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Alexza Pharmaceuticals licenses Staccato nicotine technology to Cypress Bioscience

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has licensed its Staccato nicotine technology to Cypress Bioscience, Inc. The Staccato nicotine technology is a novel electronic multidose delivery system designed to help people stop smoking. The Staccato nicotine technology is intended to improve on a well-validated smoking cessation approach by delivering nicotine via inhalation, mimicking the nicotine effects of smoking without the harmful side effects associated with cigarettes.

26 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 26, 2010

Highlights from today's headlines include the latest political developments surrounding health reform as well as news about California's health insurance premium rates.

26 Aug 2010

Transparency needed in administration of drug benefits by pharmacy benefit managers

According to a new AARP report, the average retail price of the most popular brand-name drugs increased by 8.3 percent in 2009 and by 41.5 percent over the past five years – rates well in excess of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. At the same time, major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., hired by employers and other health plan sponsors to negotiate lower prices from drug manufacturers, experienced record profits, in some cases increasing five-fold over the past decade.

26 Aug 2010

Prescription drug abuse soars despite state monitoring programs

Stateline: Over the past 10 years, "prescription drug abuse has soared to new levels. A recent White House study found a 400 percent increase in abuse from 1998 to 2008.

26 Aug 2010

Medicare drug plan changes and prices could surprise seniors

The Associated Press: An effort to streamline the entangled field of Medicare drug plans could mean as many as 3 million seniors "could force 3 million seniors to switch plans next year whether they like it or not, says an independent analysis," by Avalere Health: "beneficiaries will see their prescription plan eliminated as part of a new effort by Medicare to winnow down duplicative coverage and offer consumers more meaningful choices. Seniors would not lose coverage, but they could see changes in their premiums and copayments."

26 Aug 2010

Kindred subsidiaries to acquire 5 long-term acute care hospitals from Vista Healthcare

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today announced that its subsidiaries have signed a definitive agreement to acquire five long-term acute care ("LTAC") hospitals from Vista Healthcare, LLC for a purchase price of $180 million in cash.

25 Aug 2010

Virginia Attorney Gen. approves stricter oversight on abortion clinics; Indiana fails to follow up inspection reports on nursing homes

The Washington Post: "Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has concluded that the state can impose stricter oversight over clinics that perform abortions, a move immediately decried by abortion-rights organizations and others as an attempt to circumvent the General Assembly, which has repeatedly rejected similar measures.

25 Aug 2010

Consumers economizing on healthcare in ways that might be dangerous: Poll

More than two-thirds (69%) of Americans currently taking a prescription drug say drug makers have too much influence on doctors' prescribing decisions and half say that doctors are too eager to prescribe a drug when other non-drug options are available for managing a condition. Those are just some of the concerns raised by Americans in a new prescription drug poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. More information about the poll is available online at www.consumerreportsenespanol.org.

24 Aug 2010

Catalyst Health Solutions named on 2010 Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies List

Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc., announced today that it was named to the 2010 Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies List. Catalyst has achieved this recognition for three consecutive years and four times in six years. The Company was also named on Fortune's Fastest-Growing All-Stars List.

21 Aug 2010

FDA extends review on Acetadote for non-acetaminophen acute liver failure

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended its review of the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for the use of Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection in patients with non-acetaminophen acute liver failure.

21 Aug 2010

Medicare Part D cost estimate drops 41%: PCMA

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued the following statement on research cited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that found the most recent 10-year cost estimate for Medicare Part D came in at $373 billion, a 41 percent drop from the initial cost estimate of $634 billion for 2004-2013

20 Aug 2010

CMS: Seniors will see modest increase in Medicare drug premiums but improved benefits

The Associated Press: "Seniors will see a modest increase in their Medicare prescription premiums next year but benefits will also improve, federal health officials said Wednesday. The average monthly premium charged by Medicare drug plans for standard coverage will rise to an estimated $30 in 2011, an increase of $1 over 2010..." But, the AP notes that "Medicare prescription plans vary widely in costs and benefits.

