Democrats in Congress asked for two separate investigations of drug industry pricing Wednesday as they continue working on legislation to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
Responding to news reports of unusually high wholesale price increases in brand-name prescription drugs, four House leaders and one senator asked for government reviews of the pricing practices.
Although drug makers challenge the theory, some experts say the run-up in wholesale prices may be partly related to the industry’s concerns about future cost containment under any health care legislation.
“Recent studies have indicated that the industry may be artificially raising prices for certain pharmaceutical products in expectation of new reforms,” the House Democrats wrote in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress. “Any price gouging is unacceptable, but anticipatory price gouging is especially offensive,” the letter added, asking the G.A.O. to conduct an expedited review of the price increases.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Showing posts with label prescription drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prescription drugs. Show all posts
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
FDA initiative targets drug prescription, dosing errors
The Food and Drug Administration wants to reduce the misuse of medications, saying that at least 50,000 hospitalizations a year could be prevented if physicians, pharmacists, patients and parents used greater care in dispensing and taking drugs.
"When I first started looking at this, I was stunned at the scope of the problem," FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said Wednesday as she announced the new "Safe Use" program.
The Institute of Medicine estimates that at least 1.5 million preventable injuries and deaths result each year from overdosing, mix-ups and unintended exposure to prescription drugs. Children are often the victims -- one study found that, between 2003 and 2006, more than 9,000 children were accidentally exposed to prescription drugs such as codeine and morphine.
The cost of these preventable injuries is estimated at about $4 billion annually by the Institute of Medicine.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
"When I first started looking at this, I was stunned at the scope of the problem," FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said Wednesday as she announced the new "Safe Use" program.
The Institute of Medicine estimates that at least 1.5 million preventable injuries and deaths result each year from overdosing, mix-ups and unintended exposure to prescription drugs. Children are often the victims -- one study found that, between 2003 and 2006, more than 9,000 children were accidentally exposed to prescription drugs such as codeine and morphine.
The cost of these preventable injuries is estimated at about $4 billion annually by the Institute of Medicine.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Prescriptions now biggest cause of fatal drug overdoses
Debra Jones didn't begin taking painkillers to get high.
Jones, 50, was trying to relieve chronic pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Yet after taking the painkiller Percocet safely for 10 years, the stay-at-home mother of three became addicted after a friend suggested that crushing her pills could bring faster relief. It worked. The rush of medication also gave her more energy. Over time, she began to rely on that energy boost to get through the day. She began taking six or seven pills a day instead of the three to four a day as prescribed.
"I wasn't trying to abuse it," says Jones, from Holly Springs, N.C., who has since recovered from her battle with addiction. "But after 10 years, I couldn't help what it did to my body or my brain. It was hard to work without it."
Addiction to prescription painkillers — which kill thousands of Americans a year — has become a largely unrecognized epidemic, experts say. In fact, prescription drugs cause most of the more than 26,000 fatal overdoses each year, says Leonard Paulozzi of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
READ MORE @ USA TODAY
Jones, 50, was trying to relieve chronic pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Yet after taking the painkiller Percocet safely for 10 years, the stay-at-home mother of three became addicted after a friend suggested that crushing her pills could bring faster relief. It worked. The rush of medication also gave her more energy. Over time, she began to rely on that energy boost to get through the day. She began taking six or seven pills a day instead of the three to four a day as prescribed.
"I wasn't trying to abuse it," says Jones, from Holly Springs, N.C., who has since recovered from her battle with addiction. "But after 10 years, I couldn't help what it did to my body or my brain. It was hard to work without it."
Addiction to prescription painkillers — which kill thousands of Americans a year — has become a largely unrecognized epidemic, experts say. In fact, prescription drugs cause most of the more than 26,000 fatal overdoses each year, says Leonard Paulozzi of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
READ MORE @ USA TODAY
Monday, July 6, 2009
How does direct to consumer advertising affect the cost of medications
When one looks at television, a newspaper or a magazine it is impossible not to be inundated with ads for various prescription drug medications. This was not always the case. In fact, not until 1997, when the FDA issued its guidelines for direct to consumer advertising, did this massive pharmaceutical advertising expenditure begin.
It might interest some to know that only 2 countries in the world allow our brand of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs: the United State and New Zealand.
