FDA Advisory Panel’s Support for Expanding Peptide Access & Big Insurance Premium Increases in MA

FDA Advisory Panel Supports Widening Access to Several Peptides

Last week an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration voted in favor of allowing compounding pharmacies to produce six peptides previously banned over safety concerns. Despite being banned, some of the peptides, such as BPC-157 and TB-500, have become popular with consumers who buy them from alternative health practitioners, longevity clinics and other sources. The FDA is evaluating the compounds specifically for the treatment of certain conditions, like insomnia, osteoporosis and ulcerative colitis, but they could be used for other purposes if they are cleared. (NEW YORK TIMES)

Big Health Insurance Premium Increases Approved in MA

Massachusetts’ Division of Insurance approved rates for the merged market—where many individuals and small businesses in the state obtain coverage—that will raise premiums next year by an average of 10.4%. The approved rate increases were, on average, 2.5 percentage points lower than what insurers had proposed, and regulators rejected a proposed 25.7% increase from Fallon Community Health Plan. But a 13.2% increase was approved for the state’s biggest insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the approved rates were “very disappointing,” noting that total annual premiums for the average family plan will exceed $50,000. (STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE, BOSTON GLOBE, MASS RETIREES)

—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK

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