What We’re Reading: Faith Lost in Childhood Vaccines; Advocates Call for Lower Naloxone Price; Private Insurance Insulin Cap

Faith Lost in Childhood Vaccines, Says UNICEF

A new report from UNICEF suggests that people around the world lost confidence in the necessity of routine childhood vaccines against deadly diseases like measles and polio during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NBC News. Public perception of vaccines for children lowered between 2019 and 2021 in 52 of 55 surveys. The organization said that the data was a “worrying warning signal” of increasing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, shrinking trust in governments, and political polarization. This was after the largest sustained backslide in childhood immunization in a generation occurred during pandemic disruptions.

Advocates Worry Naloxone Price Will Reduce Access

Naloxone (Narcan), the nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, will retail for “less than $50” per each 2 pack of 4-milligram sprays, said the manufacturer on Thursday, inciting criticism that the price would make it inaccessible for many during a drug crisis killing over 100,000 people per year, reported The Washington Post. Drug manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions made the announcement weeks after the FDA approved the drug without a prescription to make it easy to buy and plentiful. However, advocates worry that price might be a barrier.

Senate Legislation Would Cap Insulin at $35/Month for Those With Private Insurance

Bipartisan Senate legislation presented this week would cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for those with private insurance, according to CNBC. The bill drafted by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, comes 2 months following President Joe Biden’s call on Congress during his SCOTUS address to broaden the insulin price cap to the millions of people with diabetes who have private insurance. The President’s Inflation Reduction Act capped the price of insulin at $35 for seniors on Medicare when it became law in 2022, but a push to include people with private insurance deteriorated in Congress last year due to Republican opposition.