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NLARx News
June 18, 2008
In This Issue
See you at NCSL
In the States
Prices & Health Costs
Fraud & Abuse
Generics & Patents
Conflicts of Interest
Pharma Watch
PBM Watch
Advertising & Marketing
Medicare & Medicaid
Safety & Clinical Trials
Electronic Records
Opinion
Conferences
Quick Links
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NLARx Workshop at NCSL Annual Conference
A Shot in the Arm: New Lessons in the Battle to Save Drug Costs and Protect Patients. New Orleans, July 25. More
In the States
NEW HAMPSHIRE: A Conversation With Rep. Cindy Rosenwald on the California Bill to Use Personal Prescription Data for Marketing More
WEST VIRGINIA: Coalition Calls for End of Redesigned State Medicaid Program More
SOUTH CAROLINA: South Carolina Lawmakers Override Gov. Sanford's Veto of SCHIP Expansion More
ALABAMA: Jury Selection to Begin in Medicaid Fraud Trial More
COLORADO: Gov. Ritter Signs 11 Health Care Bills To Increase Access, Expand Coverage More
GEORGIA: Judge Rules That State Cannot Reduce Prescribed Health Services for Children More
Gainesville Senator Appointed to Prescription Drugs Study Committee More
POPPING UP EVERYWHERE: Drugmakers Lobby States To Restrict Use of Lower-Cost Generics More
Prices & Health Care Costs
Nearly Three-Fourths of Medicare Drug Plan Enrollees To Pay 16% More for Coverage This Year More
International Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Information Report More
Study: Health Costs To Rise Nearly 10% More
Number of Underinsured U.S. Adults Increased by 60% Between 2003 and 2007, Study Finds More
Area Group Looks to Sell Medicine at $7.40 a Unit More
Safeway Launches Generic Prescription Drug Discount Program in Eastern U.S. More
Be Wary of Discount Cards for Prescriptions More
Fraud & Abuse
Walgreens Accused Of Scamming Taxpayers More
Medical Fraud a Growing Problem More
Online Pharmacy Ordered to Pay FTC $15.8 Million More
FDA, Bankruptcy, Criminal Prosecution, Forfeitures and GMPs-An Unusual Combination More
Generics & Patent Policy
Pfizer, Ranbaxy Settle Lipitor Patent Dispute More
Glaxo Strategy Threatened by FDA Delays More
Genentech, MedImmune Settle Patent Dispute More
New EGA Report Identifies Patent-Related Barriers to Affordable Generic Medicines More
Conflicts of Interest
NCCN Expands Disclosure Policy after CSPI Protest More
Most Med Schools' Conflict of Interest Policies Get Failing Grade More
FDA Panel Issues Several Conflict of Interest Waivers More
Sen. Grassley Issues Report on Probe Into Improper Payment Disclosures by 3 Harvard Psychiatrists More
Harvard Shrinks Shrank from Disclosing Fees More
Pharma Watch
Biologics Sales Increased 12.5% in 2007 to $75B, Nearly Double Increase of Traditional Drugs More
Sanofi Makes $2 Billion Generics Move More
Drug Makers Differ Strongly in Policies for Low-income Countries More
Medicis to Buy LipoSonix In Bet on Body Shaping More
Venture Investors Find Comfort in Health Care More
Prescription for Disaster: Drugs, Lies, and Greed More
Mannatech Settles Several Lawsuits  More
Glaxo Eliminating R&D Jobs in Cost-Cutting Plan More
Genentech to Focus Research On Neuroscience, Infectious Disease More
The French Invade U.S. Pharma More
The Luckiest Guy In The Drug Business More
PBM Watch
Express Scripts to buy Medical Services PBM business More
Medco Health Solutions spent $880K lobbying in First Quarter More
UnitedHealth to keep PBM business in-house More
CVS Caremark Wins GE Drug Benefit Business From Medco Health More
Walgreen to acquire home infusion unit of Express Scripts More
Advertising & Marketing
Results of 11th Annual Survey on Consumer Reaction to DTC Advertising of Prescription Drugs More
Drugmakers: Moratorium On Advertising New Drugs More
Is It A Study Or An Ad? Only Pharma Knows For Sure More
Medicare & Medicaid
Senate Debate on Democrats' Medicare Bill Blocked by GOP More
Medicare Part D: How Do Vulnerable Beneficiaries Fare? More
CMS Issues Rule To Provide Researchers With Limited Access to Medicare Drug Benefit Claims Info More
Sen. Baucus Says Lawmakers Will Approve Medicare Physician Payment Fix Before Cuts Take Effect More
Medicare Drug Coverage Is Costing Most Seniors More More
New York Pharmacists Call for Reversal of Reimbursement Rate Cut More

Safety & Clinical Trials
Sen. Brown Calls For FDA Evaluation Of U.S. Drug Company Outsourcing & Impact On Drug Safety More
Feds Back Wyeth in Supreme Court Case More
Senator Seeks to Make Drugmakers Accountable More
FDA Seeks for $275 Million For Drug Inspections More
Consumers Playing a Greater Role in Postmarket Surveillance More
FDA Hopes to Open China Offices by Year End More
FDA Expands Mortality Warnings on Antipsychotic Drugs More
Arthritis Drugs Cause Concern More
Number Of FDA Warning Letters Has Plunged More
Antiobesity Drug Linked to Deaths More
Warning on Epilepsy Drugs Nears More
Glaxo Attracts Questions over Paxil Study Data More
Deaths From Tainted Heparin Soar to 149 More
Weighing Nondrug Options for A.D.H.D. More
Electronic Records
Digital Prescriptions Gain Favor More
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts To Become First Insurer To Participate in Google Health More
CMS To Launch Medicare Pilot Project That Will Provide Physicians With Incentives To Use Health IT More
Wall Street Journal Examines Efforts To Encourage Adoption of Electronic Prescribing Technology More
Opinion
Letters to the Editor of New York Times Discuss Undisclosed Pharmaceutical Industry Payments to Harvard Researchers More
Letters to Editor of New York Post on Marketing to Doctors More
The United States of Advertising More

Conferences
Rejuvenating Public Sector Science (Center for Science in the Public Interest) More