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Has Pharmaceutical Development Harvested the Low-hanging Fruit?
A recent article in the journal Health Affairs highlights what may be a growing issue in innovative drug development. This study analyzes 315 clinical studies that were published in four of the world’s top medical journals (BMJ, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet and …
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When Patent Protection Collides with Prescription Drug Affordability
A recent notice of a proposed settlement involving a class-action suit caught our attention. Without admitting any wrongdoing, GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay $21.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the giant pharmaceutical firm filed baseless patent infringement actions against makers of generic …
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A Strikingly Simple Proposal for Combatting Prescription Painkiller Abuse
In recent months, the national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse has generated widespread coverage in the national and local media and stoked great interest among state and federal policymakers. The litany of data points is now familiar to many observers of this crisis: prescription painkiller …
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A National Track and Trace System for Pharmaceuticals May Soon Be In Place
In an earlier post, we discussed the pressing problem of counterfeit drugs in the domestic pharmaceutical market. Counterfeits impose a heavy burden on the already-volatile cost structure of the national healthcare system while significantly reducing patient outcomes. The FDA recognizes supply chain reliability and security …
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Express Scripts Drug Trend Report Update Focuses on Specialty Drug Spending
Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts has just updated its useful Drug Trend Report. One of the key issues covered in the new update is the spending trend forecast for specialty drugs. Specialty drugs present payers and policymakers with both opportunities and challenges. These drugs, which …
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Seniors Not Getting Wasted in Part D
Private and public payers seeking value in pharmacy benefits should be heartened by a recent study about medication waste in Medicare Part D. Commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the study found that less than 1 percent of all medications dispensed for Medicare beneficiaries …
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Salaries of $117,000 (and rising)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently published new data about 2012 occupations and wages, including pharmacist income levels. In 2012, the average pharmacist salary across retail, mail-service, and specialty pharmacy was $117,000. As always, the inimitable Adam Fein has an excellent analysis of the …
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Nanomedicine Could Improve Patient Outcomes and Reduce Healthcare Costs
Nanomaterials have been increasingly recognized as a promising component of the future of biotechnology and biomedicine. These nanoparticles are measured on the molecular scale, and their extra-small (billionths of a meter) size lends itself to better drug delivery methods and more personalized treatment regimens. The …
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Mississippi, You’re On My Mind
New research by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts has found that the “U.S. wasted $418 billion in 2012 based on bad medication-related decisions, and the impact was most deeply felt in those states that could least afford it.” The Express Scripts analysis looked at pharmacy-related decisions …
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NCPA Endorses Bill to Increase Medicare Drug Costs
With Medicare spending representing a massive and growing part of federal deficits, why would anyone want to increase Medicare costs? But that’s just what new legislation backed by the National Community Pharmacists Association would do. The bill, S. 867, introduced on May 6, 2013, by Senators …
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