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Top of the morning to you. The middle of the week is upon us and, since you made it this far, why not forge ahead? After all, there is always light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. You never know what you may accomplish. So please join us as we celebrate this notion with a cup or three of delicious stimulation. Our choice today is blueberry cobbler. Meanwhile, we have assembled a menu of tidbits to help you along. So please dig in. Have a smashing day, and please feel free to forward any secrets you come across. Our “in basket” is always open….

More than two dozen big buyers of prescription medicines expect prices will rise by an average of 8% annually over the next three years, a slight uptick from a year ago. And 19% believe a “substantial portion” of the anticipated increases can be attributed to a shift to newer, pricier therapies, which is up from 8% a year ago, STAT writes, citing a new survey. Notably, the slightly higher projection “may be the continuation of a trend toward expectations for double-digit increases” for prescription medicines in the future, wrote analysts at Cowen, who queried 26 hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers, and health maintenance organizations that purchased about $90 billion in medicines in 2022.

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At least a dozen websites that specialize in a class of protein-related products called peptides now list semaglutide and tirzepatide, STAT reports. Though they say their chemicals should only be used for lab research purposes and not for human use, individuals have been ordering from the websites to make their own injections at home. People in bodybuilding and biohacking circles have long gone to these sources for chemicals to try to build muscles and burn fat, and now, some people with clinical obesity are also turning to the websites for the first time, hoping to obtain semaglutide or tirzepatide as the original medications from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly remain difficult to access.

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