CVS Health will overhaul how it pays for drugs, saying it will use a more "transparent" model that could reduce secrecy around drug prices.
Why it matters: Retail drug pricing has typically been based on a set of factors, obscuring the true cost of acquiring and dispensing drugs and making it difficult for consumers to figure out if they're getting the best deal.
Food and Drug Administration inspections of drug manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and abroad dropped well below pre-pandemic levels between 2020 and 2022, according to a new study in Health Affairs.
Why it matters: The findings are further evidence of a fragile global drug supply chain at a time when some critical medicines are in short supply. Some of the squeeze was due to inspections that took overseas facilities offline because of safety concerns.
More drug companies are racing to join what's been a two-horse race to make blockbuster obesity drugs, snapping up smaller biotechs and vying for a market that could be worth tens of billions in less than a decade.
Why it matters: GLP-1 agonists like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic have soared in popularity despite high price tags, mixed insurance coverage and a number of unpleasant side effects.
Loneliness and stress are high — but many of us struggle to find the right solutions.
By the numbers: 4 in 10 Americans said their mental health was only fair or poor, according to a 2022 report from the American Psychiatric Association.
More than 1 in 3 Americans are lonely, per a Harvard study. That rises to 61% when looking at younger people, and 51% among mothers with young children.
Republicans on a House oversight panel will investigate the Food and Drug Administration's handling of a common decongestant ingredient that the agency recently concluded was ineffective, the committee told Axios first.
Why it matters: The inquiry, the latest in an aggressive investigative agenda by House Republicans, seeks to understand why the FDA didn't take earlier action against a wide range of over-the-counter cough and cold drugs that accounted for nearly $1.8 billion in sales last year.
A controversial bankruptcy reorganization plan for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reaches the Supreme Court Monday in a case with major implications for victims of the opioid crisis, as well as states, localities and Indigenous tribes still dealing with the fallout.
Driving the news: Justices will weigh whether members of the Sackler family, who owned the company, should be shielded from current and future lawsuits connected with Purdue in exchange for paying about $5.5 billion to address the addiction crisis.
