FDA has notified healthcare professionals and patients that drug interactions between the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor boceprevir (Victrelis, Merck) and certain ritonavir-boosted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors (atazanavir, lopinavir, darunavir) can potentially reduce the effectiveness of these drugs when they are used together.
The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be associated with an increased risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), according to a recent FDA Drug Safety Communication.
Vorapaxar added to standard of care reduced the risk of cardiovascular events and stroke compared to standard of care alone, according to Merck, who announced top-line results of its TRA-2P (Thrombin Receptor Antagonist in Secondary Prevention of atherothrombotic ischemic events) study earlier this month. However, results also demonstrated that the drug was associated with a significant increase in bleeding, including intracranial hemorrhage (ICH).
The antiplatelet arm of The Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Stroke (SPS3) study was halted in July 2011 due to reasons of safety and futility, according to principal investigator Oscar R. Benavente, MD, FRCP (C), professor of neurology at Canada's University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Recent FDA action (through February 2012) related to C1 esterase inhibitor [human], progesterone vaginal gel 8%, meningococcal [Groups A, C, Y, and W-135] oligosaccharide diphtheria CRM197 conjugate vaccine, denosumab, VAL-083, recombinant fusion protein linking coagulation factor VIIa with albumin, pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab, crofelemer 125-mg tablets, emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, tafamidis meglumine, synthetic version of the natural human hormone secretin, doxycycline hyclate
The Obama administration took action last month to shift responsibility from employers to insurance companies.
The administration's focus on rate review may have had a trickledown effect on states.
A statewide survey revealed that a majority of New York State's small business owners support health exchanges
New benefit summaries sure to ad administrative costs
Prescription coverage is one of the 10 must-have categories, but the details can vary widely among benchmark plans.
Affordable healthcare might be out of the reach of the nation's working poor.
Howard Kahn, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, has seen the plan grow 38% since he became chief executive in 2001.
Health Information Exchanges aim to facilitate clinical data sharing among providers, but interoperability has remained the key issue.
A new urgency for collaboration is breathing new life into old concepts.
When insurance exchanges come online, many new healthcare consumers will be members of minority populations with distinct needs.
Anxiety over jobs, for example, drives demand for mental healthcare services at a time when funding is dwindling.
Combination therapy can treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but there is no cure.
Nearly all experts note the program's burgeoning costs over the next 20 years are largely due to an increase in enrollment
This year might be remembered for its generic pipeline, with as many as 37 drugs coming off patent.
The Supreme Court agreed to determine the constitutionality of the individual mandate and Medicaid expansion of under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically calls for and funds a "hospital readmissions reduction program" designed to help hospitals smooth the transition
A new weight-loss medication got an overwhelming endorsement on Wednesday from FDA?s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee. The committee voted 20-2 in favor of approving phentermine/topiramate (Qnexa, Vivus).
A recent study challenges the conventional assumption about how Clostridium difficile infection spreads in hospitals, finding that almost three-quarters of the new cases aren?t transmitted by patients in the same ward.
No significant difference was found in treating patients experiencing clinically diagnosed uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis with antibiotic amoxicillin compared with patients who received placebo, according to a study in the February 15 issue of JAMA.
There are no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids on cancer outcomes in individuals with prior cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online February 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Zinc used in conjunction with antibiotics significantly reduced mortality in children ages 6 months to 59 months with severe pneumonia when compared with antibiotics alone, according to the findings of a recent study done in Uganda.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) wants all US adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough, according to the Associated Press. The panel voted to expand its recommendation to include all those aged 65 years and older who haven?t gotten a whooping cough shot as an adult.
FDA announced a series of steps to increase the supply of critically needed cancer drugs, including temporarily importing an unapproved drug from India. The moves are building on President Barack Obama's executive order to help prevent future drug shortages, FDA said
More than a half million bottles of Infants Tylenol Oral Suspension, 1 oz. grape, have been recalled voluntarily by McNeil Consumer Healthcare because of complaints about using the dosing system, the company announced.
Medco Health Solutions and its Accredo Health Group specialty pharmacy have launched a program for employers to better manage specialty-drug costs within major medical coverage.