MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'health solutions'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:30:09 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107892&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fk0gsqWimymU%2F A bill in New York to prohibit health insurers from requiring their customers use mail-order pharmacies was criticized by the Federal Trade Commission as a well-intentioned effort that, nonetheless, could have an anti-competitive outcome, according to a letter written by the agency to one of the sponsors of the legislation. The bill has passed both the state senate and assembly, and awaits a signature from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. In explaining its position, the FTC acknowledged that the bill (which you can read here) was designed to increase consumer choice and limit the ability of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, from penalizing consumers who do not purchase their meds from mail-order pharmacies. You may recall that the largest PBMs, including CVS/Caremark, Express Scripts and ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107892 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:09:09 +0100 5107892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062501&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FBxxWwaHNRcQ%2F Hello, everyone. How was your weekend? We apologize for the delay this morning but the Pharmalot corporate campus was without juice, so we have had to switch to our Red Alert mode. We trust you understand. To cope, we are downing unusually large cups of stimulation. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits. And the usual flow of interesting items will soon appear. Have a great day… Bayer’s Xarelto Bloodthinner Matched Warfarin In Safety Study (Bloomberg News) FDA Rejects J&J’s Simponi For Additional Use (Associated Press) Prescription Drug Prices To Plunge As Patents Expire (Associated Press) Medicis CEO In The Spotlight After Deaths At His Mansion (Los Angeles Times) Express Scripts Deal With Medco Could Pressure Pharma (Dow Jones) Lupin And Medicis Sign R&D Agreement ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062501 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:48:52 +0100 5062501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968905&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FkCs8X6zlPB8%2F Earlier this week, Medco Health Solutions, the big pharmacy benefits manager, struck an unusual deal with Sanofi to help the drugmaker navigate the path from laboratory to formulary placement. Specifically, Medco will provide input on clinical trial design, help develop comparative effectiveness data and review usage of existing medications to improve patient adherence. The move reflects a growing awareness among drugmakers that designing and testing a compound for FDA approval is no longer the only key hurdle to winning sales and market share. We spoke with Robert Epstein, Medco’s clinical research and development officer, about the deal… Pharmalot: You’re saying this is the first deal of this sort. But the problems you hope to address aren’t new, right? Epstein: It’s been very ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968905 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:25:12 +0100 4968905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945194&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FR9N3q5e2SFU%2F In a preliminary vote, the Maine legislature yesterday moved to repeal a 2003 law that was created to protect consumers from rising drug prices and prevent fraud by pharmacy benefit managers. The vote was prompted by industry lobbying over charges that transparency requirements had discouraged PBMs from doing business in the state, which was resulting in less competition and higher drug costs. The controversial law, which is called the Unfair Prescription Drug Practices Act, prevents PBMs from switching patients to more expensive drugs while also protecting consumers from co-payments when the actual drug price is cheaper. And PBMs are also required to pay independent pharmacies promptly and negotiate prices in good faith (here is the 2003 law and the bill to repeal the law). Those who foug... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945194 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:37:52 +0100 4945194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872476&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fl6OCIRjRzwE%2F And so another working week is about to come to an end, which means we can daydream about weekend plans. Our modest agenda includes hanging out with the short people and catching up on some reading. What about you? Maybe a dip in the pool? A walk in the park? Perhaps gazing into the future? This side of the pond has a three-day break, of course, so there will be more time to indulge. Whatever you do, have a great time and see you soon… Novartis Found Not Liable For Jaw Disease (Reuters) Medco Loses Blue Cross Blue Shield Contract (Reuters) Trimeris Gets $5M In Roche Settlement (Triangle Business Journal) Pharma Protests UK Pricing Plan (Bloomberg News) AstraZeneca Confirms Endings Payments For Docs To Attend Meetings (Reuters) CMS Proposes Looser E-Prescribing Rules (Internal Medicin... