Irrational Exubera – finally some focus on its ridiculous cost:
Exubera’s price could be a hurdle for subscribers of some health plans, analysts say. As a rule, health plans provide incentives for their subscribers to choose cheaper remedies over newer, more expensive therapies.
If managed-care plans decide to cover Exubera, analysts predict it will be placed in an expensive tier of a health plan’s preferred drug list, known as a formulary. A patient might face a monthly drug co-payment as high as $40 to $50 for Exubera compared with $10 to $25 for injected insulin, insurers and analysts say.
