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Controversial FDA Decision a Milestone on Drug Prices
Controversial FDA Decision
a Milestone on Drug Prices
the rundown
Jan 5, 2024 11:19 AM CST

Controversial FDA Decision a Milestone on Drug Prices

Agency will let Florida be the first state to import drugs in bulk from Canada

(Newser) - Americans are known to head across the border into Canada to buy their prescription drugs at cheaper costs. Now, for the first time, a state government has received approval to do the same thing on a much larger scale. In a decision described as historic, the Food and Drug Administration...

Medicare Will Target These 10 Drugs for Price Cuts

Biden administration to negotiate 'lowest maximum fair price' for Jardiance, Eliquis, others

(Newser) - The popular diabetes treatment Jardiance and the blood thinner Eliquis are among the first drugs that will be targeted for price negotiations in an effort to cut Medicare costs, reports the AP . President Biden's administration on Tuesday released a list of 10 drugs for which the federal government will...

Senate Tiebreaker Approves Sweeping Economic Package

Democrats' victory sends legislation to curb global warming, pharmaceutical costs to House

(Newser) - Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage Sunday, a hard-fought compromise less sweeping than President Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs, and taxing immense corporations. The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the...

He Switched to Low-Cost Insulin to Save for Wedding, Died

Fiancee found Virginia man at the dog kennel where he worked for $16.50 per hour

(Newser) - A diabetic man's death in Virginia shortly after he aged out of a family health insurance plan is highlighting the deadly consequences of the skyrocketing costs of insulin. Josh Wilkerson, who had Type 1 diabetes, couldn't afford to buy the prescription brand of insulin he needed—at a...

Trump Administration Makes Big Move on Pharmaceuticals

Americans will be allowed to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada

(Newser) - The Trump administration said Wednesday it will set up a system to allow Americans to legally import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, weakening a long-standing ban that had stood as a top priority for the politically powerful pharmaceutical industry. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Wednesday...

It's a Breakthrough Cancer Drug—And It'll Cost You

Novartis CEO stands by $475K charge for Kymriah

(Newser) - "The cancer world is forever changed." That's what a researcher is saying following the FDA's approval of America's first-ever treatment that genetically alters a person's cells to fight cancer. The customized treatment to be administered at certified medical centers involves drawing a patient's...

This Drug Just Got the FDA's OK—and an $89K Price Tag

Marathon Pharmaceuticals to sell deflazacort for $89K

(Newser) - A drug sold for years overseas to treat a rare form of muscular dystrophy was OKed Thursday by the FDA to be sold in the US, but it comes at a high price. The Wall Street Journal reports the now-FDA-approved deflazacort will be offered by Marathon Pharmaceuticals for $89,000...

There's a Cheaper 'EpiPen,' but There's a Catch

Most people aren't trained on more-affordable Adrenaclick, which could lead to injuries

(Newser) - Not since Martin Shkreli has there been such outrage over the spiking costs of a life-saving device or drug. Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen, has bumped up costs by almost 500% over the past few years, and because the drugmaker enjoys a near-monopoly on the epinephrine-delivering device—the AP...

Usually Chatty Martin Shkreli Takes the 5th

Pharma bad boy's tight lips 'could hinder' Senate committee's investigation

(Newser) - Martin Shkreli "loves to talk," notes the New York Times , but the ex-Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO has taken the Fifth as a Senate committee looks into drug-pricing practices—and his refusal to hand over subpoenaed documents could impede the probe, NBC News reports. "Absent a valid justification...

It's Not Just Shkreli Who's Been Hiking Drug Prices

Lots of drugmakers did it around Jan. 1—some up to 20%, per analyst reports

(Newser) - Martin Shkreli attracted no small amount of scorn for jacking drug costs, but he's far from alone. Plenty of other drugmakers have been guilty of hikes, many just since late December, claiming they need to do so to fund "risky" research, the Wall Street Journal reports. Analysts...

Insurers Panic Over $1K-a-Day Wonder Drug

Congress demands to know why Sovaldi is so expensive

(Newser) - The FDA only approved Sovaldi in December, but the hepatitis C treatment is already setting records, with as much as $10 billion in sales expected in the first year alone. And why not? It has few side effects, cures 90% of patients, and, oh yeah, costs $1,000 a day....

Doctors: Cancer Drug Prices 'Astronomical,' Unethical

More than 100 sign piece decrying costs to patients

(Newser) - More than 100 cancer specialists from more than 15 countries are joining together to call for lower drug prices, suggesting that the current prices—which can range as high as $138,000 a year—are unconscionably high, and could be seen as profiteering. "Advocating for lower drug prices is...

We Should Pay for Drugs Only If They Work

Biotech exec Samuel Waksal argues for a pay-for-results system

(Newser) - Medical costs, and especially drug costs, are scandalously high in the US, but just capping them isn't the answer, biotech exec Samuel Waksal writes in the New York Times . "Individuals and insurance companies should be willing to pay—and pay a lot—for drugs when they work,"...

Canada Considers Universal Coverage for Drug Costs

Government urged to adopt 'pharmacare' plan

(Newser) - Americans who think that Canadian universal health care is a socialist conspiracy will surely cringe at the news: Canada could soon adopt universal pharmacare—publicly funded drug coverage for all its citizens. More and more national organizations are applying pressure on the government, the latest being the Canadian Health Coalition,...

Pinched Patients Skimping on Vital Medication

Docs warn trend could cause health care time bomb

(Newser) - Cash-strapped consumers nationwide are risking their health by cutting back on prescription drugs, the New York Times reports. Some try to stretch out their supply by splitting their pills in half or taking them every other day. Others choose for themselves which medications to stop taking, increasing the chances of...

Pharma Under Fire Over Pricey Drugs for Kids
Pharma Under Fire Over Pricey Drugs for Kids
GLOSSIES
Jul 27, 2008 7:37 AM CDT

Pharma Under Fire Over Pricey Drugs for Kids

Lawmakers lash astronomical hikes in drugs for rare diseases

(Newser) - In the face of astronomical hikes in the price of drugs used to treat children, a congressional committee is looking into why companies have increased prescription costs as much as 18-fold when related research and marketing expenses are stable, according to lawmakers. One such company charges $69,000 for a...

Clinton Boosts Efforts to Fight Malaria, GOP

Ex-president outlines foundation's drug deal, says he'll help Obama

(Newser) - Bill Clinton's philanthropic foundation has struck a deal to keep a lid on the price of anti-malaria drugs, the AP reports. The former president today outlined a plan that would help limit wild fluctuation in the market for artemisinin, an extract key to treating malaria, which sickens 500 million a...

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