Why a tone-deaf regeneron executive deserved to be booed over alzheimer's drug remarks

Why a tone-deaf regeneron executive deserved to be booed over alzheimer's drug remarks

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File this under “What was he thinking?” The otherwise staid Milken Institute summit on health care grew unexpectedly heated on Thursday when George Yancopoulos, the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals


president and chief scientific officer, drew boos from the crowd as he became cantankerous and talked over the panel moderator, who had expressed concern about access to high-priced


Alzheimer’s medicines. The memorable moment began when Bertha Coombs, a CNBC reporter who was leading the panel, asked about a “crisis” that may occur when the U.S. health care system


attempts to pay for such a drug. She pointed to controversy that erupted several years ago when a new pill that cured hepatitis C emerged, but its high-price tag strained public and private


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