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AARP calls for Idaho's members of Congress to support real health care reform

As the debate over health care reform is expected to pick up in the Senate after Thanksgiving, notices of health care premium increases are hitting mailboxes across Idaho -- leaving many families wondering how they'll be able to afford the hikes. While high health care costs have left nearly 15% of Idaho without insurance, as benefits run out for the state's 67,300 jobless residents that number will jump in the coming months.

25 Nov 2009

Kaiser Permanente has the top-ranked Medicare health plan in the United States

Kaiser Permanente has the top-ranked Medicare health plan in the nation, according to a joint ranking by U.S. News & World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The December 2009 issue, "America's Best Health Insurance Plans 2009-10," ranked the nation's top commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans based on clinical quality data, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation scores. The announcement comes as beneficiaries review their choices for the Medicare Annual Election Period, which runs through Dec. 31.

24 Nov 2009

Eight nonprofit organizations receive Humana Foundation Economic Response Grants

During the ongoing economic downturn that has touched the entire country, many nonprofit organizations have found their services – such as food pantries, temporary shelters and medical clinics – to be increasingly important to their communities. Complicating

24 Nov 2009

DTCA linked with increased Medicaid pharmacy expenditures

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for a commonly prescribed antiplatelet drug does not appear associated with increased use, but may be associated with increased drug costs and Medicaid pharmacy expenditures, according to a report in the November 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

24 Nov 2009

Walgreens re-launches its website with expanded shopping tools and services

Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain and a leading destination for health and wellness services, today announced the re-launch of Walgreens.com (www.walgreens.com), offering users a variety of new healthy living and product resources, along with expanded yet simplified shopping tools and services.

23 Nov 2009

A.P. Pharma regains compliance with shareholders’ equity requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq Capital Market

A.P. Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that, on November 19, 2009, the Company received notice from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel that it has regained compliance with the shareholders’ equity requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

23 Nov 2009

AARP hosts educational forum to address nation's health care system

With the U.S. House of Representatives passing the landmark Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), and the Senate moving key health reform legislation forward, Congress has taken decisive steps to fix our nation's broken health care system.

23 Nov 2009

Multi-state electronic tracking program to prevent diversion of common medicines for methamphetamine production

The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) today announced a new initiative in the war on methamphetamine. The National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) is a multi-state electronic tracking program that enforces purchase limitations on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines containing pseudoephedrine in real-time at the point of sale.

21 Nov 2009

MiCAFE program supports seniors with food and medical assistance

The US government reported Monday that one in seven Americans struggled to get enough food to eat. This startling statistic highlights the difficulties of older adults who are rapidly aging into poverty.

21 Nov 2009

FDA acknowledges Dendreon's amended BLA for PROVENGE as a complete response

Dendreon Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided written acknowledgement that the Company's amended Biologics License Application (BLA) for PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) is a complete response. The FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of May 1, 2010, by which time it will respond to Dendreon's amended BLA. Dendreon is seeking licensure for PROVENGE for men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

20 Nov 2009

FDA extends Exalgo NDA review by three months

CombinatoRx, Incorporated and Neuromed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Neuromed a letter extending its review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for the product candidate Exalgo™ (hydromorphone HCl) extended-release tablets by three months.

20 Nov 2009

Significant increases in IT use have not reduced drug review process

Drug approvals are taking just as long as they ever did despite increased expenditure on new information technology at the Food and drug Administration. So says a statistical analysis of approval intervals from 1997 to 2006, published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

20 Nov 2009

Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply reduce cost of drugs for patients

Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time.

20 Nov 2009

Restricting access to flexible spending accounts is a disappointment: Save Flexible Spending Plans

"It is disappointing that the Senate is determined to fund health care reform by restricting access to flexible spending accounts (FSAs), a valuable benefit relied upon by more than 35 million Americans to help hold down health care costs. Severely curtailing the use of FSAs will not only force participants to pay more in health care costs, it flies in the face of President Obama's pledge to not raise taxes on the middle class.

20 Nov 2009

eHealthInsurance releases six-point checklist to get the most out of Medicare coverage

eHealthInsurance, the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families, and small businesses, that now offers a new online Medicare resource, www.eHealthMedicare.com, today released a six-point checklist to help Medicare recipients make informed decisions about their Medicare options.

19 Nov 2009

Humana to commence 'Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition' program for CMS

Effective Jan. 1, 2010, Humana will begin administering the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition (LI-NET) program for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This program allows individuals who receive Medicare’s low-income subsidy to also receive immediate prescription drug coverage at the point of sale if they are not already enrolled in a Part D plan.

19 Nov 2009

Seniors struggle with drug costs while Congress debates Medicare 'doughnut hole'

Minnesota Public Radio reports: "Since 2006, senior citizens have been able to choose plans for Medicare prescription drug coverage, but that coverage contains a gap known as the 'doughnut hole,' a gap that health care reform plans being debated in Congress would address."

18 Nov 2009

New Drug Application for NicOx's naproxcinod accepted for filing

NicOx S.A. today announced that it has received a filing communication from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that the New Drug Application (NDA) for naproxcinod is accepted for filing. NicOx submitted the NDA on September 24th, seeking approval for the relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.

18 Nov 2009

FDA approves Qutenza, a pain relief product for patients who suffer from PHN

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the approval of Qutenza (capsaicin) 8% patch, a medicated skin patch that relieves the pain of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a serious complication that can occur after a bout with shingles.

18 Nov 2009

Health Net’s MA product portfolio offers budget-friendly health plan choices to beneficiaries for 2010

With the kick-off of the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP) this week, Health Net, Inc. reminds those eligible for Medicare that Health Net’s Medicare Advantage (MA) product portfolio offers a comprehensive range of budget-friendly health plan choices to beneficiaries for 2010.

17 Nov 2009

Prescription Drug News and Research

AARP calls for Idaho's members of Congress to support real health care reform

Kaiser Permanente has the top-ranked Medicare health plan in the United States

Eight nonprofit organizations receive Humana Foundation Economic Response Grants

DTCA linked with increased Medicaid pharmacy expenditures

Walgreens re-launches its website with expanded shopping tools and services

A.P. Pharma regains compliance with shareholders’ equity requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq Capital Market

AARP hosts educational forum to address nation's health care system

Multi-state electronic tracking program to prevent diversion of common medicines for methamphetamine production

MiCAFE program supports seniors with food and medical assistance

FDA acknowledges Dendreon's amended BLA for PROVENGE as a complete response

FDA extends Exalgo NDA review by three months

Significant increases in IT use have not reduced drug review process

Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply reduce cost of drugs for patients

Restricting access to flexible spending accounts is a disappointment: Save Flexible Spending Plans

eHealthInsurance releases six-point checklist to get the most out of Medicare coverage

Humana to commence 'Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition' program for CMS

Seniors struggle with drug costs while Congress debates Medicare 'doughnut hole'

New Drug Application for NicOx's naproxcinod accepted for filing

FDA approves Qutenza, a pain relief product for patients who suffer from PHN

Health Net’s MA product portfolio offers budget-friendly health plan choices to beneficiaries for 2010

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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