The amounts of money involved are staggering. A study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2006 found that for every dollar a drug company spent on advertising, it earned $4 in additional sales. Doesn’t sound like much, does it?
But the real numbers put the impact in prospective. In 1999, just two years after the FDA permitted direct to consumer advertising in its current form, Pfizer spent 55 million advertising it’s cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor. Sales of Lipitor jumped 56% that year to almost $2.6 billion.
As advertising spending went up, the amount of control exercised by the FDA fell. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the FDA sent 142 violations letters to pharmaceutical companies in 1997. By 2006 the FDA sent only 21 violation letters.
READ MORE @ EXAMINER.COM
It might interest some to know that only 2 countries in the world allow our brand of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs: the United State and New Zealand.
The amounts of money involved are staggering. A study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2006 found that for every dollar a drug company spent on advertising, it earned $4 in additional sales. Doesn’t sound like much, does it?
But the real numbers put the impact in prospective. In 1999, just two years after the FDA permitted direct to consumer advertising in its current form, Pfizer spent 55 million advertising it’s cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor. Sales of Lipitor jumped 56% that year to almost $2.6 billion.
As advertising spending went up, the amount of control exercised by the FDA fell. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the FDA sent 142 violations letters to pharmaceutical companies in 1997. By 2006 the FDA sent only 21 violation letters.
READ MORE @ EXAMINER.COM
Saturday, February 21, 2009
There's help to rein in drug costs Generics and mail order among the best ways to save
These days the price of prescription drugs can seem harder to swallow than the pills themselves. Operators of health-related hot lines say they've been swamped with calls from consumers looking for cheaper alternatives. For young families and seniors - two groups that tend to use more medications - the costs can be eye-popping. While there may not be a ready cure for the nation's soaring healthcare costs, there are a number of cost-cutting tips to ease the pain. Here are some favorites from pharmacists who help callers at MassMedLine, 866-633-1617 or www.massmedline.com, a free information service run by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Strategies for Saving on Prescription Drugs
Drugs have never been so expensive — or so cheap
News reports and anecdotal evidence indicate that the recession is prompting many people to skimp on prescription drugs, putting their health at risk now and setting them up for higher medical expenses in the long term. So now is a good time to take a hard look at what you spend on prescriptions and figure out how you can make that money go farther.
The average brand-name prescription cost an eye-popping $120 in 2007, according to the most recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That was up from $111 the year before. The average generic in 2007 was a mere $34, according to Kaiser. These days you can buy many generic drugs for as little as $4 for a 30-day supply at WalMart or Target, and many other retailers are offering steep discounts.
Switching to generics is obviously one of the best options, if your doctor approves. But generics aren’t the answer in every case. So before you go to the pharmacy, or your drug Web site, consider these strategies for lowering your prescription bills.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
News reports and anecdotal evidence indicate that the recession is prompting many people to skimp on prescription drugs, putting their health at risk now and setting them up for higher medical expenses in the long term. So now is a good time to take a hard look at what you spend on prescriptions and figure out how you can make that money go farther.
The average brand-name prescription cost an eye-popping $120 in 2007, according to the most recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That was up from $111 the year before. The average generic in 2007 was a mere $34, according to Kaiser. These days you can buy many generic drugs for as little as $4 for a 30-day supply at WalMart or Target, and many other retailers are offering steep discounts.
Switching to generics is obviously one of the best options, if your doctor approves. But generics aren’t the answer in every case. So before you go to the pharmacy, or your drug Web site, consider these strategies for lowering your prescription bills.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Friday, January 23, 2009
More Americans Skipping Necessary Prescriptions, Survey Finds
One in seven Americans under age 65 went without prescribed medicines in 2007 as drug costs spiraled upward in the United States, a nonprofit research group said on Thursday.
That figure is up substantially since 2003, when one in 10 people under 65 went without a prescription drug because they couldn’t afford it, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C.
The current figure may be even higher because of the recent economic downturn, said Laurie E. Felland, a senior health researcher at the center and lead author of the study.
“Our findings are particularly troublesome given the increased reliance on prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions,” she added. “People who go without their prescriptions experience worsening health and complications.”
