What We’re Reading: Restricted Abortion Pill; Cigna Drug Price Transparency; New Parkinson Research

Abortion Pill to Stay Available, With Restrictions

On Wednesday evening, a federal appeals court ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone could stay available, but judges prevented the drug from being sent to patients through the mail and reverted back other steps the government had taken to facilitate access in recent years, reported The New York Times. The appellate panel said the FDA’s approval of the drug could stand because too much time had passed for the plaintiffs, a consortium of groups and doctors opposed to abortion, to dispute that decision. Additionally, the court appeared to take into consideration the government’s view that withdrawing a long-approved drug from the market would have “significant public consequences.”

Cigna to Provide Drug Price Transparency After Scrutiny

Cigna Group is providing clients with more transparency of how much they pay for drugs through its prescription plans, as the industry responds to increasing Washington scrutiny and competition from smaller rivals boasting greater clarity, according to BNN Bloomberg. The company’s pharmacy-benefit management unit will market a “fully transparent” option charging a flat monthly fee for each member, with increased visibility into manufacturers’ prices and discounts. The department, Express Scripts, will also present a plan that caps patients’ out-of-pocket costs from $5 to $45 per prescription, depending on the drug.

Recent Parkinson Research Could Guide New Diagnostics, Treatments

New research funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has caused the clearest evidence so far that the existence of a particular misfolded protein, alpha-synuclein, can be used to ascertain if people have Parkinson, reported STAT News. This new research could be used to create better diagnostics, but more importantly could quickly accelerate a search for treatments. Currently, alpha-synuclein can only be detected by a spinal tap, but scientists hope that it can one day be detected in blood, skin, or nasal swab.