Lilly slashes insulin prices | RSV vaccines advance | FDA flags possible risks

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE Fri, Mar 03, 2023 EDITOR'S NOTE Think a friend or colleague should be getting this newsletter? Share this link with them to sign up.   Eli Lilly is dramatically slashing list prices for some of its most commonly prescribed insulins, as federal pressure grows to reduce the cost of the injections.   The company's announcement comes after President Joe Biden called in his State of the Union address for a $35 cap on monthly out-of-pocket costs for all diabetes patients. Lilly said it's introducing that cap for people with private insurance as well.    Some questioned what took Lilly so long and whether the other major manufacturers will follow suit. Meg has the rest of the story for us below.    Pfizer's and GSK's RSV vaccines for older adults took a step closer to approval this week, after securing endorsements from the FDA advisory committee.   Though a majority of the advisors backed the shots, there was substantial discussion and concern over rare nervous system disorders that several vaccine recipients developed during the trials, including Guillain-Barre syndrome.    There's an FDA decision date in May for both vaccines. It's unclear whether the safety concerns could delay the process or result in a warning label. The companies have said they will conduct post-marketing safety studies.  Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com. Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Lilly's insulin price cut wins praise, skepticism, and questions about why it took so long It's unusual for a drug company to slash the list price of a medicine – the price the company sets before it pays discounts and rebates back into the system.   That's part of what made Eli Lilly's move this week, to slash list prices of some of its insulins by as much as 70%, so monumental.   Tellingly though, the stock ended the day higher – after praise from President Joe Biden, and a hope from the investment community that this will, at the least, take some political pressure off Lilly and, at most, perhaps win it some market share. (Notably, when an imposter Twitter account prank-tweeted that Lilly was making insulin free, the stock dropped 5%.   The move also led to calls from Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders for the other big insulin makers – Novo Nordisk and Sanofi – to follow suit. Inquiries to them suggest that's not an imminent plan. - Meg Tirrell Pfizer RSV vaccine backed by FDA advisors in narrow vote after Gullain-Barre cases The Food and Drug Administration's independent advisors on Tuesday recommended what would be the world's first RSV vaccine, a shot from Pfizer for adults ages 60 and older, despite safety concerns after two trial participants developed a rare neurological disorder.    The vote followed concerns at the FDA and among advisory committee members about two cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in about 20,000 vaccine recipients. Guillain-Barre is a rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves.   The FDA has asked Pfizer to develop a safety study that will monitor Guillain-Barre risks after an approval, which the company has agreed to do. - Spencer Kimball FDA advisors recommend GSK's RSV vaccine for older adults, but flag potential safety risks The FDA's advisors also backed  GlaxoSmithKline's RSV vaccine for older adults this week. Though the panel's endorsement of the GSK shot was stronger than its vote on Pfizer, the advisors still expressed concern over rare nervous system disorders.   The panel voted 10-2 in favor of the vaccine's safety and unanimously backed its efficacy. There was a case of Guillain-Barre during the trials. And two people who received the RSV and flu vaccines developed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, one of whom died.    GSK said it's closely monitoring safety during the trial and will continue to do so after a potential approval. - Spencer Kimball Netflix of Healthcare for Health Aides AARP projects demand for home health aides will grow 30% in this decade.   Helen Adeosun launched Care Academy to help better train them, after working her way through college as a home health aide and feeling at times like she didn't have the right skills. She likens her online learning platform to a Netflix for healthcare.   Agencies and nursing homes are using her videos and tutorials to onboard and train elder care workers, and gain certification in specialized care for conditions like dementia which can help them earn higher pay. - Bertha Coombs   This biotech startup has a chance to grab a piece of the lucrative obesity drug market, analysts say   It's been hard to miss the buzz around a new class of obesity medications, but one big drawback to these therapies is that they require a weekly injection.   Enter biotech startup Structure Therapeutics, which is hoping to change that regimen with oral GLP-1 formulations for obesity and Type 2 diabetes treatment. - Christina Cheddar-Berk JOIN US REGISTER CONTRIBUTORS Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel   Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events   © 2022 CNBC LLC. 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