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Battle between Vertex, insurers leads to crushing CF drug costs

statnews.com · 3,075 words · saved by 1 readers

The cost of the cystic fibrosis medicine that his 2-year-old daughter, Ali, had recently started taking was about to climb from just $180 out of pocket each year to a whopping $43,600 in 2023. The dramatic change was due to a decision by the drug’s manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, to slash the amount of financial assistance that it offers to patients this year. advertisement So last November, Brickey scrambled to find a solution, quickly shifting his daughter to a different, more affordable health plan that will mean the drug, called Orkambi, will cost $7,500 this year. Although the price tag is much less than if he had stayed with his previous insurer, he remains upset at the unexpected shock and aggravation — and the far higher expense. “We felt pretty helpless. We talked about what we could do financially, like if we needed to sell our house … but that would only help for so long,” said Brickey, a hospital nurse in Santaquin, Utah, where he lives with his wife, who is a kinderg

D an Brickey was stunned when he learned the news. The cost of the cystic fibrosis medicine that his 2-year-old daughter, Ali, had recently started taking was about to climb from just $180 out of pocket each year to a whopping $43,600 in 2023. The dramatic change was due to a decision by the drug’s manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, to slash the amount of financial assistance that it offers to patients this year. Advertisement So last November, Brickey scrambled to find a solution, quickly shifting his daughter to a different, more affordable health plan that will mean the drug, called Orka

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