Prescription Drug News and Research

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First Edition: August 6, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that details how politics play a role in the nation's health care gap between red and blue states.

6 Aug 2014

Costly specialty drugs drive up Medicare tab

ProPublica and The New York Times look at the explosive spending growth from an obscure medication for treating multiple sclerosis and a rare kidney disease -- and how several top prescribers have links to drugmaker, Questcor Pharmaceuticals.

5 Aug 2014

Roundtable discussion on heroin and prescription drug abuse

Jersey Shore University Medical Center hosted a roundtable discussion on August 4, led by Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini, to discuss the continued growth in heroin and prescription drug abuse in the shore community.

5 Aug 2014

Aeterna Zentaris signs strategic co-promotion services agreement with ASCEND

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced a strategic co-promotion services agreement with ASCEND Therapeutics US, LLC.

5 Aug 2014

Medicare drug premiums to rise $1 a month in 2015

The modest increase of the monthly premium to $32 comes even as officials are concerned about the impact of expensive specialty drugs, such as Sovaldi, which cures hepatitis C but costs $1,000 a pill.

3 Aug 2014

State highlights: New York state faces $1.3B Medicaid payback problem while Mayor De Blasio advances plan to reduce city employees' health costs

When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his first labor agreements with New York City unions this spring, he was sharply criticized for granting long-awaited wage increases in exchange for promises of unspecified though sizable savings on health care expenses (Greenhouse and Stewart, 7/29).

31 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 30, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of health policy headines, including news from Capitol Hill on the Senate confirmation of Robert McDonald to head the VA.

30 Jul 2014

FDA approves use of Imbruvica to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Imbruvica (ibrutinib) to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who carry a deletion in chromosome 17 (17p deletion), which is associated with poor responses to standard treatment for CLL. Imbruvica received a breakthrough therapy designation for this use.

29 Jul 2014

Minister Ambrose calls for proposals to tackle prescription drug abuse

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, today issued a national Call for Proposals to improve the prescribing practices for prescription drugs that have a high risk of abuse or addiction.

26 Jul 2014

Longer looks: the economics of infertility; placebos as treatment raises ethical dilemmas

About a decade ago, Medicaid programs were struggling to keep up with skyrocketing prescription drug costs. Between 1997 and 2002, drug spending in the program for low-income Americans grew by about 20 percent annually. ... Medicaid directors began looking for ways to tamp down on those costs. One of the most popular policies was something called "prior authorization" for a new wave of more expensive, anti-psychotic drugs ,... These policies, in a sense, worked: they helped rein in how much Medicaid spent filling prescriptions. But in another sense, they may not have worked at all: a growing body of research has begun questioning whether restricting drug spending may have just shifted costs elsewhere -; particularly, into the prison system (Sarah Kliff, 7/22).

25 Jul 2014

Oregano and rosemary help lower glucose in blood

The popular culinary herbs oregano and rosemary are packed with healthful compounds, and now lab tests show they could work in much the same way as prescription anti-diabetic medication, scientists report.

24 Jul 2014

FDA approves Targiniq ER to treat severe pain

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Targiniq ER (oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride extended-release tablets), an extended-release/long-acting (ER/LA) opioid analgesic to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.

24 Jul 2014

State highlights: Iowa invests in autism program; rural docs feel the pinch of Wisconsin's low Medicaid payments

A selection of health policy stories from New York, Missouri, Texas, Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

22 Jul 2014

For Medicare, good news for future, changes in hospice rules

And a new report by a conservative group identifies Medicare Advantage cuts by congressional district.

22 Jul 2014

First Edition: July, 21, 2014

Today's headlines include a story about an effort by regulators to widen insurer networks, as well as a range of other health policy developments.

21 Jul 2014

Research roundup: ACA lawsuit primer; ACA strategies in 4 states; competitive plans for those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the ACA, but that did not end attacks against the law. Since the decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, objecting parties have filed more than 100 cases in federal courts nationwide.

21 Jul 2014

National Med Care partners with Taking You Forward for marketing pharmaceutical products in the U.S.

Richmond Private Equity Group Limited announced today that its "portfolio company", National Med Care Ltd, a Salt Lake City Utah, based pharmaceutical marketing firm has entered into an agreement with Taking You Forward Inc., a Cebu Philippines based BPO firm to form a joint venture for the marketing of its compound pharmaceutical products in the United States.

18 Jul 2014

New study finds highest rates of decline in prescription drug misuse nationwide

Five states that have implemented multi-faceted prescription drug abuse prevention programs in recent years showed the highest rate of decline in prescription drug misuse rates nationwide, according to a new study issued today by Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services.

From Quest Diagnostics 17 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Lower health spending is welcome news; media bias against health law success

The last few years have seen a puzzling and welcome new trend in health care spending: Instead of going up and up, increases have slowed way down.

17 Jul 2014

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing and prescribing omissions in older adults examined by new study from RCSI

A new study from RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) and Trinity College Dublin, which examined the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) and prescribing omissions in older Irish adults, has found that 14% of people over the age of 65 has been prescribed at least one inappropriate form of medication in their lives and 30% have not been prescribed clinically indicated medications, at least once in their lives. The

16 Jul 2014

Prescription Drug News and Research

First Edition: August 6, 2014

Costly specialty drugs drive up Medicare tab

Roundtable discussion on heroin and prescription drug abuse

Aeterna Zentaris signs strategic co-promotion services agreement with ASCEND

Medicare drug premiums to rise $1 a month in 2015

State highlights: New York state faces $1.3B Medicaid payback problem while Mayor De Blasio advances plan to reduce city employees' health costs

First Edition: July 30, 2014

FDA approves use of Imbruvica to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Minister Ambrose calls for proposals to tackle prescription drug abuse

Longer looks: the economics of infertility; placebos as treatment raises ethical dilemmas

Oregano and rosemary help lower glucose in blood

FDA approves Targiniq ER to treat severe pain

State highlights: Iowa invests in autism program; rural docs feel the pinch of Wisconsin's low Medicaid payments

For Medicare, good news for future, changes in hospice rules

First Edition: July, 21, 2014

Research roundup: ACA lawsuit primer; ACA strategies in 4 states; competitive plans for those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid

National Med Care partners with Taking You Forward for marketing pharmaceutical products in the U.S.

New study finds highest rates of decline in prescription drug misuse nationwide

Viewpoints: Lower health spending is welcome news; media bias against health law success

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing and prescribing omissions in older adults examined by new study from RCSI

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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