The people who were least able to afford medicine were often those who needed it most, Ms. Felland said: uninsured, working-age adults suffering from at least one chronic medical condition. Almost two-thirds of them in the survey said they had gone without filling a prescription.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
That figure is up substantially since 2003, when one in 10 people under 65 went without a prescription drug because they couldn’t afford it, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C.
The current figure may be even higher because of the recent economic downturn, said Laurie E. Felland, a senior health researcher at the center and lead author of the study.
“Our findings are particularly troublesome given the increased reliance on prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions,” she added. “People who go without their prescriptions experience worsening health and complications.”
The people who were least able to afford medicine were often those who needed it most, Ms. Felland said: uninsured, working-age adults suffering from at least one chronic medical condition. Almost two-thirds of them in the survey said they had gone without filling a prescription.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Monday, December 1, 2008
Depression Treatment: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy As Effective As Anti-depressant Medication, Study Suggests
Research shows for the first time that a group-based psychological treatment, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), could be a viable alternative to prescription drugs for people suffering from long-term depression.
In a study, published December 1, 2008 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, MBCT proved as effective as maintenance anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well in the longer-term.
The randomised control trial involved 123 people from urban and rural locations who had suffered repeat depressions and were referred to the trial by their GPs. The participants were split randomly into two groups. Half continued their on-going anti-depressant drug treatment and the rest participated in an MBCT course and were given the option of coming off anti-depressants.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
In a study, published December 1, 2008 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, MBCT proved as effective as maintenance anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well in the longer-term.
The randomised control trial involved 123 people from urban and rural locations who had suffered repeat depressions and were referred to the trial by their GPs. The participants were split randomly into two groups. Half continued their on-going anti-depressant drug treatment and the rest participated in an MBCT course and were given the option of coming off anti-depressants.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
List of medications with potential safety problems
Drugs under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration, what they are used for and the potential problem:
_R-Gene 10, a growth hormone, pediatric overdose due to labeling/packaging confusion.
_Suprane, an anesthetic, cardiac arrest.
_Cymbalta, for depression and other conditions, urinary retention.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
_R-Gene 10, a growth hormone, pediatric overdose due to labeling/packaging confusion.
_Suprane, an anesthetic, cardiac arrest.
_Cymbalta, for depression and other conditions, urinary retention.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Saturday, August 23, 2008
3.4 Million Seniors Hit Medicare 'Doughnut Hole'
In 2007, about 3.4 million Americans enrolled in the Medicare Part D drug plan reached a gap in their prescription coverage known as the "doughnut hole," leading some of them to stop taking prescribed drugs, says a Kaiser Family Foundation study released Thursday.
The analysis of data found that 26 percent of Part D enrollees who filled any prescriptions in 2007 reached the coverage gap. This includes 22 percent who were stuck in the gap for the remainder of the year and 4 percent who eventually received catastrophic coverage.
When they applied this estimate to the all Part D enrollees, the study authors concluded that last year about 3.4 million beneficiaries (14 percent of all Part D enrollees) reached the coverage gap and faced paying full cost for their prescriptions.
READ MORE @ FORBES
The analysis of data found that 26 percent of Part D enrollees who filled any prescriptions in 2007 reached the coverage gap. This includes 22 percent who were stuck in the gap for the remainder of the year and 4 percent who eventually received catastrophic coverage.
When they applied this estimate to the all Part D enrollees, the study authors concluded that last year about 3.4 million beneficiaries (14 percent of all Part D enrollees) reached the coverage gap and faced paying full cost for their prescriptions.
READ MORE @ FORBES
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
NO CLEAR RX FOR DISPOSING OF DRUGS - Local groups start take-back programs for unwanted medicines
Pittsburg resident Maggie Dee Dowling used to flush her expired medications down the toilet, but decided to take them back to her local Walgreens after hearing that traces of prescription drugs have been found in drinking water. She was stunned when the pharmacy refused to accept them.
"The pharmacy tech opened the brown paper bag and said, 'What do you want us to do with it?' " said Dowling, 68, adding that the drugs she tried to drop off about a week ago included an inhaler and some anti-diarrheal pills.
The experience left Dowling frustrated and unsure of what to do with her unwanted medications. "It just seems to me that with all the things we're doing to pollute the Earth, if I can in some small way do my part in not flushing pollutants down the drain, then I was all for it," she said.
