Prescription Drug News and Research

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Rx Locker device to secure prescription medications

Due to the rising statistics about teens and prescription drug abuse, Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of Celebrity Rehab and Loveline, recently debuted the Rx Locker, a device designed to secure prescription medications within the home to restrict unauthorized access and prevent abuse.

7 Jan 2010

Apoteket and Medco Health Solutions develop centralized prescription safety program

Apoteket, Sweden's largest pharmacy chain, and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced that it has developed one of the first national centralized drug utilization review (DUR) programs outside of the United States to improve prescription safety by reducing adverse drug events and thereby reducing the risk of costly hospitalizations.

7 Jan 2010

Diabetes patients with Part D coverage gap are less likely to stick to their medications

Medicare recipients with diabetes who have a gap in their Part D prescription drug benefits—known as the "doughnut hole" — have higher out-of-pocket drug costs and are less likely to stick to their medications than those who have supplemental drug benefits, a new study confirms.

7 Jan 2010

NCPA offers lawmakers updated health care reform recommendations

With Senate and House leaders trying to craft a health care reform bill to send to the White House, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today offered lawmakers updated recommendations for the would-be final legislation.

7 Jan 2010

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal reports that House Democrats who favor a government-run public insurance plan on Tuesday signaled "they are willing to agree to a final health overhaul bill without a government-run health insurance option if other parts of the bill would fulfill the same goals."

7 Jan 2010

SpectraCell Laboratories agrees to become Aetna's contracted in-network provider

SpectraCell Laboratories announced today that it has agreed with Aetna Health, one of the nation's largest health insurers, to become a contracted in-network provider. The contract provides coverage by Aetna of SpectraCell's micronutrient testing, as well as other advanced tests offered by the company.

7 Jan 2010

HealthSpring establishes its presence on popular social media site Facebook

Medicare plan HealthSpring today became the first major Medicare Advantage plan to establish a presence on popular social media site Facebook.

6 Jan 2010

Medicare beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment, says Allsup

Medicare annual enrollment ended Dec. 31, but some beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare services.

6 Jan 2010

Weill Cornell Medical College offers innovative program to teach medical students about health care system

While medical students are required to know the names of every body part and disease, most graduate with only a cursory understanding of how the health care system actually works, and some of the ways it doesn't.

6 Jan 2010

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Expenditures on prescription drugs increased just 3.2 percent in 2008 – the smallest annual rate of increase in 47 years – according to new data released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

6 Jan 2010

Governor's threats to fight health reforms would do more harm than good for Idahoans, says ARRP

As Congress readies to merge the Senate and House health care reform bills, some states, including Idaho, are stepping up to serve as the latest roadblock. Before even seeing the details of the final legislation, Idaho's Governor "Butch" Otter recently announced he would fight reform efforts and possibly sue the United States over the constitutionality of the issue.

6 Jan 2010

MonoSol Rx signs new licensing and development agreement with Strativa Pharmaceuticals

MonoSol Rx, the developers of PharmFilm® technology and a drug delivery company specializing in proprietary pharmaceutical film products, announced today that it has entered into a new licensing and development agreement that grants the option to develop three new products with Strativa Pharmaceuticals, the proprietary products division of a wholly owned subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. ( PRX).

6 Jan 2010

MHA acquires Net-Rx

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), the largest Alternate Site Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) in the country, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Net-Rx. Net-Rx is a leading provider of pharmacy reimbursement management services and offers a full suite of technology products to help pharmacies lower costs and increase profitability.

6 Jan 2010

Health Strategy Associates and WorkCompCentral.com present webinar on managing prescription drug costs

Joseph Paduda, principal of Health Strategy Associates and author of www.ManagedCareMatters.com, has joined forces with WorkCompCentral.com to present Comp Rx Trends on Jan. 12 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST. The 60-minute webinar with a $149 registration fee gives insight into pharmacy cost drivers and comp payers’ approaches to managing drug spend.

5 Jan 2010

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Millions of Americans with significant or chronic pain associated with their medical problems are being under-treated as physicians increasingly fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment - either due to inadequate training, personal biases or fear of prescription drug abuse.

5 Jan 2010

Anti-inflammatory prescription drug reduces the risk of common skin cancer in humans

A widely-available anti-inflammatory prescription drug can reduce the risk of a common skin cancer in humans, according to a researcher at Stanford's School of Medicine.

5 Jan 2010

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

Every Walgreens pharmacy, every day. The once-scarce H1N1 vaccine is now available daily at all of the more than 7,100 Walgreens pharmacies and 350 Take Care Clinics throughout the country.

5 Jan 2010

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

HMS today announced that it has acquired the assets of Verify Solutions, a metropolitan Atlanta-based company specializing in dependent eligibility audit services for employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

5 Jan 2010

FDA grants Priority Review designation for InterMune's NDA for pirfenidone

InterMune, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review and granted Priority Review designation for the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for pirfenidone for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

4 Jan 2010

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan includes U-M Health System in Medicare Advantage PPO plan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has added the University of Michigan Health System to its growing network of Medicare Plus Blue(SM) PPO providers. The move gives seniors who purchase the competitively priced plan access to all of the U-M hospitals and approximately 2,200 providers.

31 Dec 2009

Prescription Drug News and Research

Rx Locker device to secure prescription medications

Apoteket and Medco Health Solutions develop centralized prescription safety program

Diabetes patients with Part D coverage gap are less likely to stick to their medications

NCPA offers lawmakers updated health care reform recommendations

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

SpectraCell Laboratories agrees to become Aetna's contracted in-network provider

HealthSpring establishes its presence on popular social media site Facebook

Medicare beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment, says Allsup

Weill Cornell Medical College offers innovative program to teach medical students about health care system

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Governor's threats to fight health reforms would do more harm than good for Idahoans, says ARRP

MonoSol Rx signs new licensing and development agreement with Strativa Pharmaceuticals

MHA acquires Net-Rx

Health Strategy Associates and WorkCompCentral.com present webinar on managing prescription drug costs

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Anti-inflammatory prescription drug reduces the risk of common skin cancer in humans

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

FDA grants Priority Review designation for InterMune's NDA for pirfenidone

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan includes U-M Health System in Medicare Advantage PPO plan

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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