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Congressional action on Medicare physician reimbursements unlikely before election

William Hoagland, the top budget aide to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), on Tuesday told health insurance industry officials that Congress likely will address a scheduled 5.1% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements this year but not until after the midterm election, CQ HealthBeat reports.

14 Sep 2006

Fewer than half of studies conducted on effect of medications on children are published

Fewer than half of studies conducted on the effects of prescription drugs in children are published in medical journals, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

14 Sep 2006

Fewer teens using illicit drugs, but no let up with the baby boomers

According to a new survey the use of illicit drugs among teenagers has dropped for the third year in a row.

13 Sep 2006

Accutane iPledge program requirements leading to illegal online sales

The strict regulations governing the prescription and use of the acne drug isotretinoin, sold by Roche under the brand name Accutane, are affecting the drug's sale and dispensation and raising concerns about sales of the medication over the Internet, the Wall Street Journal reports (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 9/12).

13 Sep 2006

High copayments for 'specialty pharmacy' medications has little effect on use

Higher copayments have a small effect on usage of "specialty pharmacy" medications, which can cost as much as $10,000 monthly, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

13 Sep 2006

GRK2 protein -a potential biomarket for heart failure

A team of cardiology researchers at Thomas Jefferson University has determined that GRK2, a protein that plays an important regulatory role in heart failure, is elevated in patients with failing hearts when compared to patients with normal heart function.

12 Sep 2006

TV advertising of prescription drugs may increase visits to doctor not actual sales

TV advertising of prescription drugs may be prompting more people to visit their doctors rather than substantially increasing sales of advertised drugs, according to research led by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

12 Sep 2006

Drug ads and their influence on patients and doctors

Television ads for prescription drugs are everywhere, enticing people to ask their doctors for this drug or that one, but the effect this type of ad has on American healthcare may be more complicated than simply inducing patients to choose one brand or the other, according to a team of researchers.

12 Sep 2006

Johns Hopkins ACG team releases pharmacy-based predictive model

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed Johns Hopkins ACG Rx-PM - new predictive modeling software based on retail pharmacy claims information.

11 Sep 2006

Surveys show most pharmacists, doctors believe Medicare Drug Benefit helps patients, though most think it is too complicated

Most pharmacists and physicians believe that the Medicare prescription drug benefit has helped beneficiaries save money on their medications but also believe that the program is overly complex, according to two surveys released on Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

11 Sep 2006

Some find Accutane iPledge program requirements burdensome

Six months after the introduction of iPledge -- with which all people taking the acne drug isotretinoin, sold by Roche under the brand name Accutane, must register to receive their prescriptions - many patients and dermatologists "complain that the rules of iPledge are onerous and unworkable

5 Sep 2006

Some drug companies experiencing higher prescription volume, revenue with Medicare drug benefit

The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday examined how the Medicare prescription drug benefit "is boosting prescription volume and revenue for drug companies."

5 Sep 2006

Pennsylvania starts the Pace Plus Medicare program

Pennsylvania on Friday began the Pace Plus Medicare program, under which the Medicare prescription drug benefit will provide primary coverage for low-income residents and the state PACE and PACENET programs will fill any gaps in coverage, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

4 Sep 2006

90% of dermatologists report having problems with Isotretinoin drug registry

The online FDA tracking database iPledge -- with which all people taking the acne drug isotretinoin, sold by Roche under the brand name Accutane, must register to receive their prescriptions -- has caused problems for about 90% of dermatologists.

30 Aug 2006

Officials say PhRMA funded U.S. Chamber of Commerce ads touting Medicare prescription drug benefit

"[P]olitical officials" allege that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America gave money to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to support an advertising campaign that praises senators and House members who voted for the 2003 Medicare law, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.

30 Aug 2006

FDA advisory panels almost always recommend approval for new drugs and devices

Eleven randomly selected FDA advisory committees recommended approval for 79% of prescription drugs and medical devices that they considered during a seven-year period, according to a study released on Monday by the National Research Center for Women & Families, Bloomberg/Houston Chronicle reports.

30 Aug 2006

New England Journal of Medicine examines West Virginia's new Medicaid program

Two perspective pieces from the New England Journal of Medicine examine West Virginia's new Medicaid program, which will allow 160,000 Medicaid beneficiaries -- many of whom are parents of children enrolled in the program -- to sign a "personal responsibility contract."

28 Aug 2006

West Virginia revisions to Medicaid programs examined

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday examined revisions to the Medicaid programs in Kentucky and West Virginia, which are the first two states to revise their programs under a new federal law that allows states increased flexibility in determining benefits and out-of-pocket costs (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 8/22).

24 Aug 2006

A close look at Accutane drug registry iPledge

The Chicago Sun-Times on Monday examined the online FDA tracking database iPledge, with which all people taking Roche's acne drug Accutane much register to receive their prescriptions (Ritter, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/21).

24 Aug 2006