The Week in Review in Prescription Drug Pricing

A young man with diabetes loses his life to pharmaceutical greed. The EpiPen gets a generic in the midst of a frightening shortage. And a little boy begs Vertex Pharmaceuticals for his life.

Welcome to the week in review in prescription drug pricing.

1. Insulin prices killed him

We need lower prices now or the body count will continue to rise. —(NBC)

2. Ohio to drug industry middlemen: You’re fired

Ohio Department of Medicaid is firing pharmacy benefit managers, citing millions of dollars in taxpayer waste. Will other states follow suit? — (The Columbus Dispatch)

3. Governors have ideas

The National Governors Association has released a report on how states should lower drug prices. States have been much more active in passing drug pricing reform than federal lawmakers. — (STAT)

4. The FDA does its job

We’re happy about the approval of a generic EpiPen. Let’s hope it’s affordable. — (NYT) 

5. A little boy begs Vertex Pharmaceuticals for his life

Luis, 8, wants the Boston-based drugmaker Vertex Pharmaceuticals to lower the price of his cystic fibrosis medicine, so he can stay out of the hospital. But the drug corporation is playing hardball in the U.K. — (STAT)