Virginia
Virginia lawmakers target the high cost of prescription drugs
RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) – The high cost of medication has gotten the attention of Virginia lawmakers.
And a bill that would create a prescription drug affordability board is moving forward in Richmond.
Senate Bill 274, introduced by Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) reached the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Monday.
“I take Skyrizi for psoriasis and my copays for injections can reach as much as $8,000, Fairfax County resident Irvin Varkonyi told the committee.
And a representative of AARP Virginia explained how thousands of other Virginians view the problem.
Jared Calfee is the organization’s Associate State Director.
“The skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs is the issue that we hear about the most,” Calfee said. “We took a survey last summer and found that two-thirds of Virginia voters over the age of 18 are taking prescription medications. All voters over the age of 18, two-thirds are taking prescription medications, so this issue impacts everyone.”
The board would have the power to study the affordability of drugs, and set an upper limit on the price of those it chooses to review.
Opponents of the legislation said it would have a negative impact on economic development and biotech research. And they questioned its effectiveness in other states.
Chris Whyte spoke as a representative of the Pharmaceutical Industry.
“No state that has passed this legislation and set up a prescription drug affordability board has saved a patient a dime,” he said.
“I think you have to examine this in every state where it’s been tried before you can say it’s been a failure across the board,” Deeds countered. “And I think in certain states, Colorado and Minnesota for example, they’ve had some success. There’s no reason to think we couldn’t do what others can’t do as well.”
The Commerce and Labor Committee referred the bill to the Senate Finance Committee.
Similar legislation is also advancing in the House of Delegates.
Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
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Virginia
Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack
FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed by a trooper after a crash ended in a stabbing attack on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon.
Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, died at the hospital on Sunday after he was shot.
RELATED | 2 dead, dog killed after stabbing spree, trooper shooting on I-495 in Fairfax County
Investigators said Llamado was confronted by the trooper who opened fire around 1:17 p.m. The trooper was responding to a report of a road rage incident and found Llamado with a knife, according to a news release.
Four stabbing victims, all women, were also found at the scene, along with a dog that was also stabbed.
Michelle Adams, 39, died from her injuries. The dog also did not survive. The three other women were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to VSP. 7News is not identifying the surviving victims.
Investigators said the stabbings stemmed from a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495.
The trooper who opened fire was not hurt and is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of force.
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Investigators said they do not believe the attack is connected to terrorism.
Virginia
Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News
A road rage incident led to a shooting involving the Virginia State Police on Sunday on Interstate 495. Four individuals were also stabbed.
Two people are dead Sunday in Annandale, Virginia, after a road rage incident led to a shooting involving Virginia State Police on Interstate 495.
A release issued by the Virginia State Police said a trooper fatally shot a man after responding to a report of a road rage incident on the southbound lanes of I-495 just before 1:30 p.m. at exit 52, near the Little River Turnpike.
The man, transferred to a hospital with serious injuries, has been pronounced dead. VSP said the trooper shot in self-defense after the man confronted him with a knife.
The trooper did not suffer any injuries during the altercation.
Officials found four stabbing victims at the scene, but only identified a 39-year-old woman and a dog. Both the woman and the dog died.
Early findings suggest the stabbings took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway. The crash remains under investigation.
The VSP’s release comes after the main lanes of the Capital Beltway Outer Loop, before Little River Turnpike, were closed to traffic for several hours, only recently opening the express lanes. Main lanes between Arlington Boulevard and the Little River Turnpike remain closed.
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