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Wellcare discloses to Florida Elections Commission questionable campaign contributions

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. announced that it voluntarily disclosed to the Florida Elections Commission questionable campaign contributions by certain subsidiaries from 2003 through 2007.

20 Aug 2009

Medication safety program on safe prescribing procedures for narcotic drugs launched

Warnings by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and increasing misuse and overdoses are telling reminders of the dangers pain medications can present. A recent study reveals that one in 10 high school students have tried opioid drugs and the prevalence of young adults using narcotics for non-medical use is the highest in 15 years.

20 Aug 2009

Extend Health announces plans to recruit more employees at its Utah location

Extend Health, a leading provider of defined contribution health care solutions to Fortune 500 corporations, today announced that the company is looking to expand its Utah location workforce by 200+ employees over the next four to eight weeks. As of August 5, two hundred positions have been filled during the third quarter bringing the company’s Utah based employee headcount to over 400.

20 Aug 2009

Dey's Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution lots stolen in Texas

Dey L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc., today issued an advisory regarding two lots of its Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 0.083%, unit-dose vials. The lots were on a tractor-trailer that was stolen in McKinney, Texas.

20 Aug 2009

Phrma brushes off Republican leader's attacks

"The prescription drug industry's lobbying arm is defending its deal with President Barack Obama in the wake of criticism from House Minority Leader John Boehner, who charged it with 'appeasing' the Obama administration," The Hill reports.

19 Aug 2009

Battle over proposal to disclose drug price deals

"Some Democratic lawmakers looking for ways to overhaul the nation's health-care system are targeting the companies that handle drug benefits for more than 210 million Americans, setting off a lobbying battle over how much pricing information the companies should disclose," The Wall Street Journal reports.

19 Aug 2009

Medicare Part D premiums to rise slightly

Medicare Part D drug premiums are expected to increase slightly while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services details which states have the highest rates of prescription drug use.

19 Aug 2009

Boehner blasts PhRMA on deal with White House

KHN reports that Minority Leader John Boehner is taking issue with "the drug industry's decision to agree to $80 billion in concessions to the White House."

19 Aug 2009

Gloucester Pharma announces FDA Advisory Committee Meeting to discuss Romidepsin NDA

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals will discuss the New Drug Application for romidepsin to treat patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) at the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) meeting on September 2, 2009.

18 Aug 2009

Boehner blasts Phrma on deal with White House

The drug industry’s decision to agree to $80 billion in concessions to the White House was short-sighted, will hurt drug manufacturers and their customers, and "has all the markings of a deal gone sour," House Minority Leader John Boehner wrote Monday to his former colleague, Billy Tauzin, who now heads the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

17 Aug 2009

Summary of key health care provisions

With so much turmoil surrounding the federal government's health care initiatives, the Federation of American Consumers and Travelers (FACT) is attempting to create a summary of key provisions. The goal is to condense incredibly lengthy and convoluted language into something which all consumers can digest so that they can then decide which way they want their legislators to proceed.

17 Aug 2009

Doctors overiding end of life counseling see benefit in current controversy

The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.

14 Aug 2009

CVS Caremark announces results of 2009 Health IQ study

CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) announced today the results of its 2009 Health IQ study which examined consumer attitudes and behaviors around health care and prescription usage. Among its findings, the study underscores the need for expanded health care coverage along with cost savings realized by improving health care delivery.

13 Aug 2009

Transcript: President Obama Town Hall meeting in New Hampshire

President Barack Obama continued his press for public support of health reform initiatives at what the White House called a "Health Insurance Reform Town Hall" meeting at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

12 Aug 2009

Providers, patients in States face budget squeeze

Local newspapers report on health care issues in Delaware, Lousiana and Hawaii. In Delaware, The News Journal reports on a Medicaid-related agreement regarding the state and prescription drug costs.

12 Aug 2009

Ranbaxy receives approval to market Sumatriptan Succinate tablets

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), announced today that RLL has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Sumatriptan Succinate Tablets, 25 mg (base), and 50 mg (base).

12 Aug 2009

Labopharm submits response to FDA for formulation of the antidepressant trazodone

Labopharm Inc. (TSX: DDS; NASDAQ: DDSS) today announced that it has submitted its response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) complete response letter regarding the Company's novel formulation of the antidepressant trazodone.

11 Aug 2009

Gtx, Inc. reports Q2 2009 results

GTx, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2009. The net loss for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2009 was $11.3 million and $22.6 million, respectively, compared with a net loss of $13.2 million and $26.0 million for the same periods in 2008. At June 30, 2009 GTx had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $68.9 million.

10 Aug 2009

Sharing prescription advice among adolescents can have dangerous repercussions

What if a teenager with acne who is taking Accutane - a drug linked to birth defects - gives some to her friend, who is pregnant but does not yet realize it? Unfortunately, this is a realistic scenario.

10 Aug 2009

White House deal with drug industry sparks Democratic revolt

ongressional Democrats are challenging the Obama administration's deal with the pharmaceutical industry to limit how much it would cut prices to contribute to a health care overhaul.

7 Aug 2009