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Upcoming Events featuring
National CooperativeRx
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Mid-Sized Retirement & Healthcare Plan Management Conference
March 18-21, 2012
San Francisco, CA
Learn more
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National CooperativeRx is a not-for-profit coalition founded and owned by plan sponsors to achieve higher value prescription benefits through volume purchasing, clinical solutions, actionable data and unparalleled customer service. For your sales and marketing needs, please contact us at 866-679-9479, extension 223
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Biggest Health Topics of 2011
Wondering what health topics your participants wanted more information about this year? A good place for clues is the annual listing of top web searches released by WebMD.
It has lists for the top shared stories, the top mobile searches, top men's and women's searches, etc. Below is a sneak peek.
The top stories of 2011 were:
1. What Not To Eat
2. Contaminated Cantaloupes
3. Screening Guidelines Confusion
4. Vaccine/Autism Study Called "Fraud"
5. Stem Cell Early Home Run?
For the full results, click here.
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FDA. The Food and Drug Administration released a warning to consumers to avoid the over-the-counter weight loss product HCG. HCG can be found in oral drops, sprays and pellets, and recommends very low calorie diets while using the product. The FDA stated that weight loss results are from the dangerously low calorie restrictions, not the HCG. HCG is a hormone produced in the placenta of pregnant women. (Blake, 12/7) Full story
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USA Today. David Schlager, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M, states that newer antidepressants all appear to be equally effective. The differences between newer antidepressants are their related side effects, so it should be the side effects that are examined when finding the right medication for patients, along with cost and patient preference. (Gardner, 12/7) Full story
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Associated Press. The Food and Drug Administration is thinking of adding more information onto birth control labels to warn of the risk of blood clots. Newer birth controls containing drospirenone may raise the risk of blood clots more than older forms of birth control, with 10 in 10,000 women experiencing a blood clot on the newer form and 6 in 10,000 on the older. The rate of unplanned pregnancy for both newer and older birth control forms is 1 in 100. (12/7) Full story
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BNA. PBMs Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions testified before a Senate Judiciary panel that they believe a merger would save plan sponsors and consumers money. Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wis) is the subcommittee's chairman, and while he recognized that a merger would serve Express Script's and Medco's private interests, he expressed that the panel must be sure that it doesn't harm competition or consumers. (Lindeman, 12/7) Full story
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Businessweek. 24M Medicare beneficiaries received free preventive services and paid less for prescription drugs due to the new health law. 2.65M people over 65 have saved $1.5B on their prescription drugs, with average savings of $569 per person. (Wayne, 12/7) Full story
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Time. The Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency contraception pill Plan B One-Step to be sold over-the-counter to teens under 17 without a prescription. A study revealed that girls aged 12-17 understood the instructions well enough to use it safely and effectively without consulting a physician. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the recommendation and blocked the move to lift the age restriction. (Melnick, 12/7) Full story
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