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Health Inc. : Shots - Health News As spending on care rises, the business of health keeps getting more important. We feature news on and analysis of drugmakers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors and others in the business of providing health care.

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Health News From NPR

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Tuesday December 28, 2010

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Why Scientists Think Salvia Could Lead To Medical Treatments

December 28, 2010 • Salvinorin A activates something called the kappa opioid receptors. When turned on, opiod receptors are responsible for the high you get from drugs like heroin and opium. The type affected by the chemical in salvia could help modulate mania.

Monday December 27, 2010

Don't Stay Up Waiting For A Pill To Fight Jet Lag

Sleeping off jet lag is still the way to go. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Don't Stay Up Waiting For A Pill To Fight Jet Lag

December 27, 2010 • Regulators just gave a second thumbs down to drugmaker Cephalon's application to sell Nuvigil as a remedy for jet lag. The company said it won't try again to win them over.

Tuesday December 21, 2010

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Feds Propose To Scrutinize Health Insurers' Big Rate Hikes

December 21, 2010 • Federal officials are pushing ahead with new rules that would let them weigh in on whether a health insurance company’s proposed premium increases are reasonable.

Monday December 20, 2010

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Academic Docs Kept Speaking On Big Pharma's Dime, Despite Bans

December 20, 2010 • Several top medical schools and academic medical centers have not effectively enforced restrictions on pharmaceutical companies' payments to physicians, an investigation by Pro Publica finds. A check of data released by drugmakers reveals problems.

Friday December 17, 2010

Could This Woman Persuade You To Donate Bone Marrow?

Natasha Smahlei, a model, works at the Caitlin Raymond International Registry exhibit in October during the New England Business Expo at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. Paul Kapteyn/Courtesy of www.telegram.com hide caption

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Paul Kapteyn/Courtesy of www.telegram.com

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Could This Woman Persuade You To Donate Bone Marrow?

December 17, 2010 • Models in blue wigs and short skirts helped attract potential bone marrow donors to a Massachusetts registry. Insurers were then billed as much as $4,300 for the lab tests.

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When It Comes To Government Fraud, Health Care Now Tops Defense

December 17, 2010 • Documented fraud by the pharmaceutical industry has been accelerating lately, an advocacy group finds. Fines and settlements paid by drug companies since 1991 those penalties totaled $19.8 billion. Most were levied in the past five years.

Thursday December 16, 2010

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FDA Moves To Pull Approval Of Cancer Drug

December 16, 2010 • The Food and Drug Administration says data from recent clinical studies show the benefits of the drug Avastin for breast cancer patients don't outweigh the risks. Roche's Genentech unit disagrees and wants to keep marketing the drug for that use.

Wednesday December 15, 2010

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Feds Get Dannon To Modify Health Claims For Activia, DanActive

December 15, 2010 • Dannon has agreed to pay the government $21 million in a settlement after the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint about misleading ads for yogurt. The company won't

Medical Schools Make Progress On Conflicts Of Interest

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Medical Schools Make Progress On Conflicts Of Interest

December 15, 2010 • Members of the American Medical Students Association have turned the tables and now grade their schools on how well they manage industry conflicts. In the group's third annual report, med schools are doing a little better.

Wednesday December 8, 2010

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Diet Pill Endorsed By FDA Advisers

December 8, 2010 • Contrave, an experimental diet pill, got a recommendation for approval, reversing a trend against such medicines lately. If the Food and Drug Administration goes along with the advice, it would be the first diet drug approved in more than a decade.

Monday December 6, 2010

Why One Walgreens Can't Fill Prescriptions

Shane Wendel, a pharmacist and owner of the Central Pharmacy in New Rockford, N.D., speaks to customer Marvel Ebenhahn about her prescription. "I get to choose how I direct patient care, and what I spend my time on to help my patients," Wendel tells Shots. Dale Wetzel/AP hide caption

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Dale Wetzel/AP

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Why One Walgreens Can't Fill Prescriptions

December 6, 2010 • A decades-old law in North Dakota shuts most big chain pharmacies out of the state. But is there a downside for consumers?

Pfizer CEO Calls It Quits

Jeff Kindler at a news conference to announce Pfizer's purchase of Wyeth for $68 billion. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

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Mark Lennihan/AP

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Pfizer CEO Calls It Quits

December 6, 2010 • The fundamental and unsolved problem for Kindler was puny growth and a shortage of new drugs. After a little over four years running the world's largest drug company, Kindler, 55, is retiring.

Friday December 3, 2010

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Docs Not Dropping Medicare Patients Just Yet

December 3, 2010 • In a surprise, a survey from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission finds doctors aren't following through on threats to stop seeing Medicare patients because of possible pay cuts.

Thursday December 2, 2010

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Big Questions About Insurance Plans With Limited Coverage

December 2, 2010 • Some companies have received government waivers to let them offer inexpensive and limited health coverage for workers. Some say the insurance is not worth even the small amount it costs.

Tuesday November 23, 2010

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Caution: High Deductible Plans Might Be Bad For Your Health

November 23, 2010 • Both high and low income earners forgo care when they have to pay a lot out of pocket up front. And they both get stressed out about it, says a new report.

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