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03_27_24headlines Franziska Stangl
Drug maker Amgen files lawsuit against Colorado
The maker of the arthritis drug Enbrel is challenging the Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board over its ruling that the drug is unaffordable for patients in the state.
The drug maker Amgen filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court last week, according to The Denver Post. It alleges that the board was wrong to call Enbrel unaffordable. They further charge that the law creating the Prescription Drug Affordability Board is unconstitutional and should be overturned.
The Board found last month that Enbrel costs more than $46,000 per patient, and that there won’t be a generic version for at least another five years. If their decision stands, it could be first drug in Colorado subjected to a price cap.
Enbrel is used to treat four types of arthritis and two other conditions.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Insurance, which supervises the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Number of Boulder residents working from home has nearly doubled
The share of Boulder residents working from home nearly doubled over the past five years, according to a new city report.
23% of Boulder residents surveyed said they worked from home every workday in 2023, according to the city’s Modal Shift Report. That’s almost twice the number as in 2018 when the last survey was conducted.
According to The Boulder Reporting Lab, the increase reflects the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One impact of this shift is on restaurants, as fewer people eat out during work hours. That also can mean less sales tax revenue for the city.
Denver plans to sweep migrant encampment at Elitch Gardens
The city of Denver says they will clear a large encampment at Elitch Gardens on Thursday.
An estimated 50 immigrants are living in the site just outside the downtown Denver theme park, according to The Denver Gazette. The city says all residents of this encampment will be offered space at a temporary shelter on Zuni. Advocates for the new residents say that even with the temporary shelters, many immigrants find themselves back on the streets after their shelter vouchers expire.
An estimated 40,000 immigrants have arrived in Denver over the past year.
Wildlife officials find sick bats in Boulder County
State wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of diseased bats in Boulder County.
The first of two infected little brown bats was found on a bike path in Longmont late last month. According to The Daily Camera, a wildlife rehabber collected the bat, and it was given to the state Parks and Wildlife Health Lab. Analysis confirmed the presence of White Nose Syndrome.
A second little brown bat was found two weeks later in Boulder. It also has the disease.
White Nose Syndrome is caused by an invasive fungus, and it’s killed millions of bats in North America since 2006. It does not pose a threat to humans or household pets.
Wildlife officials said they are monitoring the spread of White Nose Syndrome. They said that because little brown bats contribute to pest control by eating insects, a large-scale loss of them could impact Colorado’s ecosystem and the economy.
