News

CoOportunity offers narrow- and tiered-network products, but don't call them HMOs

New OIG report reveals dieticians and massage therapists prescribing drugs and says plans have obligation to verify claims

Physicians have yet to master the implications of genetic test and their relationship to treatment, while plans await outcome evidence

A recent Supreme Court Decision underscores the necessity of counsel reviewing the dispute resolution terms in health plan contracts with providers

Plans have to promote the value of health coverage to overcome the noise about rate shock

FDA sent out a MedWatch warning, on July 12, 2013, after Medtronic recalled its MiniMed Paradigm insulin infusion sets.

A new retrospective case-control study among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) found a 30% decreased risk of COPD exacerbation with any statin use.

Patients taking the new generation of oral anticoagulants (nOACs) are associated with a significantly higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), according to a new study.

FDA advisers recommended in early June the easing of restrictions on the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline), following an independent re-examination of GSK’s RECORD study conducted by Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Telmisartan and valsartan, used to reduce blood pressure in people with diabetes, are associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, according to a study published on the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) continues to receive reports of dose measurement confusion with HumuLIN R U-500 concentrated insulin injection, according to a recent safety alert from the agency.

The use of electronic health records (EHRs) saved more than 3% in ambulatory health costs but did not reduce overall inpatient costs, according to a new study.

The new update to the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline on the pharmacologic interventions for breast cancer risk reduction now lists aromatase inhibitor exemestane (Aromasin, Pfizer) as an option for postmenopausal women for primary risk reduction that are at an increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

With 40% of drugs in this country coming from other nations and 80% of active ingredient manufacturers located outside the United States, last year Congress gave FDA new powers to oversee those products.

A nonprofit dedicated to ensuring online pharmacy safety, whose roots date back to an informal advocacy group started 4 years ago, was this week officially chartered in Washington, D.C.

According to the World Health Organization, only 50% of patients living with a chronic illness take their medication on time as directed. An American dies every 19 minutes from skipping medication or taking meds incorrectly, costing US hospitals more than $100 billion every year.

When hospitals consolidate, what will fix the effect on pricing?

Pharmacist counseling is cost-effective and can contribute to improved adherence.

Medication nonadherence drives $105 billion in annual costs.

Plans risk losing group contracts with alternative healthcare purchasing choices becoming available.

Employer shared responsibility delayed, and more guidance is forthcoming

Investigators had already determined that the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formulation slowed the progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with a 25% decrease in the likelihood of progression to advanced AMD compared with placebo.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of infection. Unfortunately clinical trials examining the safety and efficacy of antibiotics in obese patients are deficient. Thus, clinicians predominately rely on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data for appropriate antibiotic dosing. The current literature for vancomycin, aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, linezolid, and macrolides was reviewed to evaluate appropriate dosing in obese patients. Due to the limited number of studies and various pharmacokinetic parameters of antibiotics, dosing should be based on both patient- and drug-specific factors.

ICORE Healthcare-a subsidiary of Magellan Pharmacy Solutions-released the latest installment of its annual Medical Pharmacy & Oncology Trend Report.1 This report is unique in that it is the only trend and spend report that looks specifically at the medical benefit, under which almost half of all specialty pharmaceutical costs are currently managed and paid. Now in its third year, the report’s findings indicate that specialty pharmaceuticals are continuing to play an increasingly large role in managed care plan budgets and are certainly deserving of the increased payer attention they are receiving.

Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime) helps people get the medicine they need to feel better and live well. The company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and manages pharmacy benefits for health plans, employers, and government programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The company processes claims and delivers medicine to nearly 20 million members, offering clinical services for people with complex medical conditions. Prime is collectively owned by 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans.

In April 2013, FDA approved doxylamine succinate 10 mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 10 mg (Diclegis, Duchesnay) for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women who do not respond to conservative management. Diclegis is a delayed-release formulation combining 10 mg of the antihistamine doxylamine succinate and 10 mg of the vitamin B6 analog pyridoxine hydrochloride. This combination was once marketed in the United States as Bendectin. However, legal suits claiming related birth defects forced the manufacturer to withdraw Bendectin from the market in the 1980s. Doxylamine/pyridoxine has not been studied in women with hyperemesis gravidarum.

The 4-year data from the landmark ENESTnd (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials – Newly Diagnosed Patients) trial continues to demonstrate the improved clinical benefit of front-line nilotinib (Tasigna) versus imatinib (Gleevec) in patients with newly diagnosed, Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase

For chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with minimal residual disease on long-term imatinib (Gleevec) therapy, switching to nilotinib (Tasigna) can lead to deep, sustained responses.

The effectiveness of new drugs compared with that of older drugs has fallen since the 1970s, according to a new study in Health Affairs.