Prescription Drug News and Research

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Explaining changes to Part D plans, fixing doctors' Medicare reimbursements, fighting hikes in long-term care insurance

News outlets cover various issues related to Medicare, including reports about prescription drug coverage and the continuing debate surrounding physician pay. Meanwhile, long-term care insurance is also an important issue for seniors.

23 Nov 2010

Humana to acquire Concentra for $790 million

Humana Inc. today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Concentra Inc., a privately held health care company based in Addison, Texas, for approximately $790 million in cash. Through its affiliated clinicians, Concentra delivers occupational medicine, urgent care, physical therapy and wellness services to workers and the general public from more than 300 medical centers in 42 states.

22 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 22, 2010

Today's headlines offer a range of health policy stories, including more reports on deficit reduction issues, the continuing politics swirling around the health law repeal effort and employers' soaring health care costs.

22 Nov 2010

CMS notifies Health Net about intermediate sanction on compliance with Part D requirements

Health Net, Inc. announced today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notified the company of its intent to impose intermediate sanctions suspending the marketing and enrollment of new members of all Health Net Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) and stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) contracts, effective November 20, 2010.

20 Nov 2010

CVS Caremark Customer Care team ranked second in the world for Best Customer Service

CVS Caremark's Pharmacy Benefit Management Customer Care team was ranked second in the world for Best Customer Service with an Internal Contact Center by Contact Center World at the organization's Global Top Ranking Performers Awards Conference in Las Vegas. The awards recognize the best in the contact center industry worldwide.

20 Nov 2010

States focus on Medicaid budget challenges

Nearly missed in the noise from newly elected politicians vowing to upend the Obama administrations health care reform law was a federal decision allowing California to start implementing it and improve its fiscal situation in the process. On Election Day, California got word it would receive $10 billion in federal Medicaid money to extend coverage to some 500,000 people who are currently uninsured. ...

20 Nov 2010

Berwick's first hearing marked by strong defense of health law, GOP 'relative gentleness'

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Dr. Donald Berwick survived his first Senate hearing yesterday by rebutting criticism of the health law and because Republicans were relatively gentle, The New York Times reports.

19 Nov 2010

Cancer patients can still access NICE rejected drugs

Anti cancer drugs that have been rejected by the UK Government’s new cancer drugs fund would still be available to needy patients according to the new ‘top-up’ cash plan that is being launched. This Health Top-Up cash plan comes from Western Provident Association (WPA).

17 Nov 2010

TexanPlus HMO provides affordable access to cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs

TexanPlus HMO powered by CCRx, a Medicare Advantage plan offered through the Universal American's family of healthcare companies, will provide broad and affordable access to LIPITOR and CRESTOR, two popular cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs.

17 Nov 2010

FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee recommends approval of BENLYSTA for SLE

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC today announced that the Arthritis Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has voted 13 to 2 to recommend that the FDA approve BENLYSTA (belimumab) for the treatment of autoantibody-positive patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

17 Nov 2010

Changes to flexible spending accounts; High co-pays prompt abandoned prescriptions

Minnesota Public Radio: "[T]he federal health care reform law is cutting back on what [flexible spending] accounts will cover and how much workers can put into them. … These two changes are designed to raise more tax revenue to help pay for insuring another 32 million Americans beginning in 2014.

16 Nov 2010

Clinical Data receives U.S. patent for vilazodone

Clinical Data, Inc. today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,834,020 claiming the polymorphic form of vilazodone (vilazodone HCl, Form IV), a compound currently in development for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.

16 Nov 2010

Medicare open enrollment period starts today

Coming changes to Medicare will benefit some recipients but will make coverage more expensive for people with higher incomes. Thanks in part to this year's health care overhaul, everything from benefits and enrollment rules to the number of choices available will be affected beginning Jan. 1.

16 Nov 2010

Medicare's annual open-enrollment period starts in Idaho

Today marks an important day for roughly 15% of Idaho's population, it's the start of Medicare's annual open-enrollment period, the only time of the year beneficiaries can drop or change prescription drug and health care plans for 2011.

16 Nov 2010

Best ways for proper disposal of unused medicines

Patients in cities all over the country will learn tomorrow about one of the best ways to avoid today's rampant prescription drug abuse – proper disposal of unused medicines.

15 Nov 2010

Santarus announces commercial U.S. launch of CYCLOSET for type 2 diabetes mellitus

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the commercial U.S. launch of CYCLOSET (bromocriptine mesylate) tablets. CYCLOSET is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus both as monotherapy and in combination with other oral antidiabetic agents.

15 Nov 2010

State roundup: Calif. speeds ahead on health reform; Nebraska abortion provider expanding clinics; Ky. hospital merger

California has moved quickly to implement key provisions of the federal health care overhaul law, including a health benefits exchange, but the exchange and California's plans could be vulnerable as House Republicans threaten to starve the federal health program of funding.

15 Nov 2010

Docs continue to worry about Medicare payment cuts while CMS updates ratings for Medicare Advantage plans

WBUR in Boston reports on Medicare payments to doctors and the sustainable growth rate, and "the latest installment of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act and attempts to rein in spending on health care for the elderly." Congress set up the rate formula for doctors pay. But medical costs increased at a greater rate than expected and "Congress started telling doctors they had to take a cut to make the formula work.

12 Nov 2010

Calif. nurses emerge as political force; Iowa official under fire for strict policy on nursing home inspections; new 'homey' facilities for seniors increasing

One of California's most powerful political players these days is a Bay Area-based nurses' union, which helped torpedo Republican Meg Whitman's efforts to become governor and boosted the prospects of the eventual winning candidate, Democrat Jerry Brown.

12 Nov 2010

MonoSol Rx granted U.S. patent for PharmFilm and production technologies

MonoSol Rx, the developers of PharmFilm® technology and a drug delivery company specializing in proprietary pharmaceutical film products, today announced that it has been granted U.S. patent No. 7,824,588 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent, issued on November 2, 2010, provides intellectual property protection for the Company's film products and methods of their preparation.

10 Nov 2010

Prescription Drug News and Research

Explaining changes to Part D plans, fixing doctors' Medicare reimbursements, fighting hikes in long-term care insurance

Humana to acquire Concentra for $790 million

First Edition: November 22, 2010

CMS notifies Health Net about intermediate sanction on compliance with Part D requirements

CVS Caremark Customer Care team ranked second in the world for Best Customer Service

States focus on Medicaid budget challenges

Berwick's first hearing marked by strong defense of health law, GOP 'relative gentleness'

Cancer patients can still access NICE rejected drugs

TexanPlus HMO provides affordable access to cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs

FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee recommends approval of BENLYSTA for SLE

Changes to flexible spending accounts; High co-pays prompt abandoned prescriptions

Clinical Data receives U.S. patent for vilazodone

Medicare open enrollment period starts today

Medicare's annual open-enrollment period starts in Idaho

Best ways for proper disposal of unused medicines

Santarus announces commercial U.S. launch of CYCLOSET for type 2 diabetes mellitus

State roundup: Calif. speeds ahead on health reform; Nebraska abortion provider expanding clinics; Ky. hospital merger

Docs continue to worry about Medicare payment cuts while CMS updates ratings for Medicare Advantage plans

Calif. nurses emerge as political force; Iowa official under fire for strict policy on nursing home inspections; new 'homey' facilities for seniors increasing

MonoSol Rx granted U.S. patent for PharmFilm and production technologies

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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