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Consumers can now access high quality health and medical information on Internet using Medgateway.com

With the vast amount of medical information on the Internet, consumers can spend long hours looking for health and medical information. Consumers can access reliable, high quality health and medical information on the Internet using Medgateway.com. Medgateway provides links to numerous health and medical web sites.

21 Jun 2010

Montana Governor visits Cannabis Science's latest acquisition

Cannabis Science, Inc., a pioneering U.S. biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, is pleased to report that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer visited its latest acquisition, Montana Pain Management in Missoula, yesterday. Governor Schweitzer observed, "You are doing it right."

19 Jun 2010

Research roundup: Medical homes working in poor areas, designing insurance exchanges, health law's effects

Moving Forward On Health Reform - This edition explores the issues relating to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, including the impact of the law on health insurance as well as state and federal governments, large employers and public opinion and opportunities for small physician practices to pool resources in order support medical homes, among others (June 2010).

19 Jun 2010

HBSS reaches $103M settlement with Astra Zeneca

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (HBSS) today announced it has reached a proposed $103 million settlement with Astra Zeneca (AZ) on behalf of consumers and third party purchasers. The class-action lawsuit claimed Astra Zeneca inflated the Average Wholesale Price (AWP), which is used as a benchmark for almost all prescription drug sales in the United States.

19 Jun 2010

Walgreens reaches agreement with CVS Caremark on participation in PBM national retail network

CVS Caremark Corporation and Walgreens today announced that the companies have reached an agreement on terms under which Walgreens will continue participating in the CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) national retail network for existing, new or renewal plans. The companies are not disclosing the financial terms of the new contract.

18 Jun 2010

Alkermes receives tentative schedule notification for FDA advisory committee meeting on VIVITROL sNDA

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company of the tentative scheduling of a Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on September 16, 2010, for the review of the company's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for opioid dependence.

18 Jun 2010

FDA assigns PDUFA action date for Orexigen's Contrave NDA review

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of January 31, 2011 for the review of the Contrave® (naltrexone sustained release (SR)/bupropion SR) New Drug Application (NDA).

17 Jun 2010

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources not to proceed with private placement

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. announces that, due to market conditions, it will not be proceeding with the private placement as announced in a news release dated May 4, 2010.

17 Jun 2010

Proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions involving older Americans doubles: SAMHSA

A new study reveals that between 1992 and 2008 the proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions involving older Americans (aged 50 and older) nearly doubled -- from 6.6 percent of all admissions in 1992 to 12.2 percent in 2008. The study, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also shows a sharp rise during this period in the proportion of older Americans admissions related to illicit drug abuse -- even though alcohol abuse is still the leading cause for admissions involving this age group.

17 Jun 2010

AmWINS Group Benefits re-launches EGWP program to help reverse negative effects of RDS

AmWINS Group Benefits launched the nation's first Employer Group Waiver Plan in 2006, and now in the wake of health care reform is re-launching their program as a direct and immediate approach to help reverse the negative effects of the Retiree Drug Subsidy, now taxable under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

15 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 15, 2010

Susan Jaffe, writing for Kaiser Health News in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "For consumers looking for bargains on refrigerators or restaurants, ratings can be helpful. But a score card doesn't work as well for selecting a Medicare private health plan" (Kaiser Health News).

15 Jun 2010

Behind the Numbers report: Employers' medical costs to increase by 9% in 2011

The nation's employers can expect medical costs to increase by 9 percent in 2011, a decrease of 0.5 percent from the 2010 growth rate, according to the annual Behind the Numbers report published today by the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Health Research Institute. For the first time, the majority of the American workforce is expected to have a health insurance deductible of $400 or more, as more employers return to "indemnity style" cost-sharing by raising out-of-pocket limits, replacing co-pays with co-insurance and adding high-deductible health plans.

15 Jun 2010

Health overhaul skirmishes simmer over government fliers, drug benefits

Republicans are complaining that, while the IRS sent out 4 million fliers to publicize $40 billion in tax credits for small businesses, the agency did not make a similar effort to inform tanning salons and their customers about a new 10 percent tax on their services, Politico reports.

