On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved Repatha, the second drug in a large class of powerful cholesterol lowering medicines. Repatha is made by Amgen, and is indicated to only be used by those with heart disease and cannot lower their cholesterol levels with statins and other therapies. This new drug will cost those who use it a whopping $14,100 a year! The creators say that they will happily work with the payers to provide innovative pricing programs that will make it easier to get Repatha. Who can afford to pay for this? Is this going to become the norm as we continue down the route of socialized pharmacology driven public healthcare? In Other news, researchers in a new study have found a strange correlation between young people who identify as goths and a distinct increased risk of depression and self-harm. The term goth is often used to refer to teenagers who have a reputation of rebelling against the norm, in clothing or ideas for example, or avoided conforming to social ideals. If voluntary isolation can cause depression like feelings, why don't go ahead and put down our smart phones and engage those around us! In hour 2 RSB and Super Don will cover the development from Michigan yesterday, where the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Mike Zimmer rejected the recommendation of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Review Panel to add autism to the list of qualifying conditions for which cannabis can be prescribed in the state. It didn't take long for the skeptic authoritarian crowd to weigh in with glee, regarding this supposed victory for science against natural medicine. Http://www.robertscottbell.com/?p=31635