insulin cap for private insurers — and expressed hope that federal and state measures could be included in legislation down the road. (Lovelace Jr., 8/9)
In related news about the cost of insulin —
CNBC: Inflation Reduction Act Aims To Trim Insulin Costs For Medicare Users
The Inflation Reduction Act just passed by the Senate will cap insulin at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries. But that dashed hopes to curb insulin prices for a broader set of the diabetes patient population, about 7.9 million of whom rely on insulin, according to new research from Yale University. (Konish, 8/9)
Axios: How The Failure To Cap Insulin Prices Impacts Latinos
Failure to include a monthly $35 insulin cap in the climate and health care bill that passed the Senate last weekend could especially affect Latinos. CDC data shows Latinos are 70% more likely than their white non-Hispanic peers to be diagnosed with diabetes. (Franco and Galvan, 8/9)
CNBC: 1 In 5 Insulin Users On Medicare Has ‘Catastrophic’ Drug Spending, Yale Finds. The Inflation Reduction Act May Help
The cost of insulin can break diabetes patients financially. Yale’s research found 14% of people in the U.S. who use insulin experience “catastrophic” levels of spending on the treatment. When normal housing and food expenditures are subtracted from their incomes, at least 40% of the remaining money is dedicated to paying for insulin. Of Medicare beneficiaries who use insulin, 1 in 5 reach catastrophic spending, according to Baylee Bakkila, a lead researcher on the Yale School of Medicine’s team focused on this issue. (Konish, 8/9)
In related news about diabetes —
Bloomberg: FDA Warns Diabetes Drug Sitagliptin May Contain Cancer-Causing Carcinogen
Merck & Co.’s Januvia, a popular diabetes drug, was found to be contaminated with a potential carcinogen. An impurity called a nitrosamine was found in some samples of the drug, which has the chemical name of sitagliptin, the US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. The agency said it was permitting Merck to continue to sell drugs containing sitagliptin with higher-than-allowed levels of nitrosamine in order to avoid shortages. (Edney, 8/9)
The New York Times: The Long, Long Wait For A Diabetes Cure
Since its theatrical debut in June, “The Human Trial,” the documentary Lisa Hepner produced with her husband, Guy Mossman, has electrified the diabetes community, especially those with Type 1, a disease that the uninitiated often conflate with the more common Type 2. ... “The Human Trial” offers a rare glimpse into the complexities and challenges of developing new therapies — both for the patients who volunteer for the grueling clinical trials required by the Food and Drug Administration, and for the ViaCyte executives constantly scrambling to raise the money needed to bring a new drug to market. These days, the average cost, including the many failed trials along the way, is a billion dollars. (Jacobs, 8/9)