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872476 Fri, 27 May 2011 12:09:07 +0100 4872476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829034&cid=t_122757_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FBHnoLVW6vfw%2F Last month, I asked if anyone has been successful with an EMR for mental health. I wondered if an iPad might make it easier for a psychotherapist to take electronic notes during a session without making the patient feel like the computer was getting in the way, because a desktop PC certainly would be a distraction. I also wondered about where mental health fits in the realm of truly comprehensive EHRs. (Yes, I make a distinction between EHR and EMR here, since, while it’s important to have a complete medication list to avoid harmful interactions, there’s little reason why an orthopedist or dermatologist would need to know whether a patient had been diagnosed with a mental illness. The same goes for records of sexually transmitted diseases or any other condition that patients ma... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829034 Tue, 17 May 2011 03:09:29 +0100 4829034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828786&cid=t_122757_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F05%2Frevolutionary-healthcare-technology-emerging-treatment-horizon%2F Researchers and medical pioneers are claiming that medicine is about to enter a golden age of technological advancement, including telesurgery, nanobiomachines, and pharmacogenomics based care. Roger Smith of the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancements, Dr. Ranjan Perera of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, and Dr. Jane Berlow of Medco Health Solutions comment. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828786 Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:21 +0100 4828786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309850&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FY5B_olrn3eo%2F Even as the pharmaceutical industry hunkers down by cutting jobs, closing plants and eliminating research projects, there are areas where some growth occurs. And one example appears to be construction on plants and research centers across North America, at least according to research compiled by Industrial Info Resources, a research firm that tracks construction projects. In a recent report, IIR talled 85 facilities that were completed last year by drug and device makers, biotechs, diagnostics companies and government-backed research centers, including incubators. These projects represented a potential total investment value of $7.1 billion, which includes both original construction costs and possible future phases that are already planned or under consideration. This is up from the 76 th... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309850 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:02:59 +0100 4309850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105840&cid=t_122757_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FzhPYbx7FCjA%2F Malpractice Methodology (New York Times OpEd by Peter Orszag) Right now, health care is more evidence-free than you might think. And even where evidence-based clinical guidelines exist, research suggests that doctors follow them only about half of the time. One estimate suggests that it takes 17 years on average to incorporate new research findings into widespread practice. As a result, any clinical guidelines that exist often have limited impact. How might we encourage doctors to adopt new evidence more quickly? If this is the case with health care overall, despite much progress over the last 30–40 years, imagine how worse it may be when we talk about brain health, when neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience are relatively more recent disciplines. This is a key insight to keep in m... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105840 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:09:04 +0100 4105840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872552&cid=t_122757_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatients-are-avoiding-healthcare-because-of-costs%2F2010.08.16 One in five Americans didn’t seek medical care for a recent illness or injury, often because of the cost, according to a survey of adults polled by a healthcare consulting firm, and the number of people who saw a doctor fell as well. Four out of 10 adults said the cost was the main reason not to seek care, a trend that be driven by unemployment and health insurance costs, said a survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. They surveyed more than 4,000 adults. Also, 79 percent of respondents sought medical attention from a doctor or other health care professional in 2010, down from 85 percent in 2009. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872552 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:00:00 +0100 3872552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706676&cid=t_122757_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedicaid-in-a-squeeze%2F2010.06.28 New reports peg Medicaid’s future as dismal and unsustainable, as states struggle for ways to pay for the rising costs of caring for their poorest residents. The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions study, “Medicaid Long-Term Care: The Ticking Time Bomb,” estimates Medicaid costs will nearly double as a percentage of state budgets by 2030, or perhaps nearly triple. Meanwhile, the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates Medicaid expansion will cost $464.7 billion by 2019. The federal government will cover $443.5 billion (95.4 percent) and the states will cover the remaining $21.2 billion. Minnesota won’t expand its Medicaid program until 2014 because of budget fears. Connecticut will. (The Fiscal Times, MedPage Today, Reuters... