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.

Shots

Health News From NPR

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Friday August 27, 2010

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J&J Recalls Failure-Prone Hip Implants

August 27, 2010 • About 1 in 8 people who have received the affected hips need surgery to replace them within five years of implantation. That failure rate is more than double the average for similar products.

Thursday August 26, 2010

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Insurer Gets OK To Raise Rates 14 Percent In California

August 26, 2010 • Months after the insurer withdrew a controversial request to raise premiums 39 percent, state regulators approved a hike that will average about 14 percent for individual policies.

Wednesday August 25, 2010

Drug Prices Climb Faster Than Inflation, Again

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Drug Prices Climb Faster Than Inflation, Again

August 25, 2010 • Retail prices of brand-name prescription medicines commonly used by people in Medicare rose briskly in 2009, an AARP analysis says. This year generic versions of some of the big movers could help relieve the financial pain.

Friday August 20, 2010

Antidepressant Cymbalta On Track For Approval As Pain Pill

A technician checks out some Cymbalta capsules at a Lilly factory in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

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Darron Cummings/AP

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Antidepressant Cymbalta On Track For Approval As Pain Pill

August 20, 2010 • An expert panel supported Food and Drug Administration approval of a popular antidepressant for the treatment of chronic back pain. The experts came out against use of the medicine for knee pain from arthritis, though.

Thursday August 19, 2010

Gwyneth Paltrow, NPR Has Some News For You And Your Bones

Some of the best bones in the business. Lefteris Pitarakis/AP hide caption

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Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

Opinion

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Gwyneth Paltrow, NPR Has Some News For You And Your Bones

August 19, 2010 • The actress recently revealed she has osteopenia. Well, Gwyneth and fans of Gwyneth, we have something important to tell you about this so-called disease.

Wednesday August 18, 2010

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Drug Made Infamous By Date Rapes Gets Second Look For Fibromyalgia

August 18, 2010 • Jazz Pharmaceuticals wants to sell a prescription drug called Rekinla to relieve fibromyalgia pain. A panel of experts to the FDA will weigh in this week, with special attention to how Jazz will keep the medicine away from creeps.

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Johnson & Johnson Rejiggers Manufacturing To Improve Quality

August 18, 2010 • The company's chief executive says a new quality overlord will report directly to him. The change, made after a string of embarrassing recalls, goes against the grain of a company known for decentralization.

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Lilly's Drug Flop Shows How Tough Alzheimer's Will Be To Beat

August 18, 2010 • A medicine that was supposed to help Alzheimer's patients by blocking the formation of so-called amyloid plaques in their brains instead made them worse.

Monday August 16, 2010

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FDA Moves To Take Drug For Low Blood Pressure Off The Market

August 16, 2010 • In a first, the agency is proposing to withdraw approval for a medicine because its maker didn't follow through on a promise to conduct clinical tests. The drug was prescribed to about 100,000 people in 2009.

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FDA May Pull Approval Of Avastin For Breast Cancer

August 16, 2010 • The costly biotech drug blocks the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors. In July, a panel of experts voted 12-1 to recommend that FDA take back the approval, a rare step, because the benefits don't outweigh the risks.

Thursday August 12, 2010

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As Drug Marketers Embrace Social Media, FDA Mulls New Rules

August 12, 2010 • With so many people getting so much of their information from social media, it's little wonder that drugmakers are entering the arena to sell their wares. Some say the Food and Drug Administration has been too slow to police the new frontier.

As Drug Marketers Embrace Social Media, FDA Mulls New Rules

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Wednesday August 11, 2010

Doctors Are Slow To Prescribe Pill To Prevent Prostate Cancer

Finasteride, the active ingredient in brand-name drugs Proscar, for enlarged prostates, and Propecia, for baldness, has been shown to lower the risk of prostate cancer. But doctors haven't jumped to prescribe it. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images hide caption

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Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

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Doctors Are Slow To Prescribe Pill To Prevent Prostate Cancer

August 11, 2010 • A survey shows that doctors aren't prescribing a pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Confusion about side effects and the challenge of measuring success are two reasons why.

With A Life-Saving Medicine In Short Supply, Patients Want Patent Broken

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Monday August 2, 2010

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Debate About Value Of Provenge Boils Over On Medicare Site

August 2, 2010 • As Medicare analysts mull whether to pay for a $93,000 prostate cancer treatment nationwide, a debate over its worth rages in public comments to the government. Some critics have sought anonymity, fearing an online backlash.

Friday August 27, 2010

Thursday August 26, 2010

Wednesday August 25, 2010

Friday August 20, 2010

Thursday August 19, 2010

Wednesday August 18, 2010

Monday August 16, 2010

Thursday August 12, 2010

As Drug Marketers Embrace Social Media, FDA Mulls New Rules

Wednesday August 11, 2010

Wednesday August 4, 2010

With A Life-Saving Medicine In Short Supply, Patients Want Patent Broken

Monday August 2, 2010