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Patients whose drug benefits are covered by CVS’s Caremark business couldn’t get their prescriptions processed for many hours starting Monday morning, leaving some stranded without medications. The CVS Health unit, which is the biggest U.S. drug-benefit manager and handles the prescriptions of millions of Americans, said in a letter sent to pharmacists Monday that it was experiencing an “unexpected system slowdown.” (Mathews, 7/11)

Supplies are running out for a key antidote for life-threatening lead poisoning. The drug, named dimercaprol, has been a go-to treatment for years for the worst cases of lead poisoning. But doctors have had to scrounge for dwindling doses since the medicine’s sole manufacturer for the U.S. declared bankruptcy in February. Now that some parts of the country don’t have any supplies left, doctors have been forced to turn to other, less preferred treatments. (Whyte, 7/11)

There are alarmingly frequent reports of shortages of vitally needed medicines. From tablets to treat ADHD and severe pain to injectable treatments for syphilis and various cancers, the U.S. has been facing a number of serious shortages recently. And this was before a U.S. Senate report found the number of active shortages reached a peak at 295 at the end of 2022. The reasons can vary, from quality control failures at manufacturing plants to surging demand, including significant interest that has at times squelched availability of drugs taken for weight loss. (Silverman, 7/12)

Only about one-third of patients prescribed a popular weight-loss drug like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy were still taking it a year later, while total healthcare costs for the group rose sharply, according to an analysis of U.S. pharmacy claims shared with Reuters. The annual cost of overall care for patients prior to taking Wegovy or a similar drug was $12,371, on average, according to the analysis. The full-year cost after starting the medication jumped by 59% to $19,657, on average. (Terhune, 7/11)

A week after the Food and Drug Administration granted full, traditional approval to a new Alzheimer’s treatment, insurers are finalizing their plans to cover it as well as associated scans and diagnostic tests. Medicare will cover most patients eligible for Leqembi, a new treatment developed by Eisai and Biogen to help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, which has modest benefits, has potentially serious side effects for some patients including brain swelling and bleeding. (Cohrs, 7/12)

Elizabeth Holmes is now projected to leave prison two years earlier than the 11-year sentence assigned her, federal prison records show. The disgraced Theranos founder is set to be freed Dec. 29, 2032, according to her profile on the Bureau of Prisons website. Abraham Simmons, a Justice Department spokesman, said Holmes’s sentence has not changed. He said a prisoner’s release date “almost certainly” will reflect good conduct and recidivism-reduction programs that inmates can use to reduce their time in prison. (Gregg and Mark, 7/11)