Stop selling Belviq

The FDA asked Belviq’s maker, Eisai, to voluntarily recall the weight-loss drug because a clinical trial shows an increase in cancer rates. And when the feds ask you to “voluntarily” do something, you should probably do it. (Eisai did.)

Carter’s bill would ban PBM spread pricing

Georgia’s own Buddy Carter, along with Democrat Tony Cárdenas of California, have introduced the Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act (H.R. 5281). It would ban PBMs from using spread pricing in managed care.

Instead, it would require “pass-through pricing,” where PBMs must pay pharmacies the actual cost of the drugs they dispense, plus a dispensing fee, and are only allowed to charge the managed care company “a reasonable administrative fee that covers the reasonable cost of providing such services.”

CoviD-19 update

 Nothing to see here

There was a big spike in cases last week. Why? Simple: Chinese authorities made it quicker to diagnose.

 Battle over the name

Coronavirus Study Group: We have named the virus responsible for CoviD-19. It is “SARS-CoV-2.”

World Health Organization: Ugh. No way. That’s too easy to confuse with “SARS-CoV,” the virus that causes SARS.

Coronavirus Study Group: So what should we call the virus responsible for CoviD-19?

World Health Organization: “The virus responsible for CoviD-19.”

Kidney disease? Watch those dosages

Got patients with chronic kidney disease? There are a lot of meds that may need to be adjusted for them, from antibiotics to hypoglycemics and then some. Check out the deets from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Let them build their own prisons

Mice with antibiotic-resistant bacteria might be in luck: A totally new type of antibiotic.

Typical antibiotics kill infections by preventing them from building their cell walls. But these new chemicals are nastier: They let the bacteria build the walls, but they don’t let them tear them down so they can divide. We imagine biochemist Beth Culp with an evil gleam in her eye as she said this:

“In order for a cell to grow, it has to divide and expand. If you completely block the breakdown of the wall, it is like it is trapped in a prison, and can’t expand or grow.”

Elsewhere: “Insulin in Connecticut” edition

Connecticut is considering a bill that would cap the cost of insulin at $50 per month, and “limit the price of insulin-related supplies, such as syringes, pumps and blood sugar meters, to $100 a month.”

Colorado and Illinois are considering measures that would set a $100 cap, but the sponsor of Connecticut’s bill pointed out, “Capping the cost at $100 is great, but $100 is still a lot of money to people.”

Fun weekend science read:

“Scientists ♥ Their Emojis, But It’s Complicated“