Axios

Almost 26% of people with Type 1 diabetes in the U.S. rationed their insulin in the past year, a rate that is 4 times higher than other people who have the disease and live in other affluent countries, according to a survey from the nonprofit diabetes advocacy group T1 International.

Why it matters: Stories about U.S. patients dying from rationing insulin have put the drug at the center of the debate on how the country will lower prices for essential medicines.

Due to the lack of new antibiotics in the pipeline, current drugs must be better monitored and prescribed before the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) reaches a "Titanic" stage, World Health Organization scientists warned Tuesday as they launch a campaign to promote the use of a monitoring tool, AWaRe.

Why it matters: The growing level of superbugs is a potentially "catastrophic" global threat that could have a yearly death toll of 10 million people by 2050. WHO says using AWaRe would be one tool in promoting its goal that 60% of all antibiotics used come from the "access" category of antibiotics, or what's typically thought of as the first or second line of defense.

Pfizer's $11.4 billion takeover of Array BioPharma highlights how eager industry titans are to commercialize cancer medications, making cancer the most in-demand pharmaceutical asset outside of gene therapy.

The state of play: Big Pharma wants to expand cancer lineups because cancer drugs command huge price tags that health insurers and society usually pay for uncritically. 

As of June 13, the U.S. has recorded 1,044 cases in 28 states this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday — the highest number since 1992, when 2,196 cases were reported for the year.

Why it matters: Measles was declared "eradicated" in the U.S. in 2000, years after the development and implementation of the MMR vaccine, which is 97% effective with 2 doses. But the extremely contagious virus has crept back into American society, mainly via pockets of communities who refuse to use the vaccinations, experts have told Axios

Before widespread vaccination, roughly 3 to 4 million Americans got measles each year, leading to an estimated 400–500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations, per the CDC.

• The highest number of annual cases in the U.S. recorded by the CDC since 1942 was in 1958 when 763,094 people reported infections.

Go deeper:

• The return of measles
• Experts sound alarm on measles
• Global risk worsens as anti-vaccination campaigns spread

Collective Health is raising $205 million in a new funding round led by a new investor, SoftBank's Vision Fund.

Why it matters: Employers are looking to make health benefits simpler and cheaper for their workers. That's the thesis behind Collective Health's technology, and the startup now has one of the largest investment firms in the world in its corner.

The price of Zynteglo, a new gene therapy made by Bluebird Bio to treat a rare genetic blood disorder, will be almost €1.6 million ($1.8 million) in Europe, the company said Friday.

What's happening: Bluebird expects to get FDA approval for Zynteglo next year and to price it similarly in the U.S., Reuters reports.

Lawyers involved in the enormous, nationwide lawsuit against opioid manufacturers have proposed a "novel" settlement arrangement, the New York Times reports.

The state of play: Every local and county government in the country would be part of it — not just the 1,650 governments that are currently suing.

None of Congress' proposals to rein in surprise medical bills address ambulances — which are expensive and often aren't covered by insurance.

Why it matters: More than half of ambulance rides, and two-thirds of air ambulance transports, aren't covered by private insurance. Patients are often billed more than $10,000 for what insurance won't cover.