Healthcare News by GLG Council Members

Current PBM adjudication technology can stop a prescription from being a covered benefit when an atypical is being prescribed in the pediatric setting.  the  dispensing pharmacist would receive a prior authorization required message and a discussion with the prescribing MD would be required.  I did this when I was chief pharmacy officer.

1. Yes, more expensive glucose-lowering drugs are being more widely used. 2. No, I do not think that medical evidence suggests that this is incorrect.

These strategies are running out of steam as insurers, and even the general public, are catching on.  Most insurers will only pay for generic modafanil, and these new versions will not sell as much as they would have even 5 years ago.  The abuse potential of the drug may help, as brand-name drugs of abuse have specific characteristics which make them easier to sell on the street. 

This article tells you only that the drugs are equally effective, but not what that really means in real life.

This article is important in that it discusses a rare but known side effect of filler injections- reactions to these agents. These reactions include allergies, infections, etc. The incidence is low- approximately 1000 cases out of 1.5 million injections. The majority of these reactions were not serious. The various fillers were not differentiated, but it is likely that the hyaluronic acid fillers...

A wide ranging coalition of 28 of the nation's leading organizations providing, purchasing, consuming and evaluating healthcare came together in Washington this week to launch an aggressive effort to transform the nation's healthcare system.  No less than the AMA, AHA, AARP, AFL-CIO, Joint Commission, Consumers Union and 20 other leading national private organizations and public sector agencies...

An oral agent that can be used in patients with ITP that have become refractory to steroids, splenectomy and various immunologic manipulations.

Dermal Fillers are a popular and growing procedure that is poorly regulated.  Although problems arise in their administration, it is not clear whether it is due to the product or user technique.  That key difference is essential to quantify before issuing warnings

The safety data showing statistically significant increased rates of cervical cancer in women vaccinated against HPV was buried.  Although presented at the FDA hearing, the data did not make it into the package insert for the biological. Briefly, the data showed that women who had evidence of HPV infection prior to vaccination had nearly double the risk of cervical cancer compared to women...

Stunning phase 2 results, particularly in neurological conditions, are rarely replicated in phase 3 trials (Renovis/AstraZeneca's Cerovive being just one example of many). Medivation's challenges with Dimebon are amplified due to the sketchy nature of the Russian data. While the prospect of success in the monotherapy trial (CONNECTION) is likely higher than with a...