DMC outpatient pharmacy plan with Walgreens encounters problems
When Detroit Medical Center sold its seven hospital outpatient pharmacies to Walgreens earlier this year, DMC pharmacy managers warned that Walgreens at DMC had no contractual relationship with several major insurers for hundreds of DMC patients.
Feds propose lowering opioid production quotas by 10% in 2019
The Justice Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed to reduce manufacturing quotas for the six most frequently abused opioids by 10% in 2019 amid the historic epidemic.
FDA approves first EpiPen generic
Teva Pharmaceutical's product is the first direct generic copy of the EpiPen, the life-saving automatic epinephrine injector that fueled a national debate on rising pharmaceutical prices.
Officials remove special rules for gene therapy experiments
A special National Institutes of Health oversight panel will no longer review all gene therapy applications and will instead take on a broader advisory role, as the treatment quickly becomes an established form of medical care with no extraordinary risks.
Rebates don't correlate to drug price spikes, AHIP study says
As scrutiny tightens on drug middlemen and the significance of their role in spiking drug costs within Medicare Part D, health insurers are hitting back with data that show the most expensive drugs offer the lowest rebates.
Variety of factors drive wide variation in opioid treatment across the U.S.
All about medicine show a significant variation in utilization and cost of opioid-related treatment, which may be explained by provider capacity, coverage networks or financial incentives.
Jump in deliveries seen involving moms hooked on opioids
U.S. health officials say they found a dramatic rise in the number of women who are hooked on opioids and delivering babies in hospitals.
Medicare Part B change could lead to increased hospitalizations
The CMS' move to allow Medicare Advantage plans to require patients to try low-cost generic drugs before more expensive therapies on Part B could lead to poor health outcomes, causing an increase in ED use and inpatient admissions, providers say.
Doctors nudged by overdose letter prescribe fewer opioids
More than 400 "Dear Doctor" letters, sent last year in San Diego County, were part of a study that, researchers say, put a human face on the U.S. opioid crisis for many doctors.
Azar eyes overhauling certificates of need, Medicaid drug rebates
HHS Secretary Alex Azar hinted the agency will overhaul certificate-of-need regulations and force drugmakers to pay full rebates to state Medicaid programs for new formulations of existing drugs.
Rockwell Medical settles with former CEO, CFO, 2 directors for $1.5 million
Rockwell Medical has hired a new CEO after reaching a settlement that includes $1.5 million in payments to two former top executives and two directors over disagreements on how to sell Triferic, the company's most promising drug.
Medicare Advantage change may lower Part B drug prices
The CMS is waiving an Obama-era guidance that prohibited Medicare Advantage plans from imposing prior authorization requirements on Part B drugs.
