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GAO: Some meds had 'extraordinary' price hikes over past eight years

A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued Monday finds that "[p]rices on a growing number of prescription medications have ballooned in recent years as consolidation in the drug industry leaves fewer companies manufacturing niche medications," The Associated Press reports.

12 Jan 2010

HMP Communications' Managed Care – First Report journal to be rebranded as First Report – Managed Care

HMP Communications, a leader in healthcare communications and education, announced today that its highly-rated Managed Care – First Report journal will be rebranded as First Report – Managed Care, covering clinical, economic, and legislative developments affecting managed markets, beginning with its January 2010 issue.

12 Jan 2010

Atypical antipsychotic use for treating elderly patients with dementia decreases

The use of atypical antipsychotics to treat elderly patients with dementia appears to have decreased following a 2005 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory regarding the risks of these medications in this population, according to a report in the January 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12 Jan 2010

Neoprobe submits IND amendment to FDA for RIGScan CR radiopharmaceutical

Neoprobe Corporation, a diversified developer of innovative oncology surgical and diagnostic products, announced today that it has submitted an investigational new drug (IND) amendment to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which includes the design of a proposed Phase 3 clinical trial of Neoprobe’s RIGScan® CR radiopharmaceutical.

12 Jan 2010

A.P. Pharma regains compliance for continued listing on Nasdaq Capital Market

A.P. Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that, on January 7, 2010, it received notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) confirming that the Company has regained compliance with the $1.00 minimum closing bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Listing Rule 5450(a)(1).

11 Jan 2010

A.P. Pharma receives final milestone payment of $2.5M from Paul Capital Healthcare

A.P. Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced it has received the final milestone payment of $2.5 million from an affiliate of Paul Capital Healthcare.

11 Jan 2010

Medicare Part D beneficiaries can now avail free review sessions at Walgreens pharmacy

Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain with more than 70,000 health service providers, is now offering free review sessions to Medicare Part D beneficiaries at all of its more than 7,100 pharmacies throughout the country.

9 Jan 2010

TRIA Beauty receives OTC clearance from FDA for hand-held blue light device

TRIA Beauty, the leader in light-based therapeutic beauty devices, today announced it received over-the-counter (OTC) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a hand-held blue light device designed for at-home use.

9 Jan 2010

HumanaOne expands individual Short Term health insurance product

In these difficult economic times, it is not unusual for people to find themselves temporarily without insurance, through no fault of their own. To fill this need, HumanaOne®, the individual health arm of Humana, is expanding its individual Short Term health insurance product to five additional states.

9 Jan 2010

Study finds patients more likely to skip diabetes medicine while in the 'doughnut hole'

Consumers experiencing a gap in their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage were more likely to forgo diabetes medications than those who had supplemental drug benefits.

9 Jan 2010

One million seniors get more generous prescription drug benefits

As of Jan. 1, more than 1 million low-income seniors "are newly eligible for more generous prescription drug benefits under the 'extra help' program" in Medicare, The Associated Press reports.

9 Jan 2010

Analysis: Medicare Part D has lessons for health reform

The Wall Street Journal: "Four years ago, the U.S. government offered subsidized prescription-drug insurance to 43 million elderly and disabled, the biggest expansion of government-backed health care in decades. Today, the program is working better than many expected."

7 Jan 2010

First Edition: January 7, 2010

Today's health policy news coverage focuses on the continuing efforts to blend together the House- and Senate-passed health reform bills and the key issues in play.

7 Jan 2010

Rx Locker device to secure prescription medications

Due to the rising statistics about teens and prescription drug abuse, Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of Celebrity Rehab and Loveline, recently debuted the Rx Locker, a device designed to secure prescription medications within the home to restrict unauthorized access and prevent abuse.

7 Jan 2010

Apoteket and Medco Health Solutions develop centralized prescription safety program

Apoteket, Sweden's largest pharmacy chain, and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced that it has developed one of the first national centralized drug utilization review (DUR) programs outside of the United States to improve prescription safety by reducing adverse drug events and thereby reducing the risk of costly hospitalizations.

7 Jan 2010

Diabetes patients with Part D coverage gap are less likely to stick to their medications

Medicare recipients with diabetes who have a gap in their Part D prescription drug benefits—known as the "doughnut hole" — have higher out-of-pocket drug costs and are less likely to stick to their medications than those who have supplemental drug benefits, a new study confirms.

7 Jan 2010

NCPA offers lawmakers updated health care reform recommendations

With Senate and House leaders trying to craft a health care reform bill to send to the White House, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today offered lawmakers updated recommendations for the would-be final legislation.

7 Jan 2010

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal reports that House Democrats who favor a government-run public insurance plan on Tuesday signaled "they are willing to agree to a final health overhaul bill without a government-run health insurance option if other parts of the bill would fulfill the same goals."

7 Jan 2010

SpectraCell Laboratories agrees to become Aetna's contracted in-network provider

SpectraCell Laboratories announced today that it has agreed with Aetna Health, one of the nation's largest health insurers, to become a contracted in-network provider. The contract provides coverage by Aetna of SpectraCell's micronutrient testing, as well as other advanced tests offered by the company.

7 Jan 2010

HealthSpring establishes its presence on popular social media site Facebook

Medicare plan HealthSpring today became the first major Medicare Advantage plan to establish a presence on popular social media site Facebook.

6 Jan 2010

Prescription Drug News and Research

GAO: Some meds had 'extraordinary' price hikes over past eight years

HMP Communications' Managed Care – First Report journal to be rebranded as First Report – Managed Care

Atypical antipsychotic use for treating elderly patients with dementia decreases

Neoprobe submits IND amendment to FDA for RIGScan CR radiopharmaceutical

A.P. Pharma regains compliance for continued listing on Nasdaq Capital Market

A.P. Pharma receives final milestone payment of $2.5M from Paul Capital Healthcare

Medicare Part D beneficiaries can now avail free review sessions at Walgreens pharmacy

TRIA Beauty receives OTC clearance from FDA for hand-held blue light device

HumanaOne expands individual Short Term health insurance product

Study finds patients more likely to skip diabetes medicine while in the 'doughnut hole'

One million seniors get more generous prescription drug benefits

Analysis: Medicare Part D has lessons for health reform

First Edition: January 7, 2010

Rx Locker device to secure prescription medications

Apoteket and Medco Health Solutions develop centralized prescription safety program

Diabetes patients with Part D coverage gap are less likely to stick to their medications

NCPA offers lawmakers updated health care reform recommendations

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

SpectraCell Laboratories agrees to become Aetna's contracted in-network provider

HealthSpring establishes its presence on popular social media site Facebook

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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