Midday On Ethics With Dr. Jeffrey Kahn: The High Cost Of Life-Saving Medicine

Today, Midday on Ethics. Prescriptions can be expensive, we know that. But what happens when a life-saving drug costs millions of dollars every year to keep one patient alive?Most patients can’t afford that, and neither can many employer and union-based insurance plans. Drug companies say the old economies of scale don’t apply with some of these new drugs that are meant to battle rare diseases; But when cost becomes a barrier to saving a life, who should decide who gets it? Dr. Jeffrey Kahn is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bio Ethics. He joins Tom Hall today to discuss the ethical issues around ultra-expensive drugs.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.