Evidence building of PBMs' ability to control Rx costs
Prime Therapeutics releases report showing it held drug costs increases to just 2.5 percent for its clients in 2015. Read More »
CMS nominee Verma backs PBMs in Medicare Part D
"I'm thankful that we have the PBMs in the Part D program that are performing that negotiation on behalf of seniors." -- Seema Verma, nominee to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Read More »
45 million U.S. adults didn’t fill a prescription in 2016 due to cost
High prescription drug costs mean approximately 45 million adults in the U.S., or 18 percent of Americans over the age of 18, did not fill a prescription last year, according to the nonprofit group Prescription Justice.. Read More »
Critics worry Trump will undo FDA safeguards
Soem critics argue that decades of U.S. Food and Drug Administration safeguards could be in jeopardy with President Donald Trump’s pick for head of the FDA. Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court to review California ruling against pharmaceutical firm
Pharmaceutical companies, trial lawyers and tort reform advocates are closely following a case that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up that addresses the issue of plaintiffs joining suits in other states. Read More »
CMS offers resources to expand pharmacy care
The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services is encouraging pharmacies to extend the scope of dispensing medications to foster immediate access to certain drugs. Read More »
ACIP extends guidelines for 2017 vaccination schedule
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an extension of the Centers for Disease Control, recommends not using the live influenza vaccine due to poor efficacy. Read More »
House votes to expand roles of pharmacists across country
The U.S. House of Representative recently passed legislation that increases the role of pharmacists in patient needs by expanded the services that pharmacies offer. Read More »
Taxpayer groups oppose changes to 'process by which drug prices are negotiated for Medicare Part D'
In a letter sent to the U.S. House of Representatives, leaders from Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, and the National Taxpayers Union, urged congressional members to "oppose any attempts to change the successful and cost-saving process by which drug prices are negotiated for Medicare Part D." Read More »
Former CMS head: PBMs driving down drug costs, 'price-fixing' won't work
As the Trump Administration and new Congress signal their intent to somehow deal with the issue of rising prescription drug prices, the notion of giving the federal government more power to negotiate drug prices in Medicare Part D has been suggested as one measure that might be implemented. Two leading experts this week, however, threw cold water on that proposal, noting that such negotiations already exist and serve to bring down drug costs. Read More »
Diabetes-related kidney failure rate drops drastically among Native Americans
The rate of kidney failure related to diabetes among Native American adults dropped more than 50 percent between 1996 and 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently. Read More »
Almost half of U.S. consumers blame drug companies for high drug costs, according to new survey
A clear plurality (almost half) of American consumers blame drug makers for high drug costs, according to a new Google Consumer Survey conducted for American Pharmacy News. Read More »
Amegen secures major victory in patent infringement case
Biopharmaceutical company Amgen won a major victory in case involving the infringement of two patents held by the company. Read More »
Senate clears first hurdle toward repeal of ACA
President Donald Trump said before winning the election that the Affordable Care Act was one of the top items to be eliminated when he took office. Read More »
Bill would facilitate pharmacist involvement in rural patient care
A measure to allow pharmacists a greater role in rural patient’s health care maintenance has been introduced to the U.S. Senate. Read More »
Some view Kennedy as troubling choice for vaccine safety committee
Robert Kennedy Jr. has announced he will chair President Donald Trump's new commission on vaccine safety. Read More »
Pharmacies can now offer rewards programs to Medicare beneficiaries
A final rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services allows pharmacies increased flexibility to extend reward and loyalty programs to patients enrolled in government-sponsored programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Read More »
CDC report suggests pharmacists need more involvement in rural patient care
A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed the challenges rural health care faces and the need for provider status legislation. Read More »
Pharmacists appeal FDA's new protocol for filling prescriptions
Members of the American Pharmacists Association submitted a joint statement to President Donald Trump's administration, asking for an appeal to a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision saying a pharmacist cannot begin to fill a patient’s prescription without a written, valid prescription on hand. Read More »
Health care economist: PBMs part of the drug cost solution
Dealing with the thorny, and often contentious, issue of drug prices is likely to be front and center in the early days of the new Trump administration. Arriving at a solution to curb increasing costs will be a delicate balance for all those with a stake in the issue, according to a leading health economist. Read More »
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