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Health Care
Health Care
The Big Story
Sanders goes after Ozempic cost
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is demanding pharmaceutical manufacturer Novo Nordisk slash prices of its two blockbuster drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, following a new study on the costs to manufacture the medications.
© Greg Nash
The research found that a weekly injection of semaglutide — which is the generic name for Ozempic — can be manufactured at a cost between $0.89 and $4.73 per month.
The monthly price for Ozempic is $935 for four weekly injections, according to Novo Nordisk’s website. The manufacturer’s weight loss drug Wegovy is also a semaglutide injection. Its list price is about $1,349 per month.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), I am calling on Novo Nordisk to lower the list price of Ozempic — and the related drug Wegovy — in America to no more than what they charge for this drug in Canada,” Sanders said in a statement.
“The American people are sick and tired of paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs while the pharmaceutical industry enjoys huge profits.”
Novo Nordisk said in a statement to The Hill that it offers a “number of options” at its website to address affordability concerns.
Sanders has had some success pressuring drug companies into lowering prices.
Novo Nordisk capped the prices of some of its “legacy” insulin products last year at $35, along with Eli Lilly and Company and Sanofi. These price cuts went into effect at the start of this year.
This month, three of the four major inhaler manufacturers all announced plans to cap patient copays for all their inhalers at $35— though some experts have pointed to a recent change in Medicaid rebates as the reason.
Essential Reads
How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:
Support for legal abortion hits new high among US voters: Fox News poll
A record 59 percent of surveyed Americans believe abortion should be legal, according to a new Fox News poll published Wednesday, as the Supreme Court argued over whether abortion pills should be outlawed, and GOP politicians consider support for a national abortion ban. Support for abortion rights has increased by double digits since early 2022, just before the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that removed federal protections …
Full Story Biden rolls back Trump expansion of short-term ‘junk’ insurance plans
The Biden administration is cracking down on insubstantial health insurance plans that don’t have to meet ObamaCare’s consumer protection requirements. A final rule issued Thursday would roll back a Trump-era policy that drastically expanded what Biden officials and critics call “junk” plans. The final rule limits the duration of the insurance plans to three months, with the option of a one-month extension. …
Full Story US tuberculosis cases rise for third year in a row: CDC
Tuberculosis rates in the U.S. rose by 16 percent in 2023, marking the third year that cases went up following nearly 30 years of decline. In the most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of TB cases in 2023 totaled at 9,615, a jump of 1,295 over 2022. The last time annual TB cases in the U.S. were higher than 9,500 was in 2012, when 9,906 were detected. …
Full Story In Other News
Branch out with a different read:
US officials warn of increase in bacterial illnesses that can lead to meningitis and possibly death
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are warning of an increase in rare bacterial illnesses than can lead to meningitis and possible death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert to U.S. doctors on Thursday about an increase in cases of one type of invasive meningococcal disease, most of it due to a specific strain …
Full Story Around the Nation
Local and state headlines on health care:
- Why Portland failed where Portugal succeeded in decriminalizing drugs (Politico)
- Mississippi is closer than ever to expanding Medicaid. What are the barriers? (PBS NewsHour)
- Report alleges some Georgia hospitals are noncompliant with federal price transparency rule (WABE)
What We're Reading
Health news we've flagged from other outlets:
- First Medicare health plans to start paying for weight-loss drug Wegovy (The Wall Street Journal)
- More women are drinking themselves sick. The Biden administration is concerned. (KFF Health News)
- Health concerns mount for migrant children at outdoor holding sites (The New York Times)
What Others are Reading
Most read stories on The Hill right now:
Trump agitates hush money judge as he seeks to stave off NY trial
Former President Trump is pulling out all the stops to stave off the start of his first criminal trial, but the New York judge overseeing the case … Read more
Greene says she won’t take blame if Jeffries becomes Speaker
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that it is not her fault if House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is promoted to the House’s … Read more
What People Think
Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:
- ‘Right to Try 2.0’ would bring innovative medicine to desperate Americans
- Remove the barriers keeping women from addressing colorectal cancer
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