Prescription Drug News and Research

RSS

CVS Caremark to present client experiences on innovative approaches at AMCP Conference

CVS Caremark is presenting data at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2010 Educational Conference illustrating how innovative approaches to traditional plan designs can help clients reduce drug spend, improve generic dispensing rates (GDR) and minimize member disruption.

15 Oct 2010

Medicare actuary says changes in advantage plans will mean more cost for some seniors

Politico obtained an analysis by Richard Foster, the actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which that the health law will mean increased costs for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans.

15 Oct 2010

Neptune second quarter revenue increases 200% to $4,114,000

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. today reports its consolidated financial results for the three and six-month periods ended August 31, 2010.

15 Oct 2010

Officials address several drug issues including medical risks, proper disposal of unused medicine

Federal and state officials are addressing several drug issues including the risks associated with bone-strengthening drugs, complaints about a blood-thinning drug and a new law to help people safely dispose of unused medicine.

15 Oct 2010

Anger, seniors and Ad campaigns: Health reform politics

A poll released Tuesday shows most seniors in Medicare's prescription drug benefit program don't know that the health law "closes Part D's coverage gap," The Hill's Healthwatch blog reports.

14 Oct 2010

The Partnership at Drugfree.org issues statement on FDA approval of VIVITROL for opioid dependence

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Alkermes' opioid dependence medication (VIVITROL) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence following opioid detoxification is positive news for families of young adults and all those who are struggling to overcome opioid addiction. Addiction, a disease of the human brain, is a chronic illness while opioid dependence is frequently characterized by relapse.

13 Oct 2010

Centice introduces new PINPOINT Rx system for drug identification

Centice Corporation, a pioneer in chemical verification and identification using Raman spectroscopy and computational sensor technology, announced today the availability of the new PINPOINT Rx™ system. Combining advanced spectroscopy hardware technology, analytical software and internal databases, PINPOINT Rx™ captures the spectral signature of a prescription drug and checks this signature against a known database.

13 Oct 2010

Buck survey finds health care costs projected to increase in 2011

As a number of health care reform provisions go into effect for employer plans in 2011, costs for the most popular types of plans are projected to increase by more than 10 percent.

12 Oct 2010

Prescription Solutions' MS DTM program wins URAC Best Practices Platinum Award

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefits management (PBM) organization and a UnitedHealth Group company, received a platinum award in the URAC Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards. Prescription Solutions was recognized for its Multiple Sclerosis Disease Therapy Management (MS DTM) program, which empowers patients through education and support to successfully attain skills in self-managing their symptoms and medication therapy for their chronic condition.

11 Oct 2010

Research roundup: Examining comparative effectiveness research and changes in Medicare Part D

Health Affairs: The Potential Impact Of Comparative Effectiveness Research On The Health Of Minority Populations -- This is part of a collection of reports this month on comparative effectiveness research. Studies that compare how different treatments work is a focus of the new health law because advocates believe it could help hold down costs.

11 Oct 2010

Meridia – weight loss pill off the shelves in US

Abbott Pharmaceuticals has announced the withdrawal of weight loss drug Meridia from shelves in the United States and urged patients to stop taking it after regulators questioned its safety. The withdrawal happened last Friday in the US. In January, Meridia sales were suspended in Europe.

10 Oct 2010

Firm sees drugs sales rising 5 to 7 percent next year, other drug industry news

The Associated Press reports that global prescription drug sales should rise 5 percent to 7 percent next year reaching at least $880 billion, fueled by new drugs and rising sales in developing countries, according to drug data firm IMS Health.

8 Oct 2010

Humana Pharmacy agrees to highest standards of transparency for prescription-drug pricing

Humana Inc. announced today that its Humana Pharmacy Solutions division is one of only five pharmacy-benefit managers (PBMs) in the U.S. to agree to the highest level of transparency for prescription-drug pricing set by the HR Policy Association.

