Prescription Drug News and Research

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RepTrak Pulse ranks CVS Caremark among Most Reputable Companies in America

CVS Caremark has been named as one of the Most Reputable Companies in America by Reputation Institute, in partnership with Forbes Media. The survey rankings are based on Reputation Institute's 2012 U.S. RepTrak™ Pulse, a study that measures the 150 largest U.S. public companies.

7 Apr 2012

Operation UNITE receives praises for National Rx Drug Abuse Summit

Ameritox, the nation's leader in pain medication monitoring, commends Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, Inc. (Operation UNITE), the organizers of the inaugural National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, on its coordination of a national forum to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The Summit will be held April 10-12 in Orlando, Florida.

7 Apr 2012

Advisory panel urges new fee on Medigap plans, cap on out-of-pocket costs

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission made recommendations to Congress for changes to the program. It's not clear if Congress will accept the proposals.

7 Apr 2012

Cost of preventive exams varies as much as 700%, report finds

The health law seeks to make preventive screening and procedures available to more people, but it could come at a high cost.

7 Apr 2012

Medicaid news: Oregon competitors working together; Calif. 'duals' project launches

A new push to reshape health care in greater Portland is reminiscent, its biggest booster says, of the race to land a man on the moon. Erstwhile health care competitors hope to set aside their differences to care for the region's 200,000 Oregon Health Plan members, says Legacy Health CEO George Brown. The task is happening in a timeline -- Brown snaps his fingers -- "that's like that long. It's a moon shot for sure. What we're trying to do, to my knowledge, has not been attempted any place in the country."

6 Apr 2012

Costs for all types of medical plans are expected to increase by 9.9% for 2012

Costs for all types of medical plans are expected to increase by 9.9 percent for 2012, according to a survey by Buck Consultants, A Xerox Company.

6 Apr 2012

FDA alerts on fake cancer drug imports

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted healthcare professionals that 120 vials of fake cancer drug Altuzan - which contained no active ingredient - had entered the U.S from distributors in the U.K. after being purchased from wholesalers in Turkey.

5 Apr 2012

Understanding how key decision makers assess prescription drugs for health plan coverage

As medical advancements and an expanding pharmaceutical industry bring new prescription drugs into the market, deciding which ones to cover is becoming an even more difficult choice for health plans to make. How those decisions are made - and what information is used in the process - was the focus of a recent study by researchers at RTI International.

5 Apr 2012

CMS: Medicare Advantage, Part D to get 3 percent boost in 2013 reimbursements

Also in the news, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced nearly $50 million in grants to state agencies to help seniors better understand Medicare.

4 Apr 2012

FTC approval of Express Scripts-Medco merger triggers new battlegrounds

Drug Stores and community pharmacists have pledged to fight on in the courts, but some consumer advocates see a silver lining in the merger.

4 Apr 2012

NIDA to showcase PEERx teen initiative at National RX Drug Abuse Summit

A unique, new campaign targeting teens will be on exhibit at the first national summit addressing the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will showcase "PEERx," a NIDA initiative that uses interactive videos and other tools to educate teens about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and help them to spread the word.

4 Apr 2012

Navidea announces FDA extension of Lymphoseek PDUFA date by three months

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that yesterday it received notification from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date for 99m-Tc-Tilmanocept, has been modified to September 10, 2012, a 90-day extension from the initial PDUFA date of June 10th.

4 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 3, 2012

In today's health policy headlines, President Barack Obama's expresses confidence that the health law will stand.

3 Apr 2012

Federal Trade Commission OKs $29 billion merger by Express Scripts, Medco

By a three-to-one vote, regulators approved Express Scripts' plan to purchase Medco, ending an eight-month inquiry into whether the deal would stifle competition in the pharmacy benefits industry.

3 Apr 2012

Humana acquires Arcadian Management Services

Humana Inc. announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Arcadian Management Services, an Oakland, Calif.-based company that, through its affiliates, operates Medicare Advantage HMO plans.

3 Apr 2012

Consumer should be centre of care when offering alternative medicine brands

NPS is reminding pharmacists to place patient care first and avoid multiple switching of medicine brands for patients who may be at higher risk of confusion from switching, as price disclosure arrangements come into effect this weekend.

29 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Law on generic drugs is 'outrageous denial' of patients' rights; Could Romney be the best spokesman against federal law?

Dozens of suits against drug companies have been dismissed in federal and state courts because of a decision by the Supreme Court last year that makes it virtually impossible to sue generic manufacturers for failing to provide adequate warning of a prescription drug's dangers. This outrageous denial of a patient's right to recover fair damages makes it imperative that Congress or the Food and Drug Administration fashion a remedy.

27 Mar 2012

1 in 5 Australians have taken an expired medicine

NPS is urging all Australians to clean out their medicine cabinets today as part of national Be Medicinewise Week 2012. New research from NPS found around 1 in 5 people reported ever having taken an expired medicine.

26 Mar 2012

Amped up health law debate creeps into presidential, congressional races

Mitt Romney raises his attack on the Democrats' health care law while GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum assails Romney for championing the Massachusetts health law -- and takes the fight to the steps of the Supreme Court.

26 Mar 2012

FDA Advisory Committee to review Repligen's SecreFlo NDA on May 31

Repligen Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee will meet on May 31, 2012 to discuss the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for SecreFlo for the improved detection of pancreatic duct abnormalities in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with pancreatitis.

26 Mar 2012