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| Economy |
| Our Friends at Big Pharma: Skyrocketing insulin prices provoke new outrage |
| 2018-06-21 |
| [The Hill] Rising insulin costs are drawing outrage from diabetes advocates, leading to calls for greater transparency and federal oversight of the market for a drug that helps more than 7 million Americans. Insulin was first discovered nearly 100 years ago, and as newer forms of the drug have been introduced, the price has climbed. Three companies ‐ Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk ‐ control 99 percent of the world’s insulin, and advocates have been asking them to explain their pricing. According to the American Diabetes Association, the average price of insulin nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013. The price for a vial of one the most popular insulin brands, Humalog, increased from $21 in 1996, to $35 in 2001, to $234 in 2015, to $275 in 2017. There are no generic forms of insulin on the market, but there are some cheaper "biosimilar" versions. "Americans need Congress to take action to ensure a vibrant, competitive insulin market that serves consumers instead of drug company CEOs. Insulin is not a luxury. It is required for life," said Ben Wakana, executive director of the advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs. Insulin price spikes have also prompted scrutiny from members of both parties in Congress. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #7 the differentiated cells are turning back into non-differentiated cells. Ok, as long as they don't turn into white cells because that would be totally racist. Yes, cellular racism is a thing now. As for the EpiPen saga, it's the poster child for pharmaceutical whoredom. If only Stalin knew... |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-06-21 20:49 |
| #6 Manchin's daughter was a major price wh0re for EpiPen |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-06-21 19:32 |
| #5 I just read they think they discovered a cause of this, the differentiated cells are turning back into non-differentiated cells. |
| Posted by: Clem Kadiddlehopper9000 2018-06-21 18:07 |
| #4 Hey! The prices for quality body parts like the pancreas are going up. Insulin can't make itself you know. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-06-21 15:45 |
| #3 The free market failed a very long time ago. Investigate the 3 companies for antitrust violations - for starters. Fiddle with the laws on drug patents -- or even just "start a discussion". Ditto with laws on corporate existence vs. the common good. Nothing substantial will be done by our esteemed |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2018-06-21 12:37 |
| #2 That which should be going down in price, is going up. Strange, very strange. Strange, indeed. And no generic form of a drug that's been around for a century? Stranger still. Call me whacky, but could there possibly be government regulations distorting the market? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-06-21 11:48 |
| #1 That which should be going down in price, is going up. Strange, very strange. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2018-06-21 07:42 |