Consumers are rightly confused about what to do with their unwanted medications because they've received conflicting messages from government and environmental sources. Federal guidelines direct consumers which medications to flush and how to properly put others in the trash. But landfills can leak, potentially causing drugs to leach into the soil, and flushing has contaminated waterways.
READ MORE @ SF CHRONICLE
"The pharmacy tech opened the brown paper bag and said, 'What do you want us to do with it?' " said Dowling, 68, adding that the drugs she tried to drop off about a week ago included an inhaler and some anti-diarrheal pills.
The experience left Dowling frustrated and unsure of what to do with her unwanted medications. "It just seems to me that with all the things we're doing to pollute the Earth, if I can in some small way do my part in not flushing pollutants down the drain, then I was all for it," she said.
Consumers are rightly confused about what to do with their unwanted medications because they've received conflicting messages from government and environmental sources. Federal guidelines direct consumers which medications to flush and how to properly put others in the trash. But landfills can leak, potentially causing drugs to leach into the soil, and flushing has contaminated waterways.
READ MORE @ SF CHRONICLE
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Drug bill would give doctors unbiased details on medication
Imagine our doctors getting an unbiased education on the medications they prescribe instead of having to rely on drug company sales reps to tell them what's on the market and how well it works.
That's already happening in other countries -- Australia, England, the Netherlands and some provinces of Canada. It's happening -- or about to -- in some parts of the United States, too, including Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington, D.C.
Ohio and the rest of the nation could see the same thing if a couple of U.S. senators get their way.
Democrats Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Dick Durbin of Illinois are writing a bill that would provide accurate and objective drug information to any doctor in America who wants it.
Government-funded pharmacists and nurses who've studied the drugs -- all of them, even generics and over-the-counter ones -- and who understand their pros and cons would prepare the information and present it to doctors interested in having it. And the information would be available to consumers, those of us who end up having to take this stuff.
READ MORE @ THE PLAIN DEALER
That's already happening in other countries -- Australia, England, the Netherlands and some provinces of Canada. It's happening -- or about to -- in some parts of the United States, too, including Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington, D.C.
Ohio and the rest of the nation could see the same thing if a couple of U.S. senators get their way.
Democrats Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Dick Durbin of Illinois are writing a bill that would provide accurate and objective drug information to any doctor in America who wants it.
Government-funded pharmacists and nurses who've studied the drugs -- all of them, even generics and over-the-counter ones -- and who understand their pros and cons would prepare the information and present it to doctors interested in having it. And the information would be available to consumers, those of us who end up having to take this stuff.
READ MORE @ THE PLAIN DEALER
Friday, January 18, 2008
Facing lawsuit, state revisited prescription drug data law
A new Vermont law restricting the drug industry's use of data on doctors' drug prescribing habits is facing a federal lawsuit and a new round of scrutiny.
more stories like this
The law, which was amended in the waning days of last year's legislative session after a federal court struck down a similar measure in New Hampshire, contains several provisions aimed at slowing cost increases for prescription drugs.
One target of the measure was companies that gather information on which drugs doctors prescribe most often and then sell that information to pharmaceutical companies. The information allows the drug companies to develop sophisticated sales pitches, called "detailing," to entice doctors to switch to their medications, said Julie Brill, an assistant attorney general who worked on the legislation.
Brill called the so-called "data.m.ining" restrictions "one piece of a larger effort by the state to ensure that marketing that goes on with respect to pharmaceutical products is appropriate and ... also to protect the privacy concerns prescribers have."
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
more stories like this
The law, which was amended in the waning days of last year's legislative session after a federal court struck down a similar measure in New Hampshire, contains several provisions aimed at slowing cost increases for prescription drugs.
One target of the measure was companies that gather information on which drugs doctors prescribe most often and then sell that information to pharmaceutical companies. The information allows the drug companies to develop sophisticated sales pitches, called "detailing," to entice doctors to switch to their medications, said Julie Brill, an assistant attorney general who worked on the legislation.
Brill called the so-called "data.m.ining" restrictions "one piece of a larger effort by the state to ensure that marketing that goes on with respect to pharmaceutical products is appropriate and ... also to protect the privacy concerns prescribers have."
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
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