| FDA APPROVALS Anthrasil to treat patients with inhalational anthrax Eylea to treat diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic macular edema |
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UnitedHealth to buy pharmacy benefit firm Catamaran for $12.8 billion
Reuters - March 30, 2015
Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. agreed to buy Catamaran Corp in a deal worth about $12.8 billion to boost its pharmacy benefit business as it competes with bigger rivals such as Express Scripts Holdings Co.
How PCSK9 cholesterol drugs will shift pharma's pricing trends
BioPharma Dive - March 25, 2015
The excitement surrounding PCSK9 inhibitors, the new class of anti-cholesterol drugs associated with 60% lower LDL-C levels and 50% fewer cardiovascular (CVD) events in early stage trials, is palpable. But now that issues of safety, clinical efficacy, and tolerability have begun being vetted in large, ongoing trials, the question many are asking is: "How much will these drugs cost?"
The Cost of a Cure: Medicare Spent $4.5 Billion on New Hepatitis C Drugs Last Year
ProPublica - March 29, 2015
Medicare’s spending on drugs to treat hepatitis C soared more than 15 fold from 2013 to 2014 as new breakthroughs came to the market, according to previously undisclosed federal data. The drugs cure the disease, but taxpayers are footing the bill.
Aetna drops prices for HIV and AIDS drugs
Healthcare Dive - March 31, 2015
Aetna has confirmed that beginning June 1, it is moving HIV drugs down from its priciest category of cost sharing, which required members to pay up to half the cost of these expensive drugs, running some members as much as $1,000 per month.
Justices limit lawsuits against state Medicaid programs
USA TODAY - March 31, 2015
A closely divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that private parties cannot sue states over low Medicaid reimbursement rates, a finding that critics said could leave poor patients without enough health care providers to serve them.
FDA is Sued by Otsuka for ‘Unlawfully’ Widening the Market for Abilify
Wall Street Journal - March 26, 2015
It’s not every day that a drug maker complains the FDA widened a market for one of its drugs. But this is what Ostuka Pharmaceuticals is doing in a lawsuit claiming the agency illegally broadened the indication for its best-selling Abilify antipsychotic, unfairly opening the door to generic competition in the process.
Study Casts Doubt on Acetaminophen for Low Back Pain, Arthritis
HealthDay News - March 31, 2015
Acetaminophen -- best known as Tylenol in the United States -- does not appear to help ease lower back pain and offers little relief for the most common form of arthritis, according to a new report.
High-Deductible Plans Bring Lower Costs Now, But Will They Bring Pricey Problems?
Kaiser Health News - March 26, 2015
Got a high-deductible health plan? The kind that doesn’t pay most medical bills until they exceed several thousand dollars? You’re a foot soldier who’s been drafted in the war against high health costs.
Makers of Generic Drugs Challenge F.D.A. Plan for Updated Warnings
New York Times - March 27, 2015
The pharmaceutical industry mounted a new challenge on Friday to a federal plan that would require generic drug companies to take the initiative to update their labels to warn consumers whenever health risks were discovered, a shift that would expose the companies to legal liability.
FACT SHEET: Obama Administration Releases National Action Plan to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
The White House - March 27, 2015
The White House released a comprehensive plan that identifies critical actions to be taken by key Federal departments and agencies to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Researchers develop new potential drug for rare leukemia
ScienceDaily - March 30, 2015
A new drug that shows potential in laboratory studies against a rare type of acute leukemia has been developed by scientists. And additional studies suggest the same compound could play a role in prostate cancer treatment as well, they say.
Obamacare Exchanges Falling Far Short Of Smoking Cessation Requirements
Huffington Post - March 31, 2015
Only one state in the country makes sure that Affordable Care Act consumers have access to smoking cessation programs as the law requires, according to a report released Tuesday.
HHS takes strong steps to address opioid-drug related overdose, death and dependence
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - March 26, 2015
Evidence-based, bipartisan efforts focus on prescribing practices and treatment to reduce prescription opioid and heroin use disorders.
Contact,
Jan Tankersley
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales
Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG)
Office: 972-943-7141
Email: JTankersley@PSGConsults.com
PSGNewsletter@PSGConsults.com
www.PSGConsults.com
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