South-Carolina

What to know about January's annual drug price hikes

Published

2 years ago

January 17, 2024

What to know about January's annual drug price hikes

Drug companies often increase prices at the start of the new year, and 2024 seems to be no exception.There have been about 600 price hikes so far in January, according to the drug price nonprofit 46Brooklyn Research.

But the increases haven’t been as steep as they were in some previous years. In the 2010s, drug price hikes were typically much bigger — up to 10% on average

“Since 2016, the pedal to the metal has been kind of pulled back a little bit, where we typically see the weighted average impact of a price increase and the median price increase hovering at around 5%,” says 46Brooklyn’s CEO, Anthony Ciaccia.

That’s roughly what he’s seeing this year.

Ciaccia expects another couple hundred more drug price increases before the end of the month — and that will account for most brand name price hikes this year.

Net prices are different

Even if a drug’s sticker price is going up, that doesn’t mean the drugmaker is taking all that money home. That’s because there’s another kind of price to think about called a net price. That’s what the drugmaker takes home after rebates it has to pay back to third parties and other discounts.

And on the whole, those rebates have been going up, so the net prices have been going down for about six years now.

Richard Evans, a pharmaceutical industry veteran who runs SSR Health, a drug pricing data and analytics firm, says net prices went down a little faster in 2023 than in previous years.

“As of September 30 last year, the average discount in the marketplace was about 52%,” he said. That means drugmakers take home a lot less than list price. “Some manufacturers are getting about $0.48 on the dollar.”

Record decreases driven by penalties

For the first time, there were also huge list price decreases this January, according to 46Brooklyn. These were for insulins and inhalers, and they were 70% or 80% reductions.

Drugmaker GSK says it plans to cut Advair’s list price by up to 70%, for example. Advair is an inhaler for asthma and asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The cuts are so significant that when you look at the prices of drugs overall, they actually cancel out the increases. That’s if you’re doing weighted averages of price changes based on how much a drug is used, Ciaccia of 46Brooklyn says.

The big factor is legislation passed in 2021 under President Biden called the American Rescue Plan Act. It was mostly a COVID-era stimulus bill, but it also included a part that affects Medicaid.

Prior to that law, drugmakers had to pay penalties for increasing prices faster than inflation, but there was a cap on those penalties.The American Rescue Plan lifted the cap in 2024. Now, drugmakers would have to pay such huge penalties for raising prices faster than inflation that they’d owe the government more than the value of the drugs.

Put another way, they would make negative money for selling their products!

“The end result is drug manufacturers crushing the prices of many of these old products or pulling those products from the marketplace altogether to avoid having to pay the steep penalties to Medicaid programs,” Ciaccia says.

What it means for consumers

Usually what someone pays at the pharmacy counter is related to the list price– the ones the drug companies set rather than the net prices they ultimately take home.

That means that if a list price goes up, the copay will probably be more.

But a price cut doesn’t necessarily mean savings at the pharmacy counter. The copay could wind up being more because it causes the drug to move to a different tier of your insurer’s drug formulary — that’s the menu of drugs your insurance provides. This has a lot to do with the behind-the-scenes payments that happen between the drugmaker and your insurance’s middleman called a pharmacy benefit manager.

Copay changes will vary depending on the drug and your insurance plan.

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South-Carolina

2026 Football Schedule Unveiled

Published

5 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

The University of South Carolina’s 2026 football schedule has been unveiled, it was announced tonight on the SEC Network.

The Gamecocks’ 2026 schedule features nine regular-season SEC contests, with five games at home and four on the road. The schedule also includes non-conference games versus Kent State and Towson as part of the seven-game home slate, and a non-conference road contest at Clemson.

After opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since 2014, the Gamecocks will alternate home and road contests throughout the remainder of the schedule. The 2026 schedule features just one open date which will come on week 7 (October 17).

As announced on Monday, the Gamecocks will open the season on Sept. 5 by hosting Kent State. Carolina drubbed the Golden Flashes in its only previous encounter, a 77-14 decision in 1995. Kent State finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 mark overall and a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.

Week 2 will see the Towson Tigers make their first trip to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers compete in the FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and posted a 6-6 record in 2025 under head coach Pete Shinnick.

The Gamecocks begin their nine-game SEC gauntlet on Sept. 19 when Mississippi State visits Columbia. Carolina has won eight of the last nine meeting with the Bulldogs including a 37-30 win in 2023, the only contest played between the two schools since 2016. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series by a 10-7 margin. Mississippi State is one of seven teams on Carolina’s 2026 schedule that is playing in a post-season game this year.

The Gamecocks first road trip of the 2026 season takes them to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 26 for a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of four teams on South Carolina’s 2026 slate that will appear in this year’s College Football Playoffs. It will mark the third-consecutive season that Carolina and Alabama have squared off, with the Tide narrowly winning the previous two – 27-25 in Tuscaloosa in 2024 and 29-22 in Columbia in 2025.

The Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats will meet in Columbia on Oct. 3. The teams met in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025, with Carolina prevailing by a 35-13 score, its fourth-straight win in a series they lead 22-14-1.

Carolina wraps up the first half of the season at Florida on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks and Gators met every year on the gridiron from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Florida holds a commanding 31-10-3 lead in the all-time series including a 17-2 advantage when playing in The Swamp. Carolina’s last win in Gainesville came in overtime the 2014 season.

