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The Big Story
Senators agree: Insulin costs too much, system needs fix
Senators on both sides of the aisle voiced agreement Wednesday that out-of-pocket costs and list prices for insulin are too high, saying something should be done about it.
The CEOs of the three top insulin manufacturers — Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk — as well as executives from top pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) were in the hot seat Wednesday.
The PBMs pointed fingers at the drug companies, who in return blamed the PBMs.
For their part, senators indicated a desire to change the entire system, with the hearing also previewing a debate on Thursday about bills targeting PBMs.
“Americans die, get sicker than they should and go bankrupt because they cannot afford the outrageous cost of prescription drugs, while the drug companies and the PBMs make huge profits. That has got to change and this committee is going to do everything possible to bring about that change,” Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said.
Both parties and chambers seem to have common ground with legislation aimed at reforming the PBM industry, though Sanders noted that the “very modest” bills the committee will consider Thursday are not the end of his efforts.
“I kinda feel like Hell’s freezing over because chairman Sanders and I actually agree on something, and it’s that something needs to be done with PBMs,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said.
The committee on Thursday will try again to amend and advance bills aimed at increasing competition for generic drugs, increasing access to medicine for rare diseases, as well as changing PBM business practices.
The panel met last week to consider the same slate of seemingly bipartisan bills, but the hearing was held up over internal process complaints and eventually postponed for a week.
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
Major stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry on Wednesday testified in front of a key Senate panel to address questions over the affordability of insulin, with the assembled witnesses, as expected, passing the blame amongst each other. Leaders from top insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi joined with executives from top pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies CVS Health, Express Scripts and OptumRx …
A panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously voted Wednesday that the benefits of making a birth control pill available over the counter outweigh the potential risks. The 17-0 vote represents a major step forward in the decades-long push to make birth control pills available without a prescription for the first time ever. The FDA is expected to make a final decision later this summer. …
Say goodbye to free coronavirus tests. Emergency measures providing complementary coronavirus tests will end for most people this week, when the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration formally runs out Thursday. The end of the free tests almost certainly means more people will contract COVID without knowing they have it. “We definitely know that when you add a copayment to a medical …
The House Oversight panel‘s coronavirus subcommittee holds a Thursday hearing on virus immunity.
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The Hill Event
Expanding Access to Alzheimer’s Care & Treatment, May 11, 2-4 p.m. ET
About 1 in 9 Americans over 65 suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, treatment options are still limited. Why is CMS declining coverage, and where are we in terms of new treatments on the horizon? The Hill will bring together lawmakers, researchers, doctors, caregivers and patients to explore the latest treatments and roadblocks, and discuss what more needs to be done to curb this disease.
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