Insulin

The Arkansas attorney general on May 11 accused drugmakers and pharmacy benefit managers of colluding to drive up the price of insulin drugs, the latest in a series of lawsuits to take aim at skyrocketing costs for the life-sustaining medicine.

CVS

A lawyer for two Ohio counties said CVS Health Corp., Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Walmart Inc. should fund an $878 million plan to address the opioid crisis there, as a first-of-its-kind trial got underway to determine the pharmacy chains’ contribution.

Walgreens Boots Alliance reached a $683 million settlement with Florida to resolve claims that the pharmacy chain exacerbated an opioid epidemic in the state.

A recent CVS Health/Morning Consult survey of Americans age 18+ found that mental health concerns are continuing to rise among individuals of all backgrounds, especially Black, age 65+, young adult, and LGBTQIA+ respondents.

CVS

Florida reached more than $878 million in settlements with CVS Health Corp. and three drug companies to resolve claims and avert a trial in April over their roles in fueling an opioid epidemic in the third most populous U.S. state.

Obamacare

More than 14.5 million Americans signed up for Obamacare health insurance for 2022, a 21 percent jump over 2021 and the highest since the Affordable Care Act was signed 12 years ago, the U.S. government said on March 23.

CVS Health Corp. expects to administer 70% to 80% fewer COVID-19 vaccines in 2022 compared with 2021, adding that in-store diagnostic testing could fall 40% to 50%.

Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced they have supplied about 3.1 million courses of their antiviral drug against COVID-19, molnupiravir, to the U.S. government. In other news, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that vaccination against COVID-19 not only protects pregnant women against the disease but their babies as well.

Medable Inc., the leading software provider for patient-centered clinical trials, launched the Medable Partner Network – uniting a diverse ecosystem of technology, service, data, site, and direct-to-patient partners that work together to accelerate deployment of decentralized clinical trials.

To address a lack of diversity, California-based Medable and CVS have forged a collaboration to improve patient access to clinical trial research.