News

The Affordable Care Act saved Medicare recipients more than $3 billion on prescription drugs and 12.1 million recipients used a free preventive service in the first four months of 2012, the government said in a news release today

FDA has notified healthcare professionals that it is aware of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reporting a small increase in cardiovascular deaths and in the risk of death from any cause in persons treated with a 5-day course of azithromycin (Zithromax) compared to persons treated with amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, or no drug.

FDA has approved generic versions of clopidogrel tablets USP (Plavix, Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb), 75 mg and 300 mg.

A law that took effect in December would allow insurers to sell policies across state lines has no takers. The law was supposed to allow the free market to lower prices and increase choice.

Despite the fact that the federal government has not approved requests to waive a number regulations that would thwart it, Kansas is moving ahead with its KanCare Medicaid overhaul

Great American Supplemental Benefits Group, one of the largest manufacturers, distributors, and marketers of supplemental health insurance products in the United States, is being acquired by Cigna Corporation for around $295 million in cash

The ability of adults to obtain basic healthcare services in the United States has declined in nearly every state over the last decade, especially among those without insurance, according to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

UnitedHealthcare is offering SignatureValue Alliance in California, a new health benefits plan that features what it calls "high-performance" care provider networks aimed at delivering effective, evidence-based and cost-efficient care

Hospira is voluntarily recalling one lot of hydromorphone injection, USP, 1 mg/mL (C-II), 1-mL fill in 2.5-mL Carpuject, NDC 0409-1283-31, after complaints that a single Carpuject contained more than the 1-mL labeled fill volume, according to a press release posted on the FDA website.

Pharmacists need additional guidance on the handling of biosimilar products in the pharmacy when these products become more widely available following the approval of the biosimilar pathway, said Marcie Bough, senior director of government affairs, APhA, speaking at an FDA hearing last week.

FDA?s Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee has recommended approval of once-daily oral emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada, Gilead Sciences) to reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection among uninfected adults.

Youth diagnosed with type 2 diabetes may require a combination treatment or insulin therapy within a few years after diagnosis, according to a study published online April 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Bariatric surgery plus medical therapy may be a useful strategy for managing uncontrolled diabetes, according to the results of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis were at twice the risk of infection compared with children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a study published May 1 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Current use of warfarin as a stroke prevention therapy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is associated with a lower rate of residual stroke or systemic embolism compared with previous data, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is warning about the severe side effects associated with infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn?s disease, and other autoimmune disorders.

US healthcare costs associated with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) climbed from $39,400 in 2000 to $53,400 in 2009, and state Medicaid programs paid for the majority of the cases. Approximately 3.39 per 1,000 hospital births in 2009 had NAS compared with 1.20 in 2000, according to a report published online from JAMA.

Drug Watch: Multiple sclerosis

New molecular entity: FDA approved Ivacaftor, a treatment of cystic fibrosis for patients with a G551D mutation in the CFTR gene

A recent study indicated that publicly reporting quality data to CMS has not lead to a reduction in mortality.

With the aging of the US population, elective total hip and knee replacement operations have become more prevalent, and costs to the healthcare system for these procedures are increasing rapidly. This includes costs related to treatment of venous thromboembolism, which may be a consequence of these operations if appropriate postoperative thromboprophylaxis is not administered.

Recent FDA action (through April 2012) related to, Dihydroergotamine, Levadex inhalation aerosol, droxidopa, Northera, Amitriptyline 4% ketamine 2% cream, AmiKet, Afilbercept, ZALTRAP, Nav rAAV8 vector, Carbamazepine, Carbatrol, Vancomycin hydrochloride, Vancocin, Irbesartan, irbesartan-hydrochloriderothiazide, Avapro, Avalide, Fluvastatin, Lescol

Drospirenone-containing birth control pills may be associated with a higher risk for blood clots than other progestin-containing pills, according to recent FDA observational (epidemiologic) studies.

Patients with coronary heart disease who used statins were at a decreased risk of depression; whether there is a cause-and effect relationship, however, merits further research, according to a study published online February 21 in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Apixiban (Eliquis) is an orally active factor Xa inhibitor. Its manufacturers are seeking FDA approval to market apixaban to reduce risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular AF (NVAF).

New formulation: FDA approved Exenatide extended-release, a once-weekly treatment (along with diet and exercise) to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in multiple clinical settings

Recent FDA Approvals (through April 2012) related to (Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Affymax, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Avioq, Hope Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals)

A report for the American College of Cardiology's Scientific Session & Expo

Are drug-price guarantees here to stay?

The face of pharmacy benefit management continues to change in the wake of the $29.1 billion merger.