�Թϲ�����

Throwing out your old, unused prescription drugs may seem like routine house cleaning –  and leaving them "for an emergency" or until you run out of space may seem like no big deal –  but in reality, getting rid of those medications can play a key role in combating the substance misuse crisis and could help save lives. The substance misuse crisis is ravaging communities in New Hampshire and across the country – and in many communities, drug overdose deaths increased during the pandemic. Substance misuse is complicated, and there is no one path to addiction. Often though, substance misuse starts with taking a prescription drug – sometimes ones that have been prescribed, and sometimes from old, unused pills left in medicine cabinets. (Sen. Maggie Hassan, 10/23)

Do you remember all the uproar about skyrocketing insulin prices and the horrific impact these prices had on those living with diabetes? Well, for Michael Hague, a 62-year-old man from East Tennessee, that problem still exists. He is still forced to ration his insulin because of its exorbitant cost. There hasn’t been much improvement in increasing insulin affordability and accessibility. Today, I am asking you to stand behind the ideals you were elected upon: healthcare being a fundamental human right. (Tiffany Richardson, 10/27)

Articles on where to retire usually focus on things like weather, housing costs and taxes. But these aren’t the only things that wannabe retirees should consider. Another is the cost of prescription drugs. I’ve mentioned before that seniors will need a small fortune to pay for medical costs that Medicare won’t: $300,000 for a couple retiring at age 65 is the latest estimate of this from Fidelity Investments, the Boston-based asset management giant. A big reason for this, says a separate study, is meds. (Paul Brandus, 10/25)

Critics argue that the United States is the only developed country where the federal government doesn’t negotiate prescription drug prices and that a 40 percent cut to the pharmaceutical industry’s size will have limited or no impact on future cures or pandemic preparedness. If it all sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Under the guise of Medicare “negotiations,” the US House of Representatives is considering a measure that would mandate the government to set prices on some of the most widely used drugs. These price controls would shrink the sector by 40 percent or $100 billion per year in revenue. Our entire industry invests about $100 billion per year in research and development. (David A. Ricks, 10/25)

The argument that allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription-drug prices will inhibit pharmaceutical manufacturers’ ability to invest in research and development of new lifesaving drugs isn’t based in reality (“Medicare Drug Debate Weighs Price, Innovation,” U.S. News, Oct. 12).A study published in Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed health-research publication, found that the revenue from the top 20 best-selling prescription drugs in the U.S. more than covers all the R&D costs of the 15 pharmaceutical companies that manufacture those drugs. Meanwhile, nine of the 10 largest drug companies spend more on marketing their products than on research. They also pay their executives exorbitant salaries. (10/26)

Congress is shaping up to be one of the scarier places to be this Halloween. The reconciliation bill remains an unsolved riddle and Congressional Democrats and President Biden are pushing for some particularly ill-advised policies. Chief among them are changes to the way we calculate drug prices. Fortunately, wise members like San Diego’s Rep. Scott Peters are pushing back. (Sue Peschin, 10/26)

America is at a crossroads when it comes to paying for prescription drugs. Down one path, pharmaceutical companies will continue hiking drug prices much faster than wages grow for typical Americans. They’ll continue launching headline-grabbing drugs at outrageous list prices, even when there are questions about whether those drugs truly work. In this scenario, the result of drug companies’ unchecked power could be that many more Americans will borrow for life-saving treatments the way they borrow for homes and educations. Taking out a mortgage for survival is a grim prospect. (Ron Wyden, 10/25)