Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Cool breezes and clear blue skies are wafting above the Pharmalot campus, where the official mascots are settling in for a well-deserved snooze. As for us, we are busy with the usual sorts of things. We are quaffing another cup of stimulation – our choice today is gingerbread – and are attempting to get organized, a Quixotic notion in our world. Nonetheless, we are giving it a go. Hopefully, you will be a beneficiary, since we have assembled a few items of interest to help you start your own day. On that note, we hope that all goes well and that you conquer the world. And of course, do keep in touch. …
In response to strained budgets, a growing number of state and local governments across the U.S. are suing insulin makers and pharmacy benefit managers over claims the companies conspired to illegally drive up prices, STAT tells us. In recent weeks, state officials in Utah and Arizona,, and municipalities in New York, Virginia, Maryland and Ohio have filed lawsuits alleging that the companies artificially drove up the cost of insulin, making the medication unaffordable for countless residents who have diabetes and causing the governments to overpay for the medication. And still more state and local governments are expected to file lawsuits.
President Biden invoked the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to boost investment in U.S. manufacturing of medicines and medical supplies that he has deemed important for national defense, Reuters notes. Biden authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to use powers under the act to enable investments in “essential medicines.” The areas of investment also include “medical countermeasures,” which include supplies that diagnose, prevent, or treat diseases related to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attacks. The federal government will also improve its ability to monitor supply chains by sharing data among agencies.