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NLARx News
March 16, 2010
In This Issue
NLARx News
In the States
Outrage of the Week
Health Reform
Trade
Fraud & Abuse
Pharmaceutical Pricing
Advertising & Marketing
PBM Watch
Pharma Watch
Patents & Generics
Medicare & Medicaid
Safety & Clinical Trials
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NLARx News
NLARx Joins Consumer Groups in Letter to President Obama on Affordable Generics.

NLARx Winter 2010 Meeting in Washington, D.C. Presentations included:
  • What's Trade Got To Do With It? USTR's New Focus on "Disciplining" Pricing Initiatives, and the Impact on Medicaid & Health Care Reform.
  • Safeguarding Kids and Containing Prescription Drug Costs - What are states doing to preserve access to need medications while monitoring and controlling the prescribing of powerful antipsychotic drugs.
  • Federal PBM Reforms - A 2009-10 update on how PBM reform is a crucial piece of health reform and cost control.
  • Why Are Drug Prices So High? Analysis of the GAO Report, "Brand-Name Prescription Drug Pricing: Lack of Therapeutically Equivalent Drugs and Limited Competition May Contribute to Extraordinary Price Increases."
Full text of presentations here
In the States
Arkansas: State Medicaid Chief to Review Cost-Cutting Proposals more
California:
County Sues GSK Over Avandia more ; Federal Court Rejects  Medicaid Cuts more
Connecticut:
AG Urges Curbs On Pharma Influence more
Idaho: Medicaid cuts could come Thursday more
Minnesota: Lawmakers unveil plan to replace GAMC more
Pennsylvania: State CHIP Program Up For Renewal Next Week more
South Carolina: May Gut Programs For 26,000 Disabled Residents more
Wisconsin: New Law Improves Access to Rx Drugs for Free Clinics more
Outrage of the Week
Did J&J Plan to Break Rules? more
Massachusetts Joins Kickback Suit Against J&J more
Nursing Home Drug Use Puts Many At Risk more
Pharmaceuticals & Health Reform
Side-by-Side Comparison of Health Reform Legislation Including Obama's Proposals more
Pharma Industry Spent $6.3 Million Lobbying U.S. Lawmakers more
Hamburg: FDA Not Ready Yet To Support Drug Re-Importation more
Lawmakers Work On Medicare Drug And Mental Health Legislation more
Academic Detailing Moves Ahead at State, Federal Level more
Medical Identity Theft On The Rise more
Trade
Groups Worry Trade Policies Could Stifle States' Ability To Negotiate Drug Prices more
Fraud and Abuse
Obama Gets Tough on Health Care Fraud more
FDA May Prosecute More Pharmaceutical Execs more
Drugmakers Tied To Goodies For Medi-Cal Execs more
Pharmaceutical Pricing
German Drug-Price Cuts Winning Lawmaker Support, Minister Says more
Glaxo Plans to Increase Drug Sales to Middle-Income Countries more

Advertising and Marketing
How Many Reps Visit A Doctor's Office Each Week? more
Did J&J Plan to Break Rules? more
Facebook: Where the Trialed Things Are more
The FDA Should Probe Internet Marketing: CDD more
WebMD's Big Lie more
PBM Watch
CVS Caremark: Subpoenaed As Part Of Medicaid Claims Probe more
Personalized Medicine Spurred by Medco's Gene Testing more
Beep! It's Your Medicine Nagging You more
Franchisees Suing Cardinal Health Over Agreements more
Pharma Watch
AstraZeneca Made False Claims In Seroquel Ads more
Regulator Finds Ethics Breach By AstraZeneca  more
AstraZeneca's Seroquel Ad May Have Breached U.K. Industry Rules more
Lilly Adds Ethics Watchdogs To Settle Lawsuits more
Merck Loses Vioxx Case In Australia more
Pfizer Chief Gets 12.8% Salary Hike more
Hedge Funds Put Bucks Behind Pfizer more
Patents and Generics
AZ Pumps Up Branded Generics with Torrent Deal more
The FDA Replaces Head Of Generic Drugs Office more
Teva Gets 180-Day Headstart to Sell Generics of 2 Merck Drugs more
Medicare and Medicaid
Specialty Drugs, Medicare D & Catastrophic Coverage more
Medicare Part D Company Ejected From Program For First Time more
Specialty Drugs Force High Medicare Out-Of-Pocket Costs more
Under Health Reform, Medicaid Would Cover Many Childless Adults more

Safety and Clinical Trials
If Drugs Were Like Automobiles more
Drug Safety: A Duet more
FDA to Review Bone Drugs After Studies Report Hip Breaks more
Medical Studies Often Don't Compare Existing Treatments more
Drugmakers Nix Long-Term Study On ADHD Meds more