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Antidepressant use among seniors: Falling through Medicare's doughnut hole?

A new study links the gap in Medicare Part D coverage and cutbacks by seniors in using this and other medications.

4 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 3, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that continue to delve into the policy-oriented and political repercussions of last week's high court decision on the health law.

3 Jul 2012

FDA accepts BLA filing and grants Priority Review to ThromboGenics' ocriplasmin

ThromboGenics NV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative ophthalmic medicines, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has informed the Company that it has officially accepted the filing of the Biologics License Application for ocriplasmin intravitreal injection, 2.5 mg/ml and granted it Priority Review.

3 Jul 2012

Catalyst Health Solutions, SXC complete merger

SXC Health Solutions Corp., a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services and healthcare information technology (HCIT) solutions to the healthcare benefits management industry, announces that it has completed its previously disclosed merger of Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc. with a wholly-owned subsidiary of SXC.

3 Jul 2012

Onyx commences ENDEAVOR Kyprolis Phase 3 trial for relapsed multiple myeloma

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the company has begun enrollment in the ENDEAVOR trial, a Phase 3 trial evaluating Kyprolis in combination with dexamethasone, versus bortezomib with dexamethasone in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

2 Jul 2012

Study tracks changes in spending, prices, and use of health care services by children

Spending on health care for children grew faster than spending for adults between 2007 and 2010 due to increasing prices for all categories of goods and services, finds a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).

2 Jul 2012

Rutgers explains significance of Supreme Court upholding the health care law

The Supreme Court upheld the core of President Obama's health care overhaul, ruling that the government can require all Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty.

2 Jul 2012

Bayer receives priority review designation from FDA for regorafenib NDA

Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review designation to Bayer HealthCare's New Drug Application (NDA) filed end of April 2012 for the oral multi-kinase inhibitor regorafenib, for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) whose disease has progressed after approved standard therapies.

29 Jun 2012

Harmonizing prescription drug plans can help save millions of dollars

Taxpayers could save millions of dollars if hospitals and provincial governments harmonized their prescription drug plans, new research suggests.

28 Jun 2012

Cigna enters agreement with Humana to purchase Medicare Advantage plans in Texas, Arkansas

Cigna today announced that it has come to an agreement with Humana to purchase select Medicare Advantage plans in Texas and Arkansas. The plans in the three markets - Amarillo, Longview-Marshall and Texarkana - are part of a previously announced government-stipulated divestiture for Humana to complete its acquisition of Arcadian Health.

28 Jun 2012

State roundup: Rules would ban collections in nonprofit ERs

The U.S. Department of Treasury released proposed regulations Monday that would ban debt collection activities in the emergency rooms of non-profit hospitals. The proposed restriction comes in the wake of a lawsuit by Minnesota's attorney general alleging Fairview Health Systems former contractor, Accretive Health hit up patients in emergency rooms for payment before treatment. The Treasury Department has proposed adding regulations to a part of the federal health care law to protect patients from abusive collection practices.

27 Jun 2012

Alexza resubmits ADASUVE NDA to U.S. FDA

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has resubmitted its ADASUVE New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to a Complete Response Letter (CRL) received in May 2012.

22 Jun 2012

Congress considers Medicare, FDA proposals

The Senate Finance Committee is once again talking deficit reduction and Medicare as both houses are "poised" to pass an FDA bill.

21 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Health law can be intensely personal; Insurers' promises miss the mark

Whenever I read or hear objections to "Obamacare," I think about my friend's son. The son had cancer when he was a teenager. Thankfully, his dad had health insurance -- through his job. A job that he lost. He has a new job now, but like so many new jobs, it doesn't pay as much -- and it doesn't come with benefits. Fortunately, his son seems to have beaten the cancer. And the family now has health insurance from the mom's job. So the son, thanks to "Obamacare," can be insured through his parents.

21 Jun 2012

FDA ODAC votes in favor of Onyx’s Kyprolis

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) determined by a vote of 11-0 with 1 abstention that, in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior lines of therapy that included a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent (IMiD), the benefit-risk assessment is favorable for the use of Kyprolis.

21 Jun 2012

Mylan's new online resource seeks to dispel common misconceptions about generic drugs

Mylan Pharmaceuticals ULC, the Canadian subsidiary of Mylan Inc., announced today the introduction of a new online resource, ChoosingGenerics.ca, to help Canadians learn more about the value, reliability and quality of generic pharmaceuticals. The website is a public awareness tool that seeks to dispel common misconceptions and help Canadians learn more about the benefits of generic drugs.

18 Jun 2012

Illinois to cut $1.6B in health costs; Medicaid advocates protest

The cuts include eliminating some popular programs, raising some co-pays and creates a system for hospital exemptions from taxes.

16 Jun 2012

Roundup: Calpers rate hike approved; Painkiller databases slow abuse in Mass., Minn.; Health workers authorize strike in Philly

The California Public Employees' Retirement System, the third-largest purchaser of health benefits in the country, approved a 9.6 percent increase in health premiums next year for its nearly 1.3 million members.

15 Jun 2012

EvaluatePharma releases World Preview 2018 report

EvaluatePharma, the premier provider of pharmaceutical and biotech analysis including consensus forecasts, today released its World Preview 2018 report, providing an in-depth look at how the patent cliff will reshape the drug industry over the next six years — with valuable insight into which companies and products will come out as winners.

14 Jun 2012

Obama administration warns about what's at stake in health law decision

Federal officials and health policy experts forecast what the future might hold if the Supreme Court overturns, or upholds the health law. Also, surveys highlight how employers plan to react to the decision, and how the law might help stabilize certain aspects of the insurance market.

13 Jun 2012