20 Aug 2010

FDA grants priority review designation of BENLYSTA for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a priority review designation to BENLYSTA (belimumab) as a potential treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus.

20 Aug 2010

Pharmacies in Massachusetts to make available lock boxes for sale

On August 9, 2010 Massachusetts passed Chapter 283 of the Acts of 2010, adding Safeguards to the Prescription Monitoring Program and furthering Substance Abuse Education and Prevention. Section 11 of the act requires all pharmacies in Massachusetts that dispense schedule II, III, IV, or V prescription drugs to make available lock boxes for sale at each location.

18 Aug 2010

Cigna lobbies to define medical loss ratio on insurers' terms

Cigna has become a player in the insurance industry's lobbying on what should count as medical care under new rules governing health care spending, Kaiser Health News and McClatchy report. "The insurer has stayed in step with larger rivals such as Aetna and WellPoint in an often contentious dialogue with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners — a network of state regulators that's been charged with advising federal officials on implementing the health care law.

18 Aug 2010

Pharmacy drug information confusing or lacking, study says

NPR: The Food and Drug Administration is about to make changes to drug information — often filled with technical medical jargon — to help consumers understand the risks and benefits of the drugs they take. "University of Florida professor Carole Kimberlin worked with colleagues to sample leaflets from some 400 pharmacies across the country recently at the request of the FDA. They found wide differences. 'Some of them were as little as 30 words, while others were over 2,500 words,' she says.

18 Aug 2010

Lotus Pharmaceuticals second-quarter net income increases 32% to $6.3 million

Lotus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a growing developer, manufacturer and seller of medicine and drugs in the People's Republic of China, reported today its financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

16 Aug 2010

Research Roundup: Disabled Medicare Enrollees' challenges; Increasing ER visits; costs/benefits of Part D

Health Affairs: Medicare Doesn't Work As Well For Younger, Disabled Beneficiaries As It Does For Older Enrollees - This paper examines "how well Medicare works for [the 8 million] nonelderly disabled beneficiaries compared to the elderly, based on findings from a nationally representative survey of noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries conducted in 2008 by the Kaiser Family Foundation."

16 Aug 2010

Five tips for seniors researching MA or Medigap plan options

Health Plan One, a general agent in the online health insurance market, seeks to guide seniors to choose carefully when selecting their Medicare Advantage or Medicare supplement plan. Seniors will have only one opportunity to make changes to their Medicare plans during the Annual Enrollment Period this November 15 through December 31.

13 Aug 2010

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

News outlets consider the impact of health reform on insurers — who are seeking flexibility on mandates — as well as changes to premiums, small businesses and emergency room care.

13 Aug 2010

Prescription Drug News and Research

Alexza Pharmaceuticals licenses Staccato nicotine technology to Cypress Bioscience

First Edition: August 26, 2010

Transparency needed in administration of drug benefits by pharmacy benefit managers

Prescription drug abuse soars despite state monitoring programs

Medicare drug plan changes and prices could surprise seniors

Kindred subsidiaries to acquire 5 long-term acute care hospitals from Vista Healthcare

Virginia Attorney Gen. approves stricter oversight on abortion clinics; Indiana fails to follow up inspection reports on nursing homes

Consumers economizing on healthcare in ways that might be dangerous: Poll

Catalyst Health Solutions named on 2010 Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies List

FDA extends review on Acetadote for non-acetaminophen acute liver failure

Medicare Part D cost estimate drops 41%: PCMA

CMS: Seniors will see modest increase in Medicare drug premiums but improved benefits

FDA grants priority review designation of BENLYSTA for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment

Pharmacies in Massachusetts to make available lock boxes for sale

Cigna lobbies to define medical loss ratio on insurers' terms

Pharmacy drug information confusing or lacking, study says

Lotus Pharmaceuticals second-quarter net income increases 32% to $6.3 million

Research Roundup: Disabled Medicare Enrollees' challenges; Increasing ER visits; costs/benefits of Part D

Five tips for seniors researching MA or Medigap plan options

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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