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FDA chief says he’s open to rethinking incentives on orphan drugs

The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration questions whether the right financial incentives are in place for drugmakers who develop orphan drugs for rare diseases.

22 Dec 2017

Biosimilars, biologics and new legal challenges for RA treatments

Early last winter, Pfizer launched its new rheumatoid arthritis treatment, Inflectra, pricing it 15 percent below the $4,000-a-dose wholesale price of Remicade, the drug for which it is a close copy.

22 Dec 2017

An overlooked epidemic: Older Americans taking too many unneeded drugs

Consider it America’s other prescription drug epidemic. For decades, experts have warned that older Americans are taking too many unnecessary drugs, often prescribed by multiple doctors, for dubious or unknown reasons.

12 Dec 2017

Cities, counties and schools sidestep FDA Canadian drug crackdown, saving millions

Schenectady County, N.Y., is on track to pay 20 percent less on prescription drugs for its employees this year than in 2003.

8 Dec 2017

Brokers tout mix-and-match coverage to avoid high-cost ACA plans

Health insurance a la carte? As the Affordable Care Act open-enrollment season moves into its final weeks, some consumers looking for lower-cost alternatives are considering a patchwork approach to health insurance. The products may secure some basic protection but leave patients on the hook for high medical bills.

7 Dec 2017

Less than one-third of glaucoma patients talk to their doctor about medication costs, study finds

Less than one-third of patients with glaucoma talk to their doctor about the costs of medications needed to control their disease, reports a study in the December issue of Optometry and Vision Science, the official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

4 Dec 2017

Patients with rare diseases and congress square off over orphan drug tax credits

As President Donald Trump talked tax reform on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Arkansas patient advocate Andrea Taylor was also meeting with lawmakers and asking them to save a corporate tax credit for rare disease drug companies.

30 Nov 2017

Older adults do not get enough help to make sure multiple drugs mix safely, new poll finds

Most older Americans take multiple medicines every day. But a new poll suggests they don't get – or seek – enough help to make sure those medicines actually mix safely.

29 Nov 2017

The ratcheting cost of the pneumococcal vaccine: What gives?

Every November, like clockwork, she gets the same letter, said Dr. Lindsay Irvin, a pediatrician in San Antonio.

29 Nov 2017

Study highlights need to focus on all opioid prescribers to curb epidemic

A cross-section of opioid prescribers that typically do not prescribe large volumes of opioids, including primary care physicians, surgeons and non-physician health care providers, frequently prescribe opioids to high-risk patients, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

29 Nov 2017

Heated and deep-pocketed battle erupts over 340B drug discount program

A 25-year-old federal drug discount program has grown so big and controversial that it faces a fight for survival as federal officials and lawmakers furiously debate the program's reach.

28 Nov 2017

Massachusetts grabs spotlight by proposing new twist on Medicaid drug coverage

In the absence of new federal policies to tame break-the-bank drug prices, Massachusetts’ state Medicaid program hopes to road-test an idea both radical and market-driven. It wants the power to negotiate discounts for the drugs it purchases and to exclude drugs with limited treatment value.

21 Nov 2017

FDA raids Florida stores that consumers use to buy drugs from Canada

The Food and Drug Administration last month sent criminal investigation agents with search warrants into nine storefronts across Central Florida that help customers order drugs from pharmacies in Canada and overseas at big discounts.

20 Nov 2017

Harnessing social media big data to fight against prescription drug crisis

Researchers at Dartmouth, Stanford University, and IBM Research, conducted a critical review of existing literature to determine whether social media big data can be used to understand communication and behavioral patterns related to prescription drug abuse.

17 Nov 2017

Medicare seeks comment on ways to cut costs of Part D drugs

Noting that the true price of a drug is often hidden from consumers, Medicare officials requested comments late Thursday on how to use discounts and rebates to help decrease what enrollees pay for prescriptions.

16 Nov 2017

California fines Anthem $5 million for failing to address consumer grievances

California's managed-care regulator announced Wednesday it has fined insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross $5 million for repeatedly failing to resolve consumer grievances in a timely manner.

15 Nov 2017

Taking a page from pharma’s playbook to fight the opioid crisis

Dr. Mary Meengs remembers the days, a couple of decades ago, when pharmaceutical salespeople would drop into her family practice in Chicago, eager to catch a moment between patients so they could pitch her a new drug.

14 Nov 2017

Pressure builds to cut Medicare patients in on prescription deals

Medicare enrollees, who have watched their out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs climb in recent years, might be in for a break.

10 Nov 2017

Parity laws may not fully address affordability for patients needing cancer drugs

State laws designed to ensure that the pill form of cancer drugs is not more costly than treatments given through an infusion in a clinic or hospital have had a mixed impact on patients' pocketbooks, according to University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers.

9 Nov 2017

Ohio’s drug-pricing ballot question triggers voter confusion

Lawmakers in the nation's capital have yet to grapple with rising drug costs, but Ohio voters are being asked — in a single ballot-box question next week — to figure out how best to lower the tab the state pays for prescriptions.

7 Nov 2017