More than 100,000 Americans die every year from a drug overdose in the United States. In the 12-month period ended in September 2023, 111,380 Americans had died. As recently as 2015 the number of Americans overdosing was less than half of recent figures, although that’s no small number either. Overdose deaths had risen to about 70,000 just prior to the covid pandemic. Covid appears to be a catalyst that spurred more drug use, resulting in the number of deaths skyrocketing.
Category: Drug Prices & Regulations
Friday Links
- Coming to the market soon: noninvasive, AI-powered brain decoders that can translate into text the unspoken thoughts swirling through our minds.
- Another argument that FDA approval for new drugs should depend on safety alone, not efficacy.
- The US Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has a 10-year backlog of claims.
- “…the student loan program, as currently written, is looking to be one of the most costly, inefficient and unwise government programs of the 21st century.”
- More than half of all rural hospitals no longer deliver babies.
The Cost of Price Controls on Drugs
We conservatively find that the IRA’s policy to set prices at 9 years after market entry for select small molecule drugs will reduce their expected revenues in the U.S. market by 8.0%, which implies a reduction in R&D investment of almost 12.3%, or $232.1 billion over 20 years. Over the same time frame, we conclude that there will be 188 fewer small molecule treatments, including 79 fewer new small molecule drugs and 109 fewer post-approval indications for these drugs. We find that this forgone innovation is expected to lead to 116.0 million life years lost due to the missed opportunities to improve health.
Wednesday Links
- Study: Too much niacin may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It helps me combat vertigo.
- A person younger than 18 shot and killed another child somewhere in the United States once a day, every day — on average last year. (NYT)
- Study: Teens turn to drugs because of stress.
- Are cancer patients being overdosed with cancer drugs?
- Among millions immunized, largest Covid vaccine study yet finds links to health conditions.