Older Adults Struggle to Get Pfizer’s $225,000-a-Year Heart Drug

Pfizer Inc.’s new $225,000-a-year heart drug is being labeled by researchers critical of the cost as “the most expensive cardiac medication in history.”

When the company initially priced the drug, called tafamidis, critics warned the high cost would present a prohibitive financial barrier to some patients. A new analysis that hones in on 50 people prescribed the medication offers data suggesting that may be true for many patients.

More than half of the patients got financial aid, either from Pfizer or an independent foundation. Those helped by Pfizer had no out-of-pocket costs, while others paid about $1,700 on average ...