Major safety concerns exist for many top-selling prescription drugs including benzodiazepines/prescription sleep aids, anticoagulants, cholesterol-lowering statins, oxycodone and hydrocodone, and stimulants. The following provides an overview of these classes and issues.
FDA is warning that diazoxide (Proglycem) for low blood sugar has caused pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs) in infants and newborns.
FDA’s approval last week of AstraZeneca's Iressa (gefitinib) for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an important tool in fighting the disease.
FDA approved Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals’ supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport) for the treatment of upper limb spasticity (ULS).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will investigate how much money Medicaid has lost over the past decade paying for rising generic drug prices by comparing price increases between 2005 and 2014 against the rate of inflation.
A recent survey by FAIR Health, an independent, not-for-profit dedicated to healthcare cost and insurance transparency, indicates the top factors that influence consumers' health plan selection.
A recent survey by KPMG identifies key challenges many organizations face in preparing for value-based reimbursement.
At the recent Midas+ Annual Symposium, C-level healthcare executives were asked about their perspective on population health management. Here's what they said.
Cybersecurity breaches are hitting the healthcare industry hard. Here are 10 recent victims.
Here are four ways to help your organization overcome key hurdles to effective patient communication.
A recent report claims that many insurers are failing to comply with ACA coverage requirements. Here are some of the key requirements to pay attention to.
The Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA), the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), and other healthcare stakeholders are calling on FDA to institute a clear policy for biologics and biosimilars.
In this commentary, three pharmacy experts explain why they believe the 340B Drug Program is a needed safety net for safety net hospitals.
Reducing hospital-acquired infections has become a top priority for hospitals in the face of new penalties from CMS.
Patient-centered pharmacies, which put consumers and their relationship with pharmacists and caregivers at the center of the business model, is producing improved outcomes.
Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools are improving outcomes for patients across the country.
Actavis is voluntarily recalling more than half a million boxes of Lutera birth control pills because of packaging problems.
The FDA this week approved Novartis’s sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto) tablets to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in patients with chronic heart failure (NYHA Class II-IV) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Stuart M. Gerson explains how Chief Justice John Roberts came to his conclusion in King v. Burwell and how subsidies will affect the healthcare industry.
To find how the consolidation will impact other payers and the industry, we asked several experts and consultants to weigh in. Here's what they said.
High-deductible plans are often used by relatively healthy people with a small chance of exceeding the plan's annual deductible. These individuals have little loyalty to their plans. Here are eight ways health plans can create "stickiness" to keep members happy.
FDA’s approval last week of Vertex Pharmaceutical’s groundbreaking drug lumacaftor/ivacaftor (Orkambi) for cystic fibrosis is certainly good news, but formulary managers need to be aware of the high cost of the drug and other factors.
While recent attacks on Anthem, Community Health Systems, Premera and CareFirst helped focus awareness on the importance of cybersecurity, many healthcare payers and providers are still mired in outmoded or unfocused strategies and thus remain vulnerable.
Taking reasonable preventative care is a must as healthcare breaches grow in number.
A leading pharmaceutical company is partnering with payers to help lower COPD complications.
Use of investigational reversal agent idarucizumab can allow physicians to focus on other vital aspects of emergency management beyond anticoagulant reversal in dabigatran-treated patients, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Illinois legislators recently approved a pilot program that would place locking devices on some prescription painkillers.
A surprising 50 percent of U.S. drug overdoses are caused by prescription drugs – 22,000 annually – according to a new report, The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy.
Novartis’ new injectable drug secukinumab (Cosentyx) showed significant improvements in treating psoriatic arthritis (PsA), according to a new study.
FDA has approved lumacaftor/ivacaftor (Orkambi, Vertex) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients 12 years and older.
