| Inhaled insulin's cost may take breath away.....
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.
Exubera dosages will vary by patient, Pfizer says, but each prescription will include 30 days of insulin. Analysts say Exubera's price will compete more along the lines of oral diabetes brands.
If Pfizer has to defend the high price of Exubera, analysts expect the drugmaker to compare the inhaled drug to oral diabetes therapies that can cost $150 or more a month.
__________________ T1- 25 yrs MM-715 (6/05)[b]A1C :
6/08- 5.8
3/08- 6.2  | 