14 Jun 2010

CVS Caremark board authorizes new $2 billion stock repurchase program

CVS Caremark Corporation today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new share repurchase program for up to $2.0 billion of its outstanding common stock. The share repurchase authorization, which is effective immediately and expires at the end of 2011, permits the Company to effect the repurchases from time to time through a combination of open market repurchases, privately negotiated transactions, accelerated share repurchase transactions, and/or other derivative transactions.

14 Jun 2010

Biodel announces schedule for presentations at 70th Scientific Sessions of American Diabetes Association

Biodel Inc. announced today that the following oral and poster presentations describing results from studies of the company's product candidates will be presented during the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association this month in Orlando, Florida:

14 Jun 2010

Dems to seniors: The Medicare checks are in the mail

The Obama administration began mailing $250 checks Thursday to seniors who hit the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole - a notorious gap in coverage - as part of the health overhaul, The Columbus Dispatch reports. "The tax-free, one-time rebate is the first tangible benefit of the new health-care law and the initial step toward phasing out the coverage gap for Medicare recipients with Part D drug coverage and who do not qualify for additional assistance" (Candisky, 6/11).

11 Jun 2010

Waismann Method survey: 88% of individuals taken prescription painkillers for chronic pain relief

According to a recent survey conducted by the Waismann Method of opiate detoxification, doctors prescribing medication for the treatment of chronic pain were found to be the leading source of prescription painkiller use. Approximately 88 percent of all respondents stated they began taking prescription painkillers for chronic pain relief, with an astounding 70 percent of these individuals believing that they experience the same or a greater amount of pain than when originally prescribed painkillers.

11 Jun 2010

Senate Dems point to Medicare rebate checks to improve health law's image

Lawmakers are focusing on different aspects of Medicare policies as Democrats point to Medicare rebates to woo senior citizens and some Republicans are expressing opposition to a targeted Medicare payment provision related to California physicians and included in the Senate's tax extender bill.

11 Jun 2010

Remote monitoring and nurse case management combined improve health of Medicare beneficiaries with CHF

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common causes of hospitalization for elderly Americans, and is also one of the nation's most costly conditions to treat.

10 Jun 2010

$250 checks in the mail for Idaho Medicare beneficiaries in "Rx doughnut hole"

Older Idahoans living in fear of the cost of their next prescription drug may be getting some good news in the mail in the coming days; a $250 check to help. The checks are being mailed automatically to Idaho Medicare beneficiaries who fall into the dreaded Part D prescription drug coverage gap know as the "doughnut hole" – which leaves many stuck paying full price for their drugs, a cost many simply can't afford.

10 Jun 2010

Prescription Drug News and Research

Consumers can now access high quality health and medical information on Internet using Medgateway.com

Montana Governor visits Cannabis Science's latest acquisition

Research roundup: Medical homes working in poor areas, designing insurance exchanges, health law's effects

HBSS reaches $103M settlement with Astra Zeneca

Walgreens reaches agreement with CVS Caremark on participation in PBM national retail network

Alkermes receives tentative schedule notification for FDA advisory committee meeting on VIVITROL sNDA

FDA assigns PDUFA action date for Orexigen's Contrave NDA review

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources not to proceed with private placement

Proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions involving older Americans doubles: SAMHSA

AmWINS Group Benefits re-launches EGWP program to help reverse negative effects of RDS

First Edition: June 15, 2010

Behind the Numbers report: Employers' medical costs to increase by 9% in 2011

Health overhaul skirmishes simmer over government fliers, drug benefits

CVS Caremark board authorizes new $2 billion stock repurchase program

Biodel announces schedule for presentations at 70th Scientific Sessions of American Diabetes Association

Dems to seniors: The Medicare checks are in the mail

Waismann Method survey: 88% of individuals taken prescription painkillers for chronic pain relief

Senate Dems point to Medicare rebate checks to improve health law's image

Remote monitoring and nurse case management combined improve health of Medicare beneficiaries with CHF

$250 checks in the mail for Idaho Medicare beneficiaries in "Rx doughnut hole"

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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