7 Oct 2010

AstraZeneca provides free medicines to patients at Primary Care Center Pharmacy in Sacramento

AstraZeneca announced today that it is providing medicines at no cost to qualifying patients at the Primary Care Center Pharmacy in Sacramento, California.

7 Oct 2010

3.5 million Calif. residents eligible for tax credits in future exchange; N.Y. prescription drug aid for seniors cut back; Idaho trims dental providers in Medicaid

An estimated 3.5 million Californians would be eligible for federal tax credits to slash the cost of their health coverage when they begin buying policies through a new statewide insurance marketplace in 2014, a study released Tuesday found.

7 Oct 2010

USP announces revision schedule for Model Guidelines Version 5.0

As the Medicare Model Guidelines-a listing of therapeutic categories and pharmacologic classes that Medicare Part D plans can utilize when developing their formularies-undergo revision for the first time in three years, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is announcing its revision schedule and the expanded opportunities for public input as it develops Version 5.0.

6 Oct 2010

Sebelius: Medicare Advantage cuts won't hurt plans

Will the health law curb private Medicare insurance plans, known as Medicare Advantage, or won't it? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Monday that it won't, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. "Ms. Sebelius said the decision by a large Massachusetts insurer to leave the Medicare Advantage market is not a harbinger of the program's decline.

6 Oct 2010

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

Care Improvement Plus, operator of one of the largest special needs plans in Texas, is standing by its commitment to serve chronically ill and underserved Medicare beneficiaries with the release of its 2011 Medicare health plan benefits in preparation for the upcoming Medicare annual election period, which begins November 15th.

5 Oct 2010

Australian reimbursement committee is set to consider Novo Nordisk's type 2 diabetes treatment

In its November meeting, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) will consider Novo Nordisk's second-to-market glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist Victoza for reimbursement, which would be essential in order for the drug to compete effectively with Eli Lilly's Byetta. However, its chances of success are uncertain, considering that it took three years to get Byetta on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

4 Oct 2010

Mandatory contraceptive policy in clinical trials is excessive and can safely be relaxed

Research ethics review committees often require all women of childbearing age who enroll in clinical trials to use contraceptives to protect against a developing fetus being exposed to potentially harmful drugs. A mandatory contraceptive policy is often imposed even when there is no evidence that a trial drug could harm a fetus or when women have no chance of becoming pregnancy. This requirement is excessive and can safely be relaxed in many cases, according to a report in IRB: Ethics & Human Research.

4 Oct 2010

Prescription Drug News and Research

CVS Caremark to present client experiences on innovative approaches at AMCP Conference

Medicare actuary says changes in advantage plans will mean more cost for some seniors

Neptune second quarter revenue increases 200% to $4,114,000

Officials address several drug issues including medical risks, proper disposal of unused medicine

Anger, seniors and Ad campaigns: Health reform politics

The Partnership at Drugfree.org issues statement on FDA approval of VIVITROL for opioid dependence

Centice introduces new PINPOINT Rx system for drug identification

Buck survey finds health care costs projected to increase in 2011

Prescription Solutions' MS DTM program wins URAC Best Practices Platinum Award

Research roundup: Examining comparative effectiveness research and changes in Medicare Part D

Meridia – weight loss pill off the shelves in US

Firm sees drugs sales rising 5 to 7 percent next year, other drug industry news

Humana Pharmacy agrees to highest standards of transparency for prescription-drug pricing

AstraZeneca provides free medicines to patients at Primary Care Center Pharmacy in Sacramento

3.5 million Calif. residents eligible for tax credits in future exchange; N.Y. prescription drug aid for seniors cut back; Idaho trims dental providers in Medicaid

USP announces revision schedule for Model Guidelines Version 5.0

Sebelius: Medicare Advantage cuts won't hurt plans

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

Australian reimbursement committee is set to consider Novo Nordisk's type 2 diabetes treatment

Mandatory contraceptive policy in clinical trials is excessive and can safely be relaxed

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Latest News