Prescription Drug News and Research

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High Court hears arguments regarding access to docs' prescribing data

In this case, the state of Vermont is battling drug companies and data-mining firms. Vermont's law bans the sale of prescribing information unless physicians "opt in" and make their records available.

27 Apr 2011

RegenceRx supports DEA program to raise awareness on unused prescription drugs

In a nationwide effort to clear homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, RegenceRx is supporting the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day taking place on Saturday, April 30.

27 Apr 2011

FDA grants orphan drug status to Provectus' PV-10 for liver cancer treatment

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, has received orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Rose Bengal, the active ingredient in its novel oncology drug PV-10, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer.

27 Apr 2011

Newer birth control pill raises risk of blood clots

Two human trials in the US and the UK including women from both populations showed that women taking newer forms of oral contraceptives, which include drosperinone, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone, increased their risk of developing a blood clots by two or three times over those taking older birth control pills that rely on a different form of the hormone known as levonorgestrel.

26 Apr 2011

Humana declares quarterly cash dividend, anticipates first quarter diluted EPS of $1.86

Humana Inc. announced today that it has realigned its business segments to more closely reflect the company's evolving business model. Effective immediately, the company will be managing and reporting its operating results using the following segments: Retail, Employer Group, and Health and Well-Being Services.

26 Apr 2011

BioControl Medical initiates INOVATE-HF study of CardioFit system

BioControl Medical, a medical technology company that develops and markets advanced implantable devices for the treatment of autonomic disorders, has announced first patient enrollment in the INOVATE-HF (INcrease Of VAgal TonE in Heart Failure) clinical study at Northwest Texas Heart Hospital, Amarillo, Texas, by study investigator Suresh Neelagaru, M.D.

26 Apr 2011

Collins, Orszag criticize Ryan plan; Santorum rues Medicare prescription benefit vote

As former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum contemplates a bid for the GOP presidential nomination, he expresses regret over his vote for the unfunded Medicare prescription drug bill. Sen. Collins says she'll oppose Ryan plan, while Peter Orszag says it would increase overall health care costs.

26 Apr 2011

In the statehouses: Localities vs. unions in Mass.; supporters to rally for SustiNet in Conn.

Massachusetts House lawmakers kick off a busy week on Beacon Hill Monday with full chamber negotiations over the state budget. ... The biggest point of contention in the budget is the DeLeo-backed provision giving cities and towns the ability to alter employee health plans without union approval. At least 50 Democrats have reportedly signed on to an amendment that would soften that provision.

26 Apr 2011

Facts become greatest casualty in war on pain medications

The Florida Society of Pain Management Providers urges Government, Law Enforcement and the media to stop using false prescription drug data and statistics. The continued release of false and / or out of context information is solely intended to enflame the public. The misinformation that unfairly portrays Florida as ground zero in this issue has significant consequences for pain management patients and the physicians who provide legitimate care.

22 Apr 2011

FDA approves Spectrum's FUSILEV Injection to treat metastatic colorectal cancer

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in oncology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Company's Supplemental New Drug Application for FUSILEV Injection.

22 Apr 2011

UnitedHealth Group's consolidated first quarter 2011 revenues increased 10% year-over-year

UnitedHealth Group today reported first quarter results, highlighted by accelerated revenue growth from both its UnitedHealthcare and Optum businesses.

21 Apr 2011

Baxter’s first quarter global sales increase 12% to $3.3 billion

Baxter International Inc. today announced strong financial results for the first quarter of 2011, and raised its outlook for full-year 2011.

From Baxter International Inc. 21 Apr 2011

Report: Prescription drug spending growth slows

Americans and their insurers spent $307.4 billion on prescription drugs in 2010, up just 2.3 percent from the previous year, according to data released Tuesday by IMS Health Inc.

21 Apr 2011

Feds announce comprehensive plan to combat painkiller abuse

The new strategy will put increased pressure on the state of Florida, which has a reputation as being "the nation's pill mill."

21 Apr 2011

America’s best loved drugs: Report

According to the latest report from consulting firm IMS Health, Americans are consuming a lot of prescription drugs. And they seem especially fond of those to lower their cholesterol, relieve heartburn, aid in depressive disorders and lessen pain. Overall, however, their spending on such drugs is slowing.

20 Apr 2011

Stepped up measures to tack rising painkiller abuse

Prescription drug abuse is one of the largest problems in the country say experts and according to White House drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, the Congress must require special training for doctors and other health care workers before they are allowed to prescribe powerful drugs such as OxyContin.

20 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: On debt, Medicaid, Medicare and the budget; planned parenthood; one couple's insurance rates

Sen. Marco Rubio said he wouldn't vote for an increase unless it included "a plan for fundamental tax reform, an overhaul of our regulatory structure, a cut to discretionary spending, a balanced-budget amendment, and reforms to save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid" — everything on the conservative agenda, basically.

20 Apr 2011

Plans to combat painkiller abuse

This Tuesday, the Obama administration announced a plan to fight prescription drug abuse, warning that accidental fatal overdoses now exceed the combined deadly overdoses from the crack epidemic of the 1980s and black tar heroin in the 1970s.

19 Apr 2011

Patients with RLS more likely to develop cardiovascular conditions

Results from a two-year retrospective cohort study presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Hawaii, U.S., showed that patients were significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension, cardiac dysrhythmias and chronic ischemic heart diseases after an initial diagnosis of RLS, as compared to controls without RLS.

15 Apr 2011

Obama's deficit plan earns raves, pans from editorial boards; more views on abortion and planned parenthood

I've proposed a balanced approach that looks at the entire budget for savings. The third step is to reduce the growth in health care spending in order to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid for future generations. We will get rid of wasteful subsidies and fraud that cost Medicare billions of dollars each year. We'll cut spending on prescription drugs by helping to get generic brands of medicine to market faster.

15 Apr 2011