1. Price hikes of branded erectile-dysfunction drugs have led fewer older people to buy them. Pfizer’s Viagra and Eli Lilly’s Cialis cost about $50 per pill, which is three times more than the 2010 list prices of the drugs. (AP)
2. AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso reduced the risk of lung-cancer progression by 70% compared to patients taking chemotherapy. The trial tested Tagrisso as a second-line treatment and found patients lived a median 10.1 months before their cancer progressed, compared with 4.4 months for those undergoing chemo. (Reuters)
3. Novo Nordisk will not raise the list price of any medicine by more than 10% each year. Allergan made a similar announcement in September. (Stat)
4. Global spending on prescription drugs is estimated to hit $1.5 trillion by 2021. The U.S. is expected to generate $675 billion of that total, according to QuintilesIMS. (Reuters)
5. Fewer 65-years-old and older Americans are getting vaccinated for the flu, shingles, infections that can lead to pneumonia and meningitis, and whooping cough. This may be due to the fact that older adults are more likely to have other medical issues that take up time during their visits to the doctor. (NYT)
