Prescription Drug News and Research

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Want an IUD? Take note of Trump’s new birth control policy.

The Trump administration's recently announced changes to health insurance rules have raised concerns among people wondering how they'll be affected. This week, I address some of the questions likely on people's minds.

17 Oct 2017

New online tool offers opioid prescribing recommendations after surgery

How many prescription pain pills should a patient receive after breast cancer surgery? Or a hernia repair? Or a gallbladder removal?

16 Oct 2017

Social security giveth, medical costs taketh away

Retirees spent on average more than a third of their Social Security benefits on out-of-pocket medical costs in 2014, according to a recent study. Even after factoring in other sources of income, medical spending still took a substantial 18 percent bite out of seniors' total retirement income, the study found.

13 Oct 2017

Anthem eases up on premium hikes after state scrutiny

Insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross agreed to reduce two planned premium increases for 2018 after California regulators questioned the company's rationale for raising rates by as much as it had initially proposed.

12 Oct 2017

Medicare plans place few restrictions on coverage of prescription opioids, Yale study finds

Medicare plans place few restrictions on the coverage of prescription opioids, despite federal guidelines recommending such restrictions, a new Yale study finds. The research results highlight an untapped opportunity for Medicare formularies to limit opioid prescribing, the researchers said.

10 Oct 2017

New law challenges ‘evils’ of pharma profits, California governor claims

California Gov. Jerry Brown defied the drug industry Monday by signing a sweeping drug price transparency bill that will force drugmakers to publicly justify big price hikes.

9 Oct 2017

Shifting toward novel pricing models that closely link drug's price to its value

One of the health care issues about which seemingly all Americans agree: Prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. And they keep going higher.

9 Oct 2017

Hepatitis C drug’s lower cost paves way for Medicaid, prisons to expand treatment

Valerie Green is still waiting to be cured. The Delaware resident was diagnosed with hepatitis C more than two years ago, but she doesn't qualify yet for the Medicaid program's criteria for treatment with a new class of highly effective but pricey drugs. The recent approval of a less expensive drug that generally cures hepatitis C in just eight weeks may make it easier for more insurers and correctional facilities to expand treatment.

3 Oct 2017

Out-of-pocket costs often keep pricey new cholesterol drugs out of reach, study finds

Access to powerful new cholesterol-lowering drugs is so tightly controlled and patients' out-of-pocket costs are so high that fewer than a third of people whose doctors prescribe the drugs get them, a new study found.

30 Sep 2017

Study uncovers disturbing trends in prescribing opioids for nonmalignant chronic pain

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 90 Americans die every day by overdosing on opioids. While heroin and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl account for part of the crisis, in 2015 about 2 million people in the U.S. suffered from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers.

27 Sep 2017

Study highlights experiences of addiction treatment professionals post-Hurricane Katrina

Ten years post-Hurricane Katrina, experts have reflected on the aftermath through the eyes of addiction treatment professionals to become better prepared for future tragedies.

27 Sep 2017

Right after Trump blamed high drug prices on campaign cash, drugmakers gave more

"The cost of medicine in this country is outrageous," President Donald Trump said at a rally in Louisville, Ky., two months after his inauguration. He went on about how identical pills have vastly lower price tags in Europe.

27 Sep 2017

Prescription drug linked to marked slowing of stomach emptying and weight loss

Liraglutide injection, a prescription medication used to treat type-2 diabetes and obesity is associated with marked slowing of stomach emptying and is an effective weight loss therapy. These are the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Mayo Clinic researchers published today in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

26 Sep 2017

FDA participates in major global operation to target illegal prescription drugs sold online

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, recently took action against more than 500 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved versions of prescription medicines, including opioids, antibiotics and injectable epinephrine products to American consumers.

25 Sep 2017

Beta blockers offer no additional benefit for heart attack patients who take other drugs

A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds beta blockers are not needed after a heart attack if heart-attack survivors are taking ACE inhibitors and statins.

19 Sep 2017

Without price breaks, rural hospitals struggle to stock costly, lifesaving drugs

Hospital pharmacist Mandy Langston remembers when Lulabelle Berry arrived at Stone County Medical Center's emergency department last year.

18 Sep 2017

FDA moves to guard against abuse of ‘orphan drug’ program

The Food and Drug Administration is changing the way it approves medicines known as "orphan drugs" after revelations that drugmakers may be abusing a law intended to help patients with rare diseases.

13 Sep 2017

Meningitis B vaccine’s high price tag poses a health care conundrum

Four years ago, when meningitis B, an extremely rare but potentially lethal form of the infection, sickened a small number of college students at Princeton and the University of California-Santa Barbara, there was no vaccine against the disease sold in the U.S. Despite its availability abroad, it had never been licensed in the country due to its limited marketability.

8 Sep 2017

St. Kitts launches probe of herpes vaccine tests on U.S. patients

The government of St. Kitts and Nevis has launched an investigation into the clinical trial for a herpes vaccine by an American company because it said its officials were not notified about the experiments.

31 Aug 2017

Pioneering cancer gene therapy gets green light — and $475,000 price tag

The country's first approved gene therapy — approved Wednesday to fight leukemia that resists standard therapies — will cost $475,000 for a one-time treatment, its manufacturer announced.

30 Aug 2017

Prescription Drug News and Research

Want an IUD? Take note of Trump’s new birth control policy.

New online tool offers opioid prescribing recommendations after surgery

Social security giveth, medical costs taketh away

Anthem eases up on premium hikes after state scrutiny

Medicare plans place few restrictions on coverage of prescription opioids, Yale study finds

New law challenges ‘evils’ of pharma profits, California governor claims

Shifting toward novel pricing models that closely link drug's price to its value

Hepatitis C drug’s lower cost paves way for Medicaid, prisons to expand treatment

Out-of-pocket costs often keep pricey new cholesterol drugs out of reach, study finds

Study uncovers disturbing trends in prescribing opioids for nonmalignant chronic pain

Study highlights experiences of addiction treatment professionals post-Hurricane Katrina

Right after Trump blamed high drug prices on campaign cash, drugmakers gave more

Prescription drug linked to marked slowing of stomach emptying and weight loss

FDA participates in major global operation to target illegal prescription drugs sold online

Beta blockers offer no additional benefit for heart attack patients who take other drugs

Without price breaks, rural hospitals struggle to stock costly, lifesaving drugs

FDA moves to guard against abuse of ‘orphan drug’ program

Meningitis B vaccine’s high price tag poses a health care conundrum

St. Kitts launches probe of herpes vaccine tests on U.S. patients

Pioneering cancer gene therapy gets green light — and $475,000 price tag

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