Fun with math

Purdue Pharma is trying to claim that it’s only responsible for 3.3 percent of the opioid market from 2006 to 2012. What’s wrong with that? That figure only represents the number of pills, and not the dosages (so a 5 milligram Percocet = an 80 milligram OxyContin).

When you take into account the dosages, Purdue is actually responsible for about 16 percent of the market.

Vaping-related illness — the latest

At least five people have died from something in their e-cigarettes, but health investigators still aren’t sure exactly what’s causing it. The New York Times has a good write-up with what you need to know.

Meanwhile, the FDA is continuing its crackdown on Juul.

Two insulin discounts from Nordisk

Novo Nordisk says that, starting next year, it will offer discounts on its Levemir, NovoLog, and Tresiba insulin products. This follows similar discounts from Lilly and Sanofi.

The company will offer a cash discount program for those products, allowing non-Medicaid/Medicare patients to pay only $99 for a month’s supply starting January 2, 2020.

For its Novolog products, those shifty Danes will remove the brand name from the boxes and sell them for half price (e.g., $279.41 for five “generic” NovoLog FlexPens, instead of $558.83 for the box with the brand name).

“We want to do something that lowers drug prices for Americans —

Antibiotics might weaken flu vaccine

By interfering (i.e., killing) chunks of the gut microbiome, antibiotics might be reducing the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.

Why don’t you just stay home with us, dear?

A study out of UGA finds that teens who don’t date “are less depressed and have better social skills.”

Non-dating students had similar or better interpersonal skills than their more frequently dating peers. While the scores of self-reported positive relationships with friends, at home, and at school did not differ between dating and non-dating peers, teachers rated the non-dating students significantly higher for social skills and leadership skills than their dating peers.

Elsewhere: British Chemists edition

Britain’s National Health Service is considering making high-dose statins available over the counter to any survivors of Brexit. We’re not talking on the shelves; the NHS would allow pharmacists — who recently got the OK to give “heart checks” — to dispense them without a prescription.

“Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals who are greatly valued by patients. Since the NHS will be funding local chemists [American: “pharmacists”] to undertake health checks, it makes sense to consider whether there are a broader range of medicines that patients could access conveniently and locally on the high street [American: “on Main Street”] .

The long read: 50 ways to cut your drug costs

“States Pass Record Number Of Laws To Reel In Drug Prices” from transparency rules to laws banning gag clauses to Medicaid “drug affordability boards” and more.