Content about Insights and Perspectives

June 19, 2013

Most wasteful healthcare spending results from poor adherence, study finds

More responsible use of drugs could save the U.S. healthcare system more than $200 billion per year, according to a new study by the research arm of IMS Health.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — More responsible use of drugs could save the U.S. healthcare system more than $200 billion per year, according to a new study by the research arm of IMS Health.

June 19, 2013

Nearly 7-in-10 adults take a prescription drug, study finds

A large majority of Americans are taking prescription drugs, according to a new study by the Mayo Clinic.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A large majority of Americans are taking prescription drugs, according to a new study by the Mayo Clinic.

The study, published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that nearly 70% of Americans are taking at least one drug, and more than half are taking two. Most of the drugs are antibiotics, antidepressants and opioid painkillers. Researchers said the data, which came from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, would be valuable because it would give insight into prescribing practices.

June 18, 2013

Healthcare spending growth to drop next year, PwC report finds

Spending on health care will slow down in 2014 despite a flood of new patients who will have insurance, according to a new study.

NEW YORK — Spending on health care will slow down in 2014 despite a flood of new patients who will have insurance, according to a new study.

The PwC Health Research Institute study, titled Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers, forecasts 6.5% inflation in healthcare spending despite the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act adding millions of new patients. The report noted that the slowdown in spending was contrary to the experience of previous recessions.

June 18, 2013

More companies focus on innovation, marketing, report finds

Consumer packaged goods companies and retailers that sell their products have managed to stay strong despite economic difficulty, according to a new report.

WASHINGTON — Consumer packaged goods companies and retailers that sell their products have managed to stay strong despite economic difficulty, according to a new report.

The 2013 financial performance report, "Growth Strategies: Unlocking the Power of the Consumer," conducted by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and PwC, found that despite overall slowing net sales growth rates in 2012, food, beverage and household product companies had respective sales growth of 7%, 5.5% and 3.2%.

June 18, 2013

Study finds double-digit growth in drug store loyalty programs

Memberships in drug store loyalty programs have grown by 45% over the past couple years to total more than 140 million, according to a new report.

CINCINNATI — Memberships in drug store loyalty programs have grown by 45% over the past couple years to total more than 140 million, according to a new report.

June 17, 2013

Fresh food could help drive more loyalty for Amazon

Amazon has announced that it will offer a free, 90-day trial of a new same-day delivery service to customers in the Los Angeles area that includes fresh food. The service, Prime Fresh, is being offered to members of Amazon Prime members, and after 90 days, the company will offer to let them upgrade to Prime Fresh on a permanent basis, for $299 per year, from the current Amazon Prime price of $79 per year. The company tested the program for six years in Seattle and plans to expand it to San Francisco later this year.

As Amazon director and category for U.S. health and beauty told DSN in a profile of the company back in May, Wall Street didn't like the SuperSaver shipping program, and the company spent a net $2.9 billion on shopping in 2012, a 17% increase from the year before, according to its 2012 annual report. But according to one report, Prime actually is quite profitable, and members are among the online retailer's best customers.

Amazon has announced that it will offer a free, 90-day trial of a new same-day delivery service to customers in the Los Angeles area that includes fresh food. The service, Prime Fresh, is being offered to Amazon Prime members, and after 90 days, the company will offer to let them upgrade to Prime Fresh on a permanent basis, for $299 per year, from the current Amazon Prime price of $79 per year.

June 17, 2013

Parody of Kmart ad shows the perils of viral marketing

Kmart is distancing itself from a parody of its viral "Ship My Pants" ad on YouTube that many are saying goes too far, crossing the line from edgy to racist.

June 14, 2013

Mintel: Consumers avoid total sugars more than specific types when choosing food, beverages

Consumers avoid total sugars more than they avoid any specific sweetener, according to a new brand-level consumer attitudes and behavior study about food and beverages from Mintel Research Consultancy.

WASHINGTON — Consumers avoid total sugars more than they avoid any specific sweetener, according to a new brand-level consumer attitudes and behavior study about food and beverages from Mintel Research Consultancy on behalf of the Corn Refiners Association.

Approximately a quarter of soda, yogurt and bread brand purchasers (between 17 and 26%) say they are looking to reduce total sugars in their diet. In contrast, a nominal 1-5% of consumers purchasing these items cite avoiding a specific sweetener, such as high fructose corn syrup.

June 13, 2013

Consumer confidence, high spending fuel retail sales

Retail sales are up nearly 5% from one year ago, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Commerce.

WASHINGTON — Retail sales are up nearly 5% from one year ago, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Commerce.

Amid improved consumer confidence and higher spending, May retail sales — which exclude cars, gas stations and restaurants — increased 4.8% from May 2012 and 0.6% from last month.

