The Fat Shots Will Bankrupt Us -- But We Like Them! May 31, 2024

Do Not Resuscitate (This System) for the week of May 31, 2024 focuses on pharmaceuticals, their crazy prices, the fad for the fat shots, the vast sums of public and private cash involved, and how we're going to be persuaded that they're good us and worth every penny. I throw in other news about methadone clinic cartel behavior, the nefarious PBMs, and why cancer drugs are often given in deadly high doses when they might be just as effective with less. 

If you want my weekly digest in your inbox, write me at tfrasca@yahoo.com

The full archive of my digests is housed at www.nypan.org/single-payer-news 

Here are links to all the articles mentioned: 

Johann Hari, “A year on Ozempic taught me we’re thinking about obesity all wrong,” New York Times, May 7, 2024 https://nyti.ms/3V5ryqm

Dave McKinney, “Weight-loss drug coverage for Illinois state workers could cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” WBEZ, Apr 30, 2024 https://bit.ly/4bqn3wm

Joseph Choi, “1 in 8 adults has taken Ozempic or other GLP-1 drug,” The Hill, May 10, 2024 https://bit.ly/4bVSmiG

Annika Kim Constantino & Ashley Capoot, “How digital health companies are capitalizing on the GLP-1 boom,” CNBC, May 25, 2024 https://cnb.cx/3wRAYN7

Rachel Cohrs Zhang, “Has Bernie Sanders reached the limit of his Pharma bullying effort?” STAT, May 20, 2024 https://bit.ly/3QZL1pZ

Nathaniel Weixel, “Wegovy could bankrupt US health system, Sanders says in new report,” The Hill, May 15, 2024 https://bit.ly/3wTQMiq 

Renuka Rayasam, “High price of popular diabetes drugs deprives low-income people of effective treatment,” KFF Health News, May 21, 2024 https://bit.ly/3x5BiYu

Khristopher J. Brooks, “Nestlé to launch food products that cater to Wegovy and Ozempic users,” CBS News, May 21, 2024 https://cbsn.ws/4e1bjCo

Gigen Mammoser, “‘Forever’ chemicals and other endocrine-disruptors may increase child obesity risk,” Healthline, May 24, 2024 https://bit.ly/3R4IjQg

Suzanne Blake, “Medicare could save $500 million with coverage change,” Newsweek, May 15, 2024 https://bit.ly/4aG24EE

Tina Reed, “Weight-loss drugs help lift pharma’s reputation,” Axios, May 23, 2024 https://bit.ly/452B9BO

Matthew Perrone, “US challenges ‘bogus’ patents on Ozempic and other drugs in effort to spur competition,” Associated Press, Apr 30, 2024 https://bit.ly/4aCVkav

Lisa Schencker, “Illinois bill would ban step therapy,” Chicago Tribune, Apr 25, 2024 https://bit.ly/3QmPSkU

Kerry Cullinan, “Colombia issues compulsory license to enable HIV drug, dolutegravir,” Health Policy Watch, April 25, 2024 https://bit.ly/3V6HtVy

Arthur Allen, “Amgen plots ahead with costly, highly toxic cancer dosing despite FDA challenge,” KFF Health News/Washington Post, May 7, 2024 https://bit.ly/4bpnUO3

John Ingold, “A Colorado board wants to lower prescription drug costs. Why are so many patients opposed?” Colorado Sun, Apr 30, 2024 https://bit.ly/3KlwfpU

Helen Santoro, “Pharma’s Dems are doing Trump’s dirty work on drug prices,” The Lever, May 10, 2024 https://bit.ly/3V5Klkn

Anna Claire Vollers, “More addiction patients can take methadone at home, but some states lag behind,” Stateline, May 8, 2024 https://bit.ly/4aJBb2x

Lev Facher, “At Las Vegas conference, methadone clinics blast idea of doctors prescribing directly,” STAT, May 28, 2024 https://bit.ly/3wYVzz1