After an open date on Oct. 17, the Gamecocks will return to action at home on Oct. 24 against the Tennessee Volunteers. Like Florida, the Gamecocks and Vols met every year from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series by a 29-13-2 count including a narrow 10-8-2 advantage when the game has been played in Columbia.

The Gamecocks will spend Halloween in Norman playing the Oklahoma Sooners. The teams had never met prior to OU joining the SEC but have played each of the past two seasons with each team winning on the others’ home field.

The Bonham Trophy will be at stake on Nov. 7 when Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks and Aggies have met every year since A&M joined the SEC in 2014. The Aggies hold a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks have won each of the last two meetings in Columbia.

The Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for just the second time since 2013 when they tangle with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 14. South Carolina has won three of the last four games with the Hogs, but Arkansas clings to a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series.

The second-longest running series in school history behind only Carolina-Clemson, the Carolina-Georgia rivalry gets renewed on Nov. 21 when the Bulldogs make their way to Columbia from Athens. Georgia has won 55 of the previous 76 meetings between the flagship schools from neighboring states, with the Gamecocks last win coming in 2019.

The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Nov. 28 when the Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers meet in the annual Palmetto Bowl. The 2026 meeting will take place in the Upstate, where the Gamecocks have won each of their last two visits.

SEASON TICKETS
Whether you’ve been attending games for years or want to experience the magic for the first time, it’s not too early to secure your season tickets for the 2026 season. Season tickets are available for as low as $65 per game with a 10-month payment plan option available. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the first time, can place a season ticket deposit today for only $50 plus fees or fill out our season ticket interest form to receive more information. Current season ticket holders will receive information soon on how to renew their tickets for the 2026 season and can contact their Gamecock Club Account Representative today to enroll in the 10-month payment plan. For more information on ticket options for the 2026 season, visit 2026 Football Hub.

2026 SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5                  vs Kent State
Sept. 12 vs Towson
Sept. 19 vs Mississippi State*
Sept. 26 at Alabama*
Oct. 3 vs Kentucky*
Oct. 10 at Florida*
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24                 vs Tennessee*
Oct. 31 at Oklahoma*
Nov. 7 vs Texas A&M*
Nov. 14                 at Arkansas*
Nov. 21                 vs Georgia*
Nov. 28 at Clemson

*-SEC game

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South-Carolina

Nebraska targeting former South Carolina coach Lonnie Teasley

Published

17 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Nebraska targeting former South Carolina coach Lonnie Teasley

Nebraska is targeting ex-South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley for an offensive staff role, according to the Omaha World-Herald’s Sam McKewon. The role itself is still to be determined.

Teasley spent three seasons as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach. He had been with the program since 2021, serving as an offensive analyst. He assumed on-field coaching duties for the program in 2022.

Teasley was let go by South Carolina in October, ending his time with the program.

In addition to his coaching role, he was a strong recruiter for the Gamecocks. He most recently landed Darius Gray, the top interior offensive line recruit in the 2026 class. He was also able to land four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair for the class as well.

Nebraska football has undergone several changes on offense over the last couple of days. They hired former Georgia Tech offensive line coach Geep Wade for the same position on Saturday, following the firing of Donovan Raiola.

The program is making sweeping changes on both sides of the football. Adding Teasley to the staff would be important for the program, which needs to be better prepared across all areas.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina measles outbreak is ‘accelerating,’ driving hundreds into quarantine

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina measles outbreak is ‘accelerating,’ driving hundreds into quarantine

The health department deployed mobile health clinics to the area to provide MMR shots, but few people in the community took advantage. “I can tell you that a relatively small number of doses was administered at each of the mobile health unit clinics that we offered,” Bell said.

No other vaccination clinics are planned, according to the department’s website.

People who are not vaccinated are almost always infected after they’re exposed to the virus; measles is the most contagious known virus in the world and can hang in the air for hours.

The current spread in South Carolina is occurring at several schools and a church in Spartanburg County, Bell said, with 254 people under a three-week quarantine. It takes 21 days for symptoms to occur after an exposure.

But with the ongoing spread in schools, some students who remain unvaccinated are now in a second 21-day quarantine since the beginning of the school year, Bell said. She did not have an exact number of kids in their second quarantine, but said it’s not a “significant proportion.”

While the quarantine includes weekends and holidays, 42 days is a significant amount of time away from the classroom.

The spread of measles is not isolated to South Carolina. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 1,912 measles cases so far in 2025.

The majority of cases have occurred in unvaccinated children and teenagers.

Outbreaks in the Western U.S. are ongoing: 176 in Arizona and 115 in Utah, according to state health officials. One of the Utah cases occurred at a child care facility with a high school in Salt Lake County.

The infected person was at the facility all day, every day last week (Dec. 1 through Dec. 5), the Utah Department of Health & Human Services said.

And health officials in Montezuma County, Colorado, located on the border of Utah and Arizona, reported an unvaccinated child had been diagnosed with measles. The child had no known connection to any other cases and hadn’t traveled outside of the state.

“The lack of a clear source of infection suggests that unidentified measles cases may be occurring in or traveling” through the area, investigators said.

Symptoms of measles can include:

Headache, fever that may spike to over 104 degrees
Cough, runny nose
Red, watery eyes
Tiny white spots inside the mouth
A rash that begins on the scalp and travels down to the neck, trunk, arms and legs.

Approximately 11% to 12% of measles cases require hospitalization. Three people, including two young girls, have died in the U.S. this year.

MMR vaccines, given in two doses around a child’s first and fifth birthdays, provide 97% protection against the virus.

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