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706676 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0100 3706676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683874&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fs0oRUJccZDM%2F Welcome back. We hope your weekend was restful and invigorating. Now, of course, the routine returns as those meetings and deadlines beckon. For our part, we will break later today to watch one of the short people accept a well-deserved diploma. Excelsior, as they say. Meanwhile, enjoy a cup of stimulation and survey some news of the world. Hope your day is a good one… Cannabis Drug Goes On Sale In The UK (The Wall Street Journal) Lilly Trims Public Relations Staff (Indiana Business Journal) Valeant Pharma And Biovail Agree To Merge (Bloomberg News) Sigma Pharma Chairman Resigns (Sydney Morning Herald) NJ Budget Cut Proposals Will Hurt Biotechs (NJSpotlight) Medco And Celesio Form European Joint Venture (Bloomberg News) Amylin Lays Off 60 Employees (San Diego Union-Tribune) Medicis P... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683874 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:34:44 +0100 3683874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3494487&cid=t_122757_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fdesign-challenge-five-minutes-with-our-venture-capitalist-judge.html A new addition to our DiabetesMine Design Challenge Judges’ Panel this year is John Steuart, Managing Director of Claremont Creek Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early stage information technology companies. John himself has spent the last 20 years building and investing in technology and life science companies, so you might say [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3494487 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:00:31 +0100 3494487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2973921&cid=t_122757_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FLHhIh9dps8s%2F The following guest post on the subject of drug adherence is written by Julie Murchinson, Founder, Health 2.0 Accelerator and Managing Director with Manatt Health Solutions. The tools are coming! The tools are coming! For a while now, tools to manage drug adherence have been developed, many designed to enable the patient to self-manage in the context of and in collaboration with the health care system from a specifically designed device or heavy application. Patient adoption, however, has been slow and the vision for self-management of drug adherence not yet reality. But recently from the budding Health 2.0 space, we are seeing tools built on more accessible web and mobile platforms that allow patients to manage when and where they want to with their mobile device (e.g. iPhone, Blackberry,... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2973921 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:57:11 +0100 2973921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1907885&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F430641937%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here’s a new approach we hope to make a regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that RXi Pharmaceuticals, which is developing drugs based on RNAi, or RNA interference, has hired Anastasia Khvorova as chief scientific officer. Prior to joining RXi, she spent six years at Dharmacon, most recently as ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1907885 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:52:50 +0100 1907885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652563&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F344533233%2F A rainy day here in the nation’s medicine chest. We are spending our morning waiting for a long overdue check-up of the official Pharmalot limo to wrap up. We hope the start of your day is more pleasant. So grab a cup of stimulation or a bottle of water, if you prefer, and catch up with these… Waiting On Wyeth’s Alzheimer’s Drug (Bloomberg News) Bristol-Myers Profit Jumps; More Cuts Planned (press release) Lilly’s Profit Rise Is Helped By Taxes (Yahoo/Reuters) Genetic Test May Predict Statin Risk (Bloomberg News) Medco Health Profit Beats Estimates (Yahoo/Reuters) ImClone Profit Falls On Higher Costs (Yahoo/Reuters) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652563 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:10:04 +0100 1652563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1472693&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F299338401%2F The big pharmacy benefits manager struck a deal with 28 states over charges that consumers were misled when docs were encouraged to cholesterol drugs under the guise of controlling costs. The agreement resolving a four-year investigation and follows a similar $38.5 million multistate settlement in February with Caremark, and settlement with Medco Health Solutions three years ago. “Today’s settlement completes our effort to clean up the PBM industry,” Vermont’s Attorney General Bill Sorrell says in a statement. “Now that all three of the nation’s largest PBMs are under orders from our office and the court to reform their practices, we expect that the rest of the industry will take notice and follow the requirements we have established.” Through the agreements, the states &... