prescription drugs

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Medicare Targets 15 New Drugs for Price Negotiations

Diabetes meds Ozempic and Wegovy are among the additions

(Newser) - Popular diabetes (and weight loss) drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been added to Medicare's list of medications that will be negotiated directly between the government and drug manufacturers, the Biden administration said Friday. The price negotiations for the additional 15 drugs selected will be handled by the incoming...

FTC: 3 Companies Massively Jacked Cost of Lifesaving Drugs

Report on pharmacy benefit managers doesn't do UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, CVS any favors

(Newser) - The Big 3 companies acting as intermediaries between drugmakers and insurance providers made billions by needlessly jacking up the prices of lifesaving drugs, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In its second interim staff report on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), released Tuesday, the FTC said CVS Health's Caremark Rx,...

Those Online Pharmacies? It's Not Great News

Feds say nearly all are being run illegally, upping risk of consumers getting dangerous, ineffective drugs

(Newser) - Nearly all of the world's 35,000 online pharmacies are being run illegally, and consumers who use them risk getting ineffective or dangerous drugs, per the US Trade Representative's annual report on "notorious markets." The report also singled out 19 countries over concerns about counterfeit or...

On Popular Asthma Pill, 'Something That's Concerning'

FDA ties Singular (aka montelukast) to mental health issues; it's not necessarily cause-effect

(Newser) - When Merck debuted its Singulair asthma pill in the late '90s, an appealing alternative to asthma sufferers who relied on inhalers, the pharmaceuticals company compared it to a "sugar pill" in terms of side effects, calling any distribution of the drug to the brains of the millions of...

Birth Control, Diabetes Meds in Canada Will Soon Be Free

Government passes law to boost access to drugs, though some provinces are balking

(Newser) - Our neighbor to the north is making it easier for citizens to acquire contraceptives and insulin. Canada's Parliament has just passed a law that will provide contraceptives to its citizens free of charge, as well as drugs for diabetes patients, covering the entire cost for those without insurance, as...

CBP Probably Didn't Expect to Find This Much Bologna

Officers in Texas say woman coming from Mexico had 750 pounds' worth of meat in car, plus drugs

(Newser) - When officials inspected the bags of a woman crossing over from Mexico into Texas earlier this week, they noticed her suitcases seemed to be heavier than they should. They soon found out why: Customs and Border Protection says that when they opened up the bags in the GMC Yukon at...

Don't 'Jailbreak' Your Meds to Make Your Own, Docs Warn

Patients are turning to DIY medicine for everything from weight loss to abortion

(Newser) - High prescription drug prices, long waits at doctor's offices, and other logjams that cause challenges for people with medical issues have led to a concerning phenomenon among that group: DIY medicine, reports NPR . What that means is that patients are cobbling together their own weight loss meds, wound ointments,...

Prices Will Be Slashed for These 10 Medicare Drugs

Drug costs to fall up to 79% beginning in 2026: Biden administration

(Newser) - Seniors will save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs for the 10 costliest prescription drugs under Medicare as a result of the Biden administration's negotiations with drug companies , according to a Thursday announcement. Beginning in 2026, the costs of 10 popular medications will be reduced by between 38% and...

This Drug 'Could Change the Trajectory' of HIV Epidemic

Gilead's Sunlenca prevents infections in girls and young women who get a twice-yearly shot

(Newser) - A twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing HIV infections in young women and teen girls, according to the results of what some are calling a "breakthrough" phase 3 trial. The randomized, double-blind trial by drugmaker Gilead Sciences involved more than 5,000 young women and girls in South...

On Alzheimer's, an Advance 'We've All Been Waiting For'

Eli Lilly's donanemab, sold as Kisunla, gets the FDA green light to help slow disease progression

(Newser) - Last summer, the Food and Drug Administration gave the thumbs-up to Leqembi, the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Now, almost a year to the day after that move, the government agency has greenlit a second drug: Eli Lilly's donanemab, sold under the brand...

This Ozempic Study Went So Well That It Was Stopped Early

Research finds semaglutide can cut risk of serious illness, death in those with diabetes, kidney disease

(Newser) - Semaglutide , the medication found in such brands as Ozempic and Wegovy, has become the drug of choice lately for weight loss. A new study, however, suggests it can also bring other significant benefits to users, including slashing the risk of serious kidney complications, heart problems, and even death in...

