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At first glance, Mylan looks like the perfect poster child for a media maelstrom. The pharmaceutical company raised the price of its signature EpiPen, largely used by children with anaphylaxis, to over $600 recently from $100 in 2007. However, when looking at the issue more closely, a warped insurance system and government intervention in the health industry are the main villains of the EpiPen saga. (Max Jacobs, 11/7)

The Food and Drug Administration is considering dramatic changes to its drug marketing rules that threaten to make the problem of already out-of-control drug spending even worse. The agency is responding to the drug industry's demands for greater freedom to promote the off-label use of prescription drugs and to the courts' drift toward giving corporations unlimited freedom-of-speech rights. “Off-label” refers to uses that have never received approval or scrutiny from the FDA's regulatory scientists. Doctors are allowed to prescribe off-label. (Merrill Goozner, 11/5)

Of all the health policy issues that have been discussed in recent months, few have triggered as much interest as the pricing of prescription drugs. To complicate the discussion, there are a number of misconceptions surrounding the issue of how cures are priced; and, unfortunately, too little attention paid to the role that a competitive marketplace plays in driving down the cost of these cures over time. (Lanhee J. Chen, 11/4)

Martin Shkreli. Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Mylan. These names have become big news, but just a year ago, most Americans devoted little time and attention to the question of pharmaceutical pricing. Now, a Kaiser Health Tracking Poll released Oct. 27 suggests many people care more about the increasing prices of drugs than they do about any other aspect of health care reform. (Rachel Sachs, 11/2)