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Medicare beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment, says Allsup

Medicare annual enrollment ended Dec. 31, but some beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare services.

6 Jan 2010

Weill Cornell Medical College offers innovative program to teach medical students about health care system

While medical students are required to know the names of every body part and disease, most graduate with only a cursory understanding of how the health care system actually works, and some of the ways it doesn't.

6 Jan 2010

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Expenditures on prescription drugs increased just 3.2 percent in 2008 – the smallest annual rate of increase in 47 years – according to new data released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

6 Jan 2010

Governor's threats to fight health reforms would do more harm than good for Idahoans, says ARRP

As Congress readies to merge the Senate and House health care reform bills, some states, including Idaho, are stepping up to serve as the latest roadblock. Before even seeing the details of the final legislation, Idaho's Governor "Butch" Otter recently announced he would fight reform efforts and possibly sue the United States over the constitutionality of the issue.

6 Jan 2010

MonoSol Rx signs new licensing and development agreement with Strativa Pharmaceuticals

MonoSol Rx, the developers of PharmFilm® technology and a drug delivery company specializing in proprietary pharmaceutical film products, announced today that it has entered into a new licensing and development agreement that grants the option to develop three new products with Strativa Pharmaceuticals, the proprietary products division of a wholly owned subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. ( PRX).

6 Jan 2010

MHA acquires Net-Rx

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), the largest Alternate Site Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) in the country, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Net-Rx. Net-Rx is a leading provider of pharmacy reimbursement management services and offers a full suite of technology products to help pharmacies lower costs and increase profitability.

6 Jan 2010

Health Strategy Associates and WorkCompCentral.com present webinar on managing prescription drug costs

Joseph Paduda, principal of Health Strategy Associates and author of www.ManagedCareMatters.com, has joined forces with WorkCompCentral.com to present Comp Rx Trends on Jan. 12 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST. The 60-minute webinar with a $149 registration fee gives insight into pharmacy cost drivers and comp payers’ approaches to managing drug spend.

5 Jan 2010

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Millions of Americans with significant or chronic pain associated with their medical problems are being under-treated as physicians increasingly fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment - either due to inadequate training, personal biases or fear of prescription drug abuse.

5 Jan 2010

Anti-inflammatory prescription drug reduces the risk of common skin cancer in humans

A widely-available anti-inflammatory prescription drug can reduce the risk of a common skin cancer in humans, according to a researcher at Stanford's School of Medicine.

5 Jan 2010

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

Every Walgreens pharmacy, every day. The once-scarce H1N1 vaccine is now available daily at all of the more than 7,100 Walgreens pharmacies and 350 Take Care Clinics throughout the country.

5 Jan 2010

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

HMS today announced that it has acquired the assets of Verify Solutions, a metropolitan Atlanta-based company specializing in dependent eligibility audit services for employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

5 Jan 2010

FDA grants Priority Review designation for InterMune's NDA for pirfenidone

InterMune, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review and granted Priority Review designation for the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for pirfenidone for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

4 Jan 2010

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan includes U-M Health System in Medicare Advantage PPO plan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has added the University of Michigan Health System to its growing network of Medicare Plus Blue(SM) PPO providers. The move gives seniors who purchase the competitively priced plan access to all of the U-M hospitals and approximately 2,200 providers.

31 Dec 2009

FREEDRUGCARD.US launches new Rx savings program to reduce prescription drug prices

If you are looking for the best way to save money on your prescription drugs then FREEDRUGCARD.US is your best option. The free prescription assistance drug card program is sponsored by a non-profit organization and was launched to help all Americans lower the cost of prescription drugs.

31 Dec 2009

Pfizer provides update on Prevnar 13

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet completed its review of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for Prevnar 13™, (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]), the Company’s candidate 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

31 Dec 2009

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccinations at all of its pharmacies throughout Massachusetts

Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain and industry leader with more than 17,000 certified or licensed immunizers, is now offering H1N1 vaccinations at all of its pharmacies throughout Massachusetts.

30 Dec 2009

Pre-market approval by FDA of cardiovascular devices often based on studies that lack adequate strength

Pre-market approval by the FDA of cardiovascular devices is often based on studies that lack adequate strength or may have been prone to bias, according to a study in the December 23/30 issue of JAMA. The researchers found that of nearly 80 high-risk devices, the majority received approval based on data from a single study.

29 Dec 2009

Managing overwhelming multiple medications, Medco offers free guide for America's seniors

America's seniors are being overwhelmed by the number of prescription drugs they take on a daily basis. According to a new national survey of more than 1,000 people ages 65 and older who use medications, more than half (51 percent) take at least five different prescription drugs regularly and one in four take between 10 and 19 pills each day.

29 Dec 2009

AARP supports passage of healthcare reform

Before the sun was up in Idaho this morning, families across the state buckling under soaring health care costs received a glimmer of hope from Washington, D.C. With the Senate passage of critical health care reform legislation, AARP says the Idaho congressional delegation can play a key role in making the bill stronger.

28 Dec 2009

Senate passage of health insurance reform bill: Speaker Nancy Pelosi issues statement

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement this morning on the Senate voting 60 to 39 to pass historic health insurance reform legislation: "Today's vote in the United States Senate brings us closer to providing quality, affordable health insurance to every American. I commend Senator Reid for his strong leadership in passing this bill, which takes a critical step on behalf of the health and security of all Americans.

24 Dec 2009

Prescription Drug News and Research

Medicare beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment, says Allsup

Weill Cornell Medical College offers innovative program to teach medical students about health care system

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Governor's threats to fight health reforms would do more harm than good for Idahoans, says ARRP

MonoSol Rx signs new licensing and development agreement with Strativa Pharmaceuticals

MHA acquires Net-Rx

Health Strategy Associates and WorkCompCentral.com present webinar on managing prescription drug costs

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Anti-inflammatory prescription drug reduces the risk of common skin cancer in humans

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

FDA grants Priority Review designation for InterMune's NDA for pirfenidone

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan includes U-M Health System in Medicare Advantage PPO plan

FREEDRUGCARD.US launches new Rx savings program to reduce prescription drug prices

Pfizer provides update on Prevnar 13

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccinations at all of its pharmacies throughout Massachusetts

Pre-market approval by FDA of cardiovascular devices often based on studies that lack adequate strength

Managing overwhelming multiple medications, Medco offers free guide for America's seniors

AARP supports passage of healthcare reform

Senate passage of health insurance reform bill: Speaker Nancy Pelosi issues statement

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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