Prescription Drug News and Research

RSS

Approaching the cliff: What's at stake for Medicare and Medicaid?

Medicare and other entitlement programs are in the mix as deficit deal-making takes center stage.

17 Nov 2012

Obama pledges 'substantive changes' to Medicare as part of budget deal

President Barack Obama told the nation's top CEOs Wednesday that he was committed to "substantive changes" to Medicare and other entitlement programs, but Senate Democrats are warning him not to cave on entitlements as negotiations with congressional leaders move forward. Also in the mix, health care providers lobby to counter possible Medicare cuts.

16 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Obama must tell allies that entitlements can't be excluded from fiscal deal; Medical device tax will thwart innovation

As bipartisan negotiations over avoiding the "fiscal cliff" draw nearer, many of President Obama's core Democratic supporters are urging him to fix the debt through defense cuts and tax increases rather than by tackling Social Security, Medicare and other federal entitlement programs. It's a reprise of progressive resistance to the entitlement trims Mr. Obama contemplated during the abortive debt-reduction negotiations with House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) last year.

15 Nov 2012

LA Times investigates doctors' connection to prescription drug abuse

Prescription overdoses kill more people than heroin and cocaine. An L.A. Times review of coroners' records finds that drugs prescribed by a small number of doctors caused or contributed to a disproportionate number of deaths.

14 Nov 2012

FDA accepts Navidea’s resubmitted NDA for Lymphoseek

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on precision diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the filing of the Company's October 30, 2012 resubmission of its New Drug Application (NDA) for Lymphoseek (Technetium Tc 99m Tilmanocept) Injection.

14 Nov 2012

FDA grants Priority Review to ImmunoGen’s trastuzumab emtansine BLA

ImmunoGen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that develops anticancer products using its Targeted Antibody Payload (TAP) technology and antibody expertise, today announced that Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has disclosed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) for trastuzumab emtansine and granted it Priority Review.

7 Nov 2012

Pfizer receives FDA approval for Xeljanz to treat rheumatoid arthritis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to, or who are intolerant of, methotrexate.

6 Nov 2012

Humana to acquire Metropolitan Health Networks

Humana Inc. and Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Humana will acquire Metropolitan in a transaction valued at approximately $850 million plus transaction costs.

5 Nov 2012

Legislation planned to tighten oversight of compounding pharmacies

Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., will introduce legislation requiring compounding pharmacies to meet the sterility, record-keeping and manufacturing standards faced by large drug makers.

3 Nov 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer and Portola partner to conduct clinical study of PRT4445 and ELIQUIS

Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Pfizer Inc. today announced a clinical collaboration agreement to conduct a proof-of-concept study of PRT4445 and the investigational oral Factor Xa inhibitor ELIQUIS (apixaban).

3 Nov 2012

Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb announce data from ELIQUIS clinical trial on AF

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Pfizer Inc. today announced that a large number of data presentations sponsored by the companies on ELIQUIS (apixaban) and the treatment of atrial fibrillation will be presented at the American Heart Association 2012 Scientific Sessions, November 3-7, 2012, in Los Angeles, California.

3 Nov 2012

Health Net provides public with information on how to help prevent diabetes

With November being American Diabetes Month, Health Net, Inc. is providing the public with information on how to help prevent diabetes and how to help live an active lifestyle after being diagnosed with the condition.

3 Nov 2012

Study results show ongoing comparison of prescription drug costs between US and UK

In the United States, the cost paid for statins (drugs to lower cholesterol) in people under the age of 65 who have private insurance continues to exceed comparable costs paid by the government in the United Kingdom by more than three fold.

3 Nov 2012

Hurricane Sandy’s impact on home care: an interview with Joanne Cunningham

Home care agencies, like all health providers, have only a matter of days to prepare for a specific weather event like Hurricane Sandy. However, disaster preparedness planning is a core function of home care service providers.

2 Nov 2012

Encouraging results from Gilead’s TAF Phase 2 trial on HIV-1 infection

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating tenofovir alafenamide fumarate, an investigational novel prodrug of tenofovir for the treatment of HIV-1 infection, met its primary objective.

1 Nov 2012

Roundup: Dallas approves stipend for gay, unmarried employees; Federal judge says Milwaukee can raise retiree contribution

Dallas County will give a stipend to unmarried and gay employees who provide health care benefits to their partners. County commissioners approved the new program in a narrow 3-2 vote, which was split along party lines. Democratic commissioners hailed the move as a way to attract and retain talent, embrace the county's diversity and compete against private companies who already provide domestic partner benefits.

1 Nov 2012

Report: Medicare prescription drug prices remain stable

Prescription drug prices did not increase for other Medicare consumers after pharmaceutical companies gave the government discounts to help seniors deal with a gap in benefits known as the "doughnut hole," a new report shows.

31 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 30, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the campaign landscape as well as issues related to the implementation of the health law.

30 Oct 2012

Romney's vow to repeal health law will be hard to realize; Administration sets up national health plans

Political Pro examines the challenges the GOP presidential nominee would face to dismantle the health law, while the New York Times looks at the government's efforts to set up the nationwide plans mandated by the law.

30 Oct 2012

Catamaran wins top innovation award for enhanced coordination of benefits program

Catamaran Corp., a leading provider of technology and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, was awarded two prestigious awards this month for its continuous dedication to developing innovative solutions that improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

29 Oct 2012