Family sues pharmacy, drug ‘middleman’ after price hike leads to son’s fatal asthma attack

Cole Schmidtknecht, a 22-year-old from Wisconsin, died after being unable to refill his asthma inhaler due to a price increase from less than $70 to over $500. His parents attribute his death to a flawed system involving Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), which control drug pricing and insurance formularies for profit. They are pursuing legal action against Optum Rx and Walgreens, advocating for policy changes to ensure patients receive adequate notice of formulary changes, aiming for broader justice in the healthcare system.