Now that you’re done binging the new season of Queer Eye and the Senate Finance markup, it’s time to catch up on your drug pricing news.
Welcome to the Week in Review in prescription drug pricing!
1. Wicked Big Win
- A bipartisan budget deal will grant the Massachusetts Secretary of Health the power to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs in the state’s Medicaid program. — (Boston Globe)
2. Aging Out
- Young adults living with diabetes are rationing insulin and dying when they age out of their parents’ insurance plans. — (Buzzfeed)
3. It’s a Good Plan, Brent
- The Senate Finance Committee unveiled a long-awaited package of drug pricing reforms that cap seniors’ out-of-pocket drug expenses at $3,100 and discourage Big Pharma from increasing the prices of prescription drugs at multiple times the rate of inflation each year. Patients will battle Big Pharma influence to see it through. — (Politico)
4. Patients Take the Stand
- Patient advocates testified this week before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, illuminating for Congress the harm high drug prices inflict on American families. — (CSPAN)
5. Celgene Slammed
- The drug maker has to pay $55 million to settle a class action lawsuit over alleged attempts to block generic competition, providing some restitution to those hit by Celgene’s sky-high monopoly prices for cancer medications. — (New Jersey Globe)