In Hack Update, UnitedHealth Reveals Ransom Was Paid

It says a 'substantial proportion' of Americans possibly had data stolen

(Newser) - Hackers stole health and personal data from what could amount to a "substantial proportion" of Americans, UnitedHealth said in a Monday update on the February cyberattack on its Change Healthcare subsidiary. UnitedHealth also confirmed that it paid a ransom "as part of the company's commitment to do...

Oprah's Got a Big Special on Weight Loss Coming Up

Winfrey will host ABC/Hulu program on using meds to drop pounds, to the chagrin of some

(Newser) - As WeightWatchers deals with the aftermath of Oprah Winfrey's exit , the TV icon is making her next big move on the weight-loss scene. CNN reports that Winfrey will host An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution, set to be released later this month on ABC and...

Controversial FDA Decision a Milestone on Drug Prices
Controversial FDA Decision
a Milestone on Drug Prices
the rundown
Jan 5, 2024 11:19 AM CST

Controversial FDA Decision a Milestone on Drug Prices

Agency will let Florida be the first state to import drugs in bulk from Canada

(Newser) - Americans are known to head across the border into Canada to buy their prescription drugs at cheaper costs. Now, for the first time, a state government has received approval to do the same thing on a much larger scale. In a decision described as historic, the Food and Drug Administration...

CVS Is Planning a Big Change to How It Prices Drugs

Company says new system will be much more transparent

(Newser) - The nation's biggest drugstore chain is planning a massive overhaul of how it prices prescription drugs. CVS Health says it is shifting from the current complex and opaque pricing model to a simpler, more transparent system based on what its pharmacies actually pay for the drugs, plus a set...

Diabetes Drug Helped Dieters Lose Quarter of Body Weight
This Drug Is Like a 'Medical
Gastric Bypass' for Weight Loss
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 21, 2023 12:10 PM CDT

This Drug Is Like a 'Medical Gastric Bypass' for Weight Loss

Experts say Eli Lilly diabetes drug Mounjaro, aka tirzepatide, holds potential for treating obesity

(Newser) - The medicine in the diabetes drug Mounjaro helped people with obesity or who are overweight lose at least a quarter of their body weight, or about 60 pounds on average, when combined with intensive diet and exercise, a new study shows. By comparison, a group of people who also dieted...

Your Prescriptions Could Soon Fall Out of the Sky

Amazon is testing 1-hour drone deliveries for meds in College Station, Texas

(Newser) - Amazon will soon make prescription drugs fall from the sky when the e-commerce giant becomes the latest company to test drone deliveries for medications. The company said Wednesday that customers in College Station, Texas, can now get prescriptions delivered by a drone within an hour of placing their order, reports...

Inmates Win $2K Each After Jail's Ivermectin 'Cocktail'

Arkansas prisoners received antiparasitic drug, which wasn't FDA-approved for COVID, in 2021

(Newser) - Five inmates at an Arkansas jail received a small settlement last month after being given ivermectin to treat their bouts with COVID. The Washington Post reports that the detainees involved in a lawsuit against Fayetteville's Washington County Detention Center were each awarded $2,000, in what ACLU Arkansas calls...

Japan's Dementia Treatment 'Has Now Entered a New Era'

Country with rapidly aging population OKs its first Alzheimer's drug

(Newser) - Japan's Health Ministry has approved Leqembi, a drug for Alzheimer's disease that was jointly developed by Japanese and US pharmaceutical companies. As the AP reports, it's the first drug for treatment of the disease in a country with a rapidly aging population. Developed by Japanese drugmaker Eisai...

Medicare Will Target These 10 Drugs for Price Cuts

Biden administration to negotiate 'lowest maximum fair price' for Jardiance, Eliquis, others

(Newser) - The popular diabetes treatment Jardiance and the blood thinner Eliquis are among the first drugs that will be targeted for price negotiations in an effort to cut Medicare costs, reports the AP . President Biden's administration on Tuesday released a list of 10 drugs for which the federal government will...

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