Cystic fibrosis patients caught between pharma, insurers

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A growing number of cystic fibrosis patients and their families are getting caught in the middle of a grinding, behind-the-scenes struggle that is taking place between pharmaceutical companies and health insurers across the U.S. in response to the rising cost of prescription medicines, STAT explains. At issue are copay accumulators, which insurers use to blunt copay assistance offered by drug companies. In response, Vertex Pharmaceuticals reduced its annual copay assistance for its cystic fibrosis treatments — from approximately $100,000 a year to $20,000 — apparently the first time that a pharmaceutical company has taken such a drastic step.

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