April 16, 2021 6:10 AM By Brandon Lee
Lawmakers seeking to lower drug costs should take a comprehensive approach rather than focus solely on manufacturersâ pricing practicesâa strategy thatâs only created disparities in the marketplace, policy analysts say.
Drug pricing will come back to the forefront of policy discussions in the coming months as Covid-19 vaccines become more readily available and lawmakers turn to other issues. But many of the roughly two dozen bills floating around Congress primarily address the prices drug companies set and ignore other aspects of the supply chain, including the pharmacy middlemen that control how insurance pays for medications.
Updates on CCP Virus: Virgin Voyages Mandates Vaccines for All Crew and Passengers
Virgin Voyages, the cruise line founded by billionaire business magnate Richard Branson, will require all crew and passengers to get a CCP virus vaccine, the company said.
The move makes Virgin Voyages one of the first cruise lines to mandate the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine.
“We know that the future is vaccinations and testing,” McAlpin said, and that’s why Virgin Voyages is “committed to fully vaccinated cruises,” he added.
McAlpin said the adult-only aspect of the cruise line “allows for us to offer a highly controlled, safe environment for everyone on board” and that the company is “uniquely set up to do this with testing and vaccine travel requirements.”