Pharmacetuticals

A vial of the Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, Bivalent. Though the shots are free to pretty much anyone who wants one in the U.S. as long as federal stockpiles hold out, the next update of the vaccine might be costly for some people who lack health insurance.

Moderna's COVID vaccine gambit: Hike the price, offer free doses for uninsured

5:01am March 08, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

Once U.S. stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccine run out, Moderna says it might charge as much as $130 per dose, but give people who lack health insurance a break. Critics say that's not enough help.

Congress gave the Food and Drug Administration more power to hold drugmakers accountable as part of the mammoth spending bill that became law in December 2022.

Health & Safety

FDA has new leverage over companies looking for a quicker drug approval

5:01am March 03, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

The Food and Drug Administration has new tools to hold drug companies accountable for promises they make about medications. But the agency has yet to show its hand in using this new power.

Queue Listen Now

Ashwani Sheoran, 41, says that when he worked as pharmacist at different Walmarts, he spoke up about the handling of opioid prescriptions and was told to stay quiet and was eventually let go.

Former Walmart Pharmacists Say Company Ignored Red Flags As Opioid Sales Boomed

7:01am January 03, 2021

by Brian Mann

The giant retailer shipped billions of opioid pills to pharmacies nationwide. An NPR investigation found employees warned company executives their stores were being used by "pill mill" doctors.

Purdue Pharma, with headquarters in Stamford, Conn., was forced into bankruptcy last year by the opioid crisis. Pressure on the opioid front comes even as drug firms are producing medicines and providing services, including testing and vaccine development

Opioid Scandal Haunts Drug Companies As They Respond To Pandemic

5:48pm August 10, 2020

by Brian Mann

Thousands of lawsuits that ground to a halt because of COVID-19 are moving forward again as local, state and federal courts reopen around the U.S.

Biomarin Pharmaceutical, a California company that makes what could become the first gene therapy for hemophilia, says its drug's price tag might be $3 million per patient.

Gene Therapy Shows Promise For Hemophilia, But Could Be Most Expensive U.S. Drug Ever

9:23am July 20, 2020

by Rob Stein

The first gene therapy for hemophilia could be approved by the FDA within six months, according to the drugmaker, raising hopes among families. But the drug's price could be $3 million per patient.

Queue Listen Now

Patients Still Struggle To Balance High Costs Of MS Treatment, Despite Generic

9:00am January 20, 2020

by Sydney Lupkin

Drugs to treat multiple sclerosis can run $70,000 a year or more. Patients hoped competition from a generic version of one of the most popular brands would spur relief, but prices went up. Here's why.

A medical assistant administers insulin to an adolescent patient who has Type 1 diabetes. Cigna's pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, says it covers 1.4 million people who take insulin.

Express Scripts Takes Steps To Cut Insulin's Price To Patients

2:46pm April 03, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

As congressional lawmakers continue to turn up the heat on drugmakers, insurers and middlemen over the price of many medicines, one player says it will limit patients' share of the cost of insulin.

One of the Trump administration's proposals would change the prices Medicare pays for certain prescription drugs by factoring in the average prices Europeans pay for the same medicines.

It Will Take More Than Transparency To Reduce Drug Prices, Economists Say

1:59pm March 22, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

The Trump administration wants to increase transparency in prescription drug pricing. But health economists say the administration's call to tie prices to what other nations pay might work better.

Drug prices in the United States support spending on research and development, said AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez (far left) in testimony by drug company executives before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.

Health & Safety

Poll: Americans Support Government Action To Curb Prescription Drug Prices

3:00am March 01, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that many people struggle to pay for medicines and that a majority of Americans would welcome a range of government interventions to lower prices.

Susie Christoff tried several drugs to cope with her painful psoriatic arthritis before finding Cosentyx worked the best. The problem was the cost.

Health & Safety

Why The U.S. Remains The Most Expensive Market For 'Biologic' Drugs In The World

1:05pm December 19, 2018

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Biologic drugs, often made with the help of living organisms, are especially lucrative because they have scant competition from biosimilars, drugs akin to generics. It's a different story in Europe.