Last week,  Emergent BioSolutions announced plans to charge "less than $50" for a two-pack of Narcan, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Illinois, and Maryland.

• District of Columbia: The  National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), the advisory group that helped inform the federal response to the opioid crisis, accepted around $19 million in donations from members of the Sackler family. Notably, the Sackler family owns  Purdue Pharma, which manufactures OxyContin — a drug that fueled the opioid epidemic. So far, the opioid crisis has resulted in hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths and multiple lawsuits. In recent years, many institutions have publicly distanced themselves from Sackler funding or acknowledged potential conflicts of interest from their connections to Purdue Pharma. However, NASEM has refrained from discussing its connection to the Sackler family while continuing to advise the government on the opioid crisis. "I didn't know they were taking private money," said Michael Von Korff, a prominent pain care researcher. "It sounds like insanity to take money from principals of drug companies and then do reports related to opioids. I am really shocked." (Jewett, New York Times, 4/23)
• Illinois: The  American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday released a report warning that the cost of malpractice insurance has increased sharply in some states. According to the report, the surging premiums pose a threat to healthcare access in the areas seeing the largest increases. Between 2020 and 2022, roughly 30% of medical liability policies experienced premium increases, according to the report. In 2022, the report found that 36% of policies had premiums that increased by an average rate of 8.1% — the highest increase since 2005. Meanwhile, just 8% of policies saw decreases in premiums, compared with 10 years ago when 28.7% of policies reported a decrease. "If current trends continue, even if slower and less severe than the last hard market, this medical liability pressure could have detrimental effects on health care markets, such as an increase in defensive medicine, lower physician supply, and thus reduced access to care," said José Guardado, senior economist for the AMA. (Hartnett, Modern Healthcare, 4/19)
• Maryland: Emergent BioSolutions on Thursday announced plans to charge "less than $50" for a two-pack of the nonprescription nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses — a move that follows  FDA's  decision  to allow Narcan to be sold over the counter. While the move is intended to increase access to the medication, some experts are concerned that the price will hinder access for many. "It's still too expensive for pretty much everyone I've ever provided it to — mainly teens and people experiencing homelessness," said Chelsea Shover, a professor of epidemiology at  UCLA. According to Michael Barnett, an associate professor of health policy and management at the  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, many people with opioid addiction live below the federal poverty line. "It is unlikely that most folks will drop $40 to $50 on Narcan," he said. "They are also prioritizing rent, food, and also paying for opioids, which we want them to decrease." (Muller, Bloomberg, 4/20; Reuters, 4/20; Foley, Politico Pro, 4/20; Ovalle, Washington Post, 4/20; Lovelace, NBC News, 4/20)