2023年经济学人 胰岛素的价格战（2）

 

 

    These deals are eye-catching, but when patients turn up at pharmacies¹, they may find they cannot grab a bargain.

    这些交易很吸引眼球，但当病人来到药店时，他们可能会发现自己买不到便宜货。

    Shaina Kasper of T1International, an advocacy group for diabetes² patients, is a type-1 diabetic.

    糖尿病患者权益组织T1国际的莎尔娜·卡斯珀是一名1型糖尿病患者。

    She says she tried to buy Eli Lilly’s non-branded Insulin Lispro, the specific drug available from May 1st for $25.

    她说，她尝试购买礼来公司的非品牌赖脯胰岛素，这种特殊药物从5月1日起以25美元的价格上市。

    Her pharmacy³ in Vermont quoted her $90.

    佛蒙特州的药房给她开价90美元。

    Perhaps Eli Lilly’s programme needs time to work out the kinks, or the pharmacy charged more on top.

    也许礼来公司的项目需要时间来解决问题，或者药店收取的费用更高。

    But this is not the first time such a scheme has caused problems.

    但这并不是此类计划第一次引发问题了。

    For years pharma firms have offered a patchwork⁴ of plans to help customers afford insulin and other drugs.

    多年来，制药公司提供了各种各样的计划来帮助客户负担胰岛素和其他药物。

    Some are for almost anyone, others for the poor or uninsured.

    有些计划几乎适用于所有人，有些则适用于穷人或没有保险的人。

    But they tend to be difficult for people to access, says Stacie Dusetzina, a drug-pricing expert at Vanderbilt University.

    但范德比尔特大学的药品定价专家史黛西·杜塞茨娜表示，人们往往很难获得这些药物。

    First patients must be aware that the scheme exists and that they are eligible⁵, which is often unclear.

    首先，患者必须知道该计划的存在，并且知道他们有资格，而他们通常不清楚。

    Then they must jump through hoops⁶.

    然后他们必须克服重重困难。

    Some need applications, doctor’s notes, proof of residence, tax documents and more.

    有些需要各种申请、医生说明、居住证明、税务文件等等。

    Pharmacies must also know about the programme and participate in it.

    药店也必须了解该计划并参与其中。

    It can be hard to know whom to blame—the drug companies for the faulty deals or the pharmacies for failing to implement⁷ them properly.

    很难知道该怪谁——是制药公司搞砸了交易，还是药店没能正确执行交易。

    These programmes can also end at any time.

    这些项目也可以在任何时候结束。

    “What the Lord giveth, the Lord can taketh away,” says David Mitchell of Patients For Affordable⁸ Drugs, an advocacy organisation⁹ for patients.

    “上帝给的，上帝也能拿走”，病人权益组织“为了便宜药”的大卫·米切尔这样说。

    That is why Mr Mitchell and others are pushing for laws to lower drug prices rather than relying on a mishmash of special schemes.

    这就是为什么米切尔先生和其他人正在推动降低药品价格的法律，而不是依赖于特殊计划大杂烩。

    Some states have given up on waiting.

    一些州已经放弃了等待。

    Colorado was the first to pass a cap on insulin, at $100 a month, in 2019.

    科罗拉多州是第一个在2019年通过胰岛素价格限额的州，每月收取100美元。

    Since then nearly half of states have introduced caps, but these cover only state-regulated health plans.

    从那以后，将近一半的州实行了上限，但这些只涵盖了各州监管的健康计划。

    In March Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, announced that he had signed a contract with a manufacturer to make and distribute insulin to Californians for $30.

    今年3月，加州州长加文·纽森宣布，他已经与一家制造商签订了一份合同，以30美元的价格向加州人分发生产出来的胰岛素。

    Maine, Michigan and Washington may follow.

    缅因州、密歇根州和华盛顿州可能会紧随其后。

    There are also bills in Congress to tackle insulin prices and increase access to generics¹⁰.

    国会也有解决胰岛素价格和增加非专利药物获取途径的法案。

    Perhaps insulin’s cost will eventually come down further and become more predictable.

    也许胰岛素的成本最终会进一步下降，变得可以预测。

 

1 pharmacies   

药店

参考例句：

• Still, 32 percent of the pharmacies filled the prescriptions. 但仍然有32%的药剂师配发了这两张药方。 来自互联网
• Chinese herbal pharmacies, and traditional massage therapists in the Vancouver telephone book. 中药店，和传统的按摩师在温哥华的电话簿里。 来自互联网

2 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

4 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

9 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

10 generics   

n.（产品，尤指药物 ）无厂家商标的，无商标的( generic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pfizer has set up an in-house division to handle such generics. Pfizer已经建立了一个内部机构来处理这些学名药。 来自互联网
• Payers are being more pushy about getting patients to take generics. 药物费用的支付者更倾向于让病人使用非专利药。 来自互联网