June 13, 2013

Home health care shows strongest job growth in healthcare sector, May data show

Most of the growth in jobs in the healthcare sector comes from home health care, according to data released this month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

WASHINGTON — Most of the growth in jobs in the healthcare sector comes from home health care, according to data released this month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

June 11, 2013

Study finds misperceptions among adults, doctors about opioid dependence

Misperceptions and stereotypes about opioid dependence that may affect how it's treated have persisted among the general public and physicians despite increased attention devoted to the issue, according to a new survey.

RICHMOND, Va. — Misperceptions and stereotypes about opioid dependence that may affect how it's treated have persisted among the general public and physicians, despite increased attention devoted to the issue, according to a new survey.

June 10, 2013

Avandia could get a second chance, following FDA panel vote

A 26-member joint panel comprising the Food and Drug Administration's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs and Drug Safety and Risk Management advisory committees voted to support modifying or removing the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy protocol for GlaxoSmithKline's Type 2 diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone).

Historically, the FDA has followed advisory committee votes when making a decision on the marketing of a drug even though it is not bound by them, but assuming the agency follows the panel's advice, it could mean a lot for the controversial drug and the way it's dispensed. But even if Avandia winds up on retail pharmacy shelves again, it faces a very different landscape from its heyday.

June 10, 2013

Study supports low-calorie sweeteners as way to help prevent, manage diabetes

Low-calorie sweeteners can be used to prevent and manage Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

ATLANTA — Low-calorie sweeteners can be used to prevent and manage Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by a group of researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and published in the summer 2013 issue of the journal U.S. Endocrinology, examined the role between excess weight gain and management and prevention of Type 2 diabetes from available literature.

June 10, 2013

Walgreens' continued transformation into comprehensive health solutions provider is an opportunity for all

Beginning July 1, Walgreens will be able to provide tube feeding services to Medicare patients in 97 of 100 competitive-bidding areas nationwide, the healthcare solutions provider announced last week. The contracts are up for renewal every three years.

This is just another example of how Walgreens is transforming its pharmacy business into a center for healthcare solutions — this goes far beyond dispensing and ultimately aims squarely at reducing hospitalization costs, another way that Walgreens is helping payers bend the cost curve. It begs the question: Should traditional suppliers be thinking about the role their products can play as Walgreens develops new business segments like infusion services?

June 5, 2013

Survey finds widespread ignorance about triglycerides' role in cardiovascular health

Most Americans have little understanding of the importance of managing fats known as triglycerides to maintain cardiovascular health, according to a new survey.

MADISON, N.J. — Most Americans have little understanding of the importance of managing fats known as triglycerides to maintain cardiovascular health, according to a new survey.

To conduct the survey, researchers from Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind polled 600 adults aged 40 and older, finding that 54% of respondents didn't know if it was better to have high or low levels of triglycerides, and 45% of those diagnosed as having high cholesterol didn't know.

June 4, 2013

Study predicts 6 million added to Medicaid rolls with implementation of health reform

The healthcare reform law will add 6 million Americans to Medicaid and 21 million to affordable insurance exchanges, according to a new study.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The healthcare reform law will add 6 million Americans to Medicaid and 21 million to affordable insurance exchanges, according to a new study.

June 3, 2013

'Like' if you agree: NCPA gets that patient engagement of the future will be driven through social media

Independent pharmacy was provided a social media stepping stone with last week's announcement pairing the National Community Pharmacists Association and RxWiki. The companies announced a joint digital solutions offering that will raise the profile of independents across both social media and mobile platforms.

June 3, 2013

Letting shoppers buy online, pick up in store could drive more customer traffic, study finds

Integration of social and mobile media, as well as shipping options and flexible returns, can drive brand loyalty as consumers seek out more choices and convenience when shopping online, according to a new study.

ATLANTA — Integration of social and mobile media, as well as shipping options and flexible returns, can drive brand loyalty as consumers seek out more choices and convenience when shopping online, according to a new study.

June 3, 2013

Special domain for legitimate pharmacies could go long way toward ensuring safety of supply chain

Efforts to create a generic top-level domain for legitimate pharmacy websites gained traction last week when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN - the body that controls what goes into Internet URLs - gave the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy a passing grade for an initial evaluation of its plans for the domain, ".pharmacy."

If successful, the .pharmacy domain will create a powerful new weapon to combat the rise of illegal online pharmacies, which, according to many studies, constitute all but 3% of the websites selling drugs on the Internet. These are the "Canadian" pharmacies selling cheap drugs that one often sees links to on search engines and other websites; despite their supposed provenance, they're usually based in countries where regulations are lax or unenforced.

Efforts to create a generic top-level domain for legitimate pharmacy websites gained traction last week