And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is rather abbreviated this time around due to a Woodstock-like gathering for health journos. However, we do hope to hang with our short person and promenade with the official mascot upon our return. And what about you? Those of you who enjoy betting may want to wager whether the U.S. tilts into a recession. On a lighter note, spring is edging closer, so this may be an opportunity to clean out the castle or look further afield and plan a summer getaway. Or you could simply plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon …
By law, Medicare will have to take a medication’s efficacy and its research and development costs into account when it starts to negotiate drug prices — but recent research shows pharma companies ignore those factors when they pick prices for their products, STAT explains. Two recent studies aimed to quantify how much R&D costs impact a drug’s price, and how much effectiveness correlates with its price — factors that might, in theory, help justify a sizable price tag. But neither factor has much effect, the studies concluded. Instead, as conventional wisdom suggests, the price is almost always simply what the market will bear.
New York state officials sent a letter to CVS Health, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Rite Aid asking about their plans to make abortion pill mifepristone available in the state, Reuters writes. The letter from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James asked the companies to confirm in writing their commitment to dispensing mifepristone at certified pharmacy locations and via mail in the state. The letter follows a Walgreens statement last week that it will not dispense abortion pills in some Republican-dominated states. Walgreens has said it plans to dispense mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it was legally permissible to do so.
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