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1472693 Tue, 27 May 2008 21:02:26 +0100 1472693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1346249&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F262770902%2F The answer may not be known for weeks, even months, but already one big insurer is pulling back and two big pharmacy benefits managers will review their reimbursement policies. In other words, the money machine that was Vytorin may be on the verge of unraveling. For instance, Cigna will no longer recommend Vytorin as an alternative for patients who currently use higher-priced cholesterol drugs that aren’t covered. “That particular step therapy is being suspended,” a Cigna spokeswoman tells The Star-Ledger of New Jersey. The insurer’s pharmacy and therapeutics committee will decide later about any further changes. And UnitedHealth will also conduct a review. “As of now we aren’t making any changes but we’ll clearly review the evidence as it’s ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1346249 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:44:21 +0100 1346249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1250426&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F239479388%2F David Snow may be a Republican, but he knows when legislation is in his best interest. And efforts by Democrats to make biogenerics a reality and to create a safety net for millions of uninsured Americans will mean more business for Medco Health Solutions, the pharmacy benefits manager that he runs. Dave doesn’t say who’ll win his vote in the upcoming election, but he does sound happy in an interview with The Star-Ledger of New Jersey (which owns Pharmalot). Here is an excerpt… SL: Wal-Mart could be moving into the pharmacy-benefits business. Are you worried? Snow: A lot of people shake in their boots when they hear the name Wal-Mart in any industry. This is a very, very complicated business with serious barriers to entry. I just don’t think they’re going to p... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1250426 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:16:16 +0100 1250426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1037062&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F187400134%2F Our apologies for the disruption in service. An unexpected matter arose concerning one of the short people (actually, the oldest one now towers over yours truly, but the moniker remains) and we were unable to return sooner. However, we will be on hand for the usual flow of events later and, of course, tomorrow. We look forward to seeing you. Meanwhile, here are a few items that arrived in our absence… Gilead And Bristol Challenge Glaxo In HIV Market (CNNMoney.com) Medco Poised To Further Exploit Generics, Analyst Says (Yahoo/AP) Medtronic Earnings Fall On Product Recall (CNNMoney.com) FDA To Review CV Therapeutics’ Ranexa (Yahoo/AP) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1037062 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:29:58 +0100 1037062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1022534&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F184096032%2F Finally, the kids are off to school. The dog has pooped. And the coffee in the Pharmalot conference room is piping hot. What better way to enjoy the morning than with a clear head and a screen full of interesting items? And so here they are…. Pharmaceutical Underwriters Are Migrating North (Canadian Underwriter) Drug Costs Hurt Retiree Savings: Medco Survey (Yahoo/AP) Roche, Novartis And J&J’s Ortho Settle Patent Dispute (Bloomberg News) VaxGen And Raven Biotechnologies Agree To Merger (PharmaTimes) Roche Says Avastin Study Misses Endpoint (Yahoo/Reuters) Sanofi To Market & Develop Acambis West Nile Vaccine (MarketWatch) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1022534 Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:40:03 +0100 1022534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1021393&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F183627204%2F As always, Monday mornings are busy. And so while we pursue various strands of information, we thought we would keep you up to date on other matters. Besides, what better way to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea than with something interesting to read? Cephalon Seeks FDA Approval For Expanded Use Of Fentora (bizjournals.com) Medco To Spend $140M On Automated Plant In Indiana (Yahoo/Reuters) AstraZeneca Axes South Africa Packaging Plant (OutsourcingPharma) Finnish Gunman Claimed To Have Used Antidepressants (Helsingin Sanomat) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1021393 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:05:12 +0100 1021393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=989952&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F177146833%2F We’re talking about cholesterol and high blood pressure meds used by people between the ages of 20 and 44 years old. For cholesterol meds, the rate rose from 2.5 percent in 2001 to slightly more than 4 percent in 2006, which translated into a 68 percent jump. And for blood pressure drugs, the rate rose to 8 percent, a 21 percent increase, according to a new analysis by Medco Health Solutions, the big pharmacy benefits manager. And the usage appears to be growing at a faster pace than among older Americans. Why? Well, experts point to higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol problems among young people, the Associated Press reports. Also, docs are getting more aggressive with preventive treatments. “This is good news, that more people in this age range a... