Sydney Lupkin Sydney Lupkin is the pharmaceuticals correspondent for NPR.
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Sydney Lupkin

Sydney Lupkin

Pharmaceuticals Correspondent

Sydney Lupkin is the pharmaceuticals correspondent for NPR.

She was most recently a correspondent at Kaiser Health News, where she covered drug prices and specialized in data reporting for its enterprise team. She's reported on how tainted drugs can reach consumers, how companies take advantage of rare disease drug rules and how FDA-approved generics often don't make it to market. She's also tracked pharmaceutical dollars to patient advocacy groups and members of Congress. Her work has won the National Press Club's Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism Award, the National Institute for Health Care Management's Digital Media Award and a health reporting award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.

Lupkin graduated from Boston University. She's also worked for ABC News, VICE News, MedPage Today and The Bay Citizen. Her internship and part-time work includes stints at ProPublica, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The New England Center for Investigative Reporting and WCVB.

Story Archive

Wednesday

Cheaper copycat versions of blockbuster weight loss drugs are flooding the market. Guido Mieth/Getty Images hide caption

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Guido Mieth/Getty Images

Changes are coming for compounded GLP-1s

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Wednesday

A T-shirt from fashion brand Namilia shown during Berlin Fashion on July 3, 2024 sparked an outcry on the brand's Instagram, with readers noting that Ozempic is in short supply for people with a medical need for it. Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images hide caption

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Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images

Diabetes drug shortages

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Monday

10'000 Hours/Getty Images

Thursday

Health insurers' lists of covered drugs have gotten tighter. Darwin Brandis/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

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Darwin Brandis/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Insurance Pinch

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Wednesday

Insurance Pinch

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Thursday

The scientist whose research led to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, has died.

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Friday

Tuesday

In February, Medicare began negotiating behind closed doors for lower drug prices

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Thursday

Compounded Semaglutide

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Tuesday

Dr. Thorsten Siess shows the Impella. Annegret Hilse/Reuters hide caption

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Annegret Hilse/Reuters

He invented a successful medical device as a student. Here's his advice for new grads

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Wednesday

Medicaid plans aren't required to cover Wegovy for weight loss and obesity, but some do and others are considering adding it for those uses. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

Decades-old law limits access to Wegovy for Medicaid beneficiaries

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Tuesday

States consider whether to add coverage for some obesity medicines

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Monday

Drug companies often do one-on-one outreach to doctors. A new study finds these meetings with drug reps lead to more prescriptions for cancer patients, but not longer survival. Chris Hondros/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Oncologists' meetings with drug reps don't help cancer patients live longer

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Friday

Pharma reps have visited doctors for decades. What impact does it have on patients?

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Wednesday

Winston Hall, 9, needs growth hormone to manage symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic condition. A shortage of the medicine has contributed to behavioral issues that led him to be sent home from school. Bridget Bennett for NPR hide caption

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Bridget Bennett for NPR

Persistent shortage of growth hormone frustrates parents and clinicians

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Monday

The U.S. is the most lucrative market for drugmakers, but they often pay more in taxes overseas. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Drugmakers' low U.S. taxes belie their high sales

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Friday

U.S. drug makers see big profits — but many pay taxes far below the corporate rate

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Monday

An over-the-counter birth control pill will be available to Americans nationwide

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Monday

Two Bayer drugs are headed to Mark Cuban's online pharmacy

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Thursday

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, pressed executives from Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck and Johnson & Johnson about the prices they charge for drugs in the U.S. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Senators ask CEOs why their drugs cost so much more in the U.S.

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Wednesday

Expected to be a big deal, Alzheimer's drug is pulled after disappointing sales

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Wednesday

Drug price hikes appear to be moderate this year, with some drug prices falling. Elise Amendola/AP hide caption

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Elise Amendola/AP

What to know about January's annual drug price hikes

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