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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Friday May 27, 2011

Health Inc.

Curbs On Ads For New Drugs Could Be A Mixed Bag

May 27, 2011 • The value of a moratorium on consumer ads for new drugs would hinge on whether a reduction in unexpected side effects outweighed lost health benefits from reduced use of effective medicines, a Congressional Budget Office report says.

Tuesday May 24, 2011

Health Inc.

Why Some Workplace Clinics Charge Different Rates For Identical Services

KFF Health News

May 24, 2011 • Some employers have concluded that employees enrolled in high-deductible health plans that are linked to a health savings account can't be given the same price break on workplace clinic services that their coworkers in regular PPOs and HMOs receive.

Thursday May 19, 2011

Health Inc.

Big Pharma's Golden Age Leads To Generics Windfall

May 19, 2011 • Patents are expiring on medicines launched during the 1990s, triggering a wave of new generic drugs. These days most prescriptions are filled with generics, which can save consumers on copays or the amount those without insurance have to pay out of their own pocket.

Big Pharma's Golden Age Leads To Generics Windfall

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Friday May 13, 2011

Health Inc.

Probes Of Sketchy Drug Sales Nearing Settlement

May 13, 2011 • Securities filings by Google and Johnson & Johnson earlier this week revealed details about government probes related to the marketing of prescription drugs. Settlements of the allegations are said to be near.

Wednesday May 11, 2011

Health Inc.

You Really Are Paying A Lot More For Health Care

May 11, 2011 • Even though the rate of health cost inflation slowed last year, it's still far greater than inflation. Increased spending on outpatient care is a big factor.

Audit Finds Widespread Use Of Antipsychotic Drugs In Nursing Homes

Seroquel, made by AstraZeneca, was the most prescribed of the atypical antipsychotics scrutinized in a federal audit of nursing home claims. Anonymous/AP hide caption

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Anonymous/AP

Health Inc.

Audit Finds Widespread Use Of Antipsychotic Drugs In Nursing Homes

May 11, 2011 • About 14 percent of elderly nursing homes residents receive a so-called atypical antipsychotic medicine despite an increased risk of death when the medicines are used to manage dementia in older people.

Tuesday May 10, 2011

Health Inc.

Federal Judge Acquits Ex-Glaxo Lawyer Before Defense Even Starts

May 10, 2011 • The federal government alleged that Lauren Stevens, once an in-house lawyer, had obstructed an Food and Drug Administration investigation into Glaxo's marketing of the antidepressant Wellbutrin as a weight-loss aid. A federal judge acquitted her before the defense called a witness.

Friday May 6, 2011

High-Strength Infant Meds With Acetaminophen To Be Dropped

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Health Inc.

High-Strength Infant Meds With Acetaminophen To Be Dropped

May 6, 2011 • Parents can give kids too much acetaminophen by using infant-strength drops in large quantities. Now, makers of the medicines say they'll produce the medicines in one concentration to minimize the risk of overdoses.

Health Inc.

Corporations On The Bus: Drug And Device Makers Splurge At Heart Meeting

May 6, 2011 • Last year, almost half of the $16 million collected by the Heart Rhythm Society came from makers of drugs and devices, ProPublica reports. More than $5 million in industry largesse came in the form of sponsorships and support of the group's big annual meeting.

Wednesday May 4, 2011

Health Inc.

Laser Back Surgery Clinics Reap Profits, Complaints

May 4, 2011 • The booming business at for-profit outpatient laser surgery clinics comes at a high price for insurers and some patients. And the rate of serious complaints for treatments of back pain is higher than those for other outpatient procedures.

Tuesday April 26, 2011

Faith-Based Groups Share Burden Of Health Costs ... With Limits

Faith-based groups that share health-care expenses struggle with the question of how much of the burden to share. Stan Rohrer/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Stan Rohrer/iStockphoto.com

Health Inc.

Faith-Based Groups Share Burden Of Health Costs ... With Limits

KFF Health News

April 26, 2011 • Members of health care sharing ministries pay monthly shares and pool their money to cover each others' expenses. Under the new health law, ministry members are exempt from the mandate to buy individual coverage. But they may not be covered for expensive pre-existing conditions.

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Health Inc.

3 In 4 U.S. Prescriptions Are Now For Generic Drugs

April 20, 2011 • As more brand-name drugs lose patent protection, use of inexpensive generic medicines continues to rise. Later this year cholesterol-fighter Lipitor will become available as a generic in the U.S., a change that will add more fuel to the trend.

Thursday April 14, 2011

Latest Smelly Johnson & Johnson Recall: Topamax

Wooden pallets like these appear to be the source of an offensive odor on a Johnson & Johnson medicine. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Health Inc.

Latest Smelly Johnson & Johnson Recall: Topamax

April 14, 2011 • A chemical from wooden shipping pallets is believed to have tainted 57,000 bottles of Topamax, a medicine for epilepsy and migraines. Johnson & Johnson says the contaminant does not present a health hazard but can be offensive.

Tuesday April 12, 2011

Plan Aims To Cut Down On Hospital Infections

A nurse uses an alcohol-based hand gel. A new $1 billion proposal from Health and Human Services aims to cut down on preventable hospital infections and patient readmissions. Dave Weaver/Associated Press hide caption

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Dave Weaver/Associated Press

Public Health

Plan Aims To Cut Down On Hospital Infections

April 12, 2011 • Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday pledged "up to $1 billion" for a new initiative that aims to reduce preventable hospital infections and patient readmissions after discharge. Many in the health industry are praising the proposal — but GOP lawmakers aren't, perhaps because it's paid for by the health overhaul law.

Thursday April 7, 2011

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli fields questions during a 2009 news conference about Pfizer agreeing to pay $2.3 billion in penalties over unlawful prescription drug promotion. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Health Inc.

Drugmakers Hooked On Shady Promotion

April 7, 2011 • Pharmaceutical companies find ways to market medicines for uses that haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Despite stepped up federal enforcement, a doctor who has analyzed the practices says they are unlikely to fade away.