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=989952 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:07:05 +0100 989952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=939956&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F167903874%2F Gray skies hover over the nation’s medicine chest, and nearby regions, this morning. Here are a few items to help ward off that gloomy feeling. Hope the weather is better where you are… Sanofi-Aventis is considering making acquisitions in order to catch up in the field of monoclonal antibodies, pharmaceutical head Hanspeter Spek told Financial Times Deutschland. “Monoclonal antibodies are our weak point, we are running very late there,” Spek says, adding that he hopes it’s not too late and that an acquisition could put things right. Glaxo has agreed to pay up to $965 million to Synta Pharmaceuticals as part of a collaboration on a late-stage study to develop the most deadly form of skin cancer, metastatic melanoma. Synta will fund all development, but the com... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=939956 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:36:52 +0100 939956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=928091&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F165392400%2F As the day winds down, take a moment to catch up on items you may have missed while sitting through that big meeting or maneuvering those career obstacles… Health Canada Removes Novartis’ Prexige From The Market (CanadianPress.com) Medco Health CFO To Retire In March (Yahoo/Reuters) Bioenvision Says 47 Percent Of Shareholders Back Genzyme Deal (Bloomberg News) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=928091 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:07:20 +0100 928091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=928095&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F165211711%2F That’s the take-away from reading the latest data alert issued by Medco Health Solutions, the big pharmacy benefits manager that helps clients find ways to cut back on prescription-drug spending. This time, Medco reviewed claims of more than 575,000 insured children and found the number of kids taking meds to treat tummyaches has soared in the past five years - up 56 percent between 2002 and 2006. Usage among school-age kids between 5 and 11 years old rose 31 percent during that time. Among youngsters between 12 and 18, the increase was only 6 percent. Biggest problems cited: heartburn and GERD, or acid reflux. And so the amount spent on GI meds rose 50 percent during the same stretch. The reason: higher usage of meds and more expensive proton pump inhibitors coming to market. Last ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=928095 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:36:15 +0100 928095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918138&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F163867011%2F After Walgreen reported that fourth-quarter net income fell 3.8 percent, shares in the big pharmacy benefit managers - Medco Health Solutions, CVS Caremark and Express Scripts - took a beating today as investors grew worried over the profits on generic drugs, such as copycat versions of Merck’s Zocor. PBMs, of course, push generics as a salve to high healthcare costs. The big retailer blamed lower generic reimbursement and higher expenses. But one analyst believes Walgreen’s financial shortfall was more of a budgeting problem rather than a generic drugs issue. He noted that the retailer appeared to increase certain discretionary expenditures in anticipation of higher profits from sales of drugs like generic Zocor. “What they’re trying to say is that they had a much ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918138 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:43:19 +0100 918138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=906265&cid=t_122757_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F161584441%2F This will cause a ruckus. Verispan is reporting that total scrips for antidepressants for teenagers age 13 to 17 decreased nearly 18 percent between July 2003 and July 2007. And scrips for patients taking a drug for the first time fell 95 percent among all teenagers during the same 4-year period. (Go here). The data shows that antidepressant scrips for teenagers have been declining for the past 4 years. In contrast, antidepressant scrips for patients 18 and older have grown approximately 13 percent during the same time period. [UPDATE: Verispan provided year-to-year data: As of July 2004, there were 5.8 million scrips written for teens 13 to 17 years old. That fell to 5.3 million the next year and 4.8 million in July 2006, before hitting 4.7 million this past July. Similarly, scrips fell t... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=906265 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:25:23 +0100 906265