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It could trade for 400 times more than the price of crude oil and 2,000 times more than iron ore. If sold off the shelf, it could cost more than 150 times the price of a gallon of cow’s milk and 15 times more than coffee. Going for as much as $4 per ounce, human breast milk is a hot commodity that is emerging as a surprisingly cutthroat industry, one that states are now seeking to regulate amid a battle for control between nonprofit and for-profit banks that supply hospital neonatal units. ... Each side claims the moral high ground, with nonprofits generally saying milk distribution should be altruistic and for-profit companies arguing mothers deserve to be compensated. (Catalini, 7/7)

Charles Conn stopped in to see his pharmacist to fill a prescription for a cough that had persisted for a month. Once he saw how much the medication cost, he could have used a side order of blood pressure pills. The price, under his insurance plan, was $91 for 30 nonnarcotic Benzonatate gel caps. ... Luckily, the pharmacist ... had flagged the prescription and was able to sell the medication for $26.10 in cash. Mr. Conn, 66, happily paid the lower price but the episode left him wondering: Why would a prescription cost nearly four times more through his insurance plan than paying cash? The answer may lie in the vagaries of pharmaceutical pricing, which include the wholesale prices that hardly anyone pays and the largely unseen influence of third-party pharmacy benefit managers. (Twedt, 7/6)