Mar 4, 2021 3:40pm
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has filed suit against Vyera Pharmaceuticals. (Getty/Charles Wollertz)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has filed suit against Vyera Pharmaceuticals, alleging that the drugmaker engaged in illegal pricing practices for its drug Daraprim.
In the suit, filed Thursday, the insurer says Vyera intentionally monopolized the market so it could increase prices on Daraprim a drug used to treat infections in immunocompromised patients such as those with HIV by more than 4,000%.
The suit names Vyera, which was formerly Turing Pharmaceuticals, alongside its parent company Phoenixus AG.
It also names former executives Kevin Mulleady and Martin Shkreli, who was dubbed the pharma bro by some in the media after rising in notoriety for acquiring Daraprim and increasing the price in 2015.
Insurers launch pilot program that aims to vaccinate 2 million seniors as quickly as possible
Insurers launch pilot program that aims to vaccinate 2 million seniors as quickly as possible By Bernadette Heier | March 4, 2021 at 7:39 PM CST - Updated March 4 at 7:54 PM
MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Even for those eligible to get vaccinated the process of finding and booking appointments remains difficult for at-risk seniors.
That’s why more than a dozen health insurance providers have joined the Vaccine Community Connectors pilot in a national effort to get 2 million seniors vaccinated as quickly as possible.
America’s Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association announced the new initiative.