3 June 2018 - For years, Lenny Hanson has watched in alarm as the price of a drug she takes has ticked steadily upward, doubling in the past five years to more than $200 a month today.

The product, Vagifem, is one form of a drug, estradiol, that is used to improve women’s sex lives by treating a painful, often unspoken condition experienced by older women: a dry vagina, which can cause uncomfortable intercourse and complications like urinary tract infections.

Estradiol has been around for decades, but the price of the various creams, vaginal rings and tablets that contain the drug has climbed steadily in recent years, according to an analysis by the consumer website GoodRx. And insurance coverage is spotty — many plans refuse to cover some products or require that patients pay high out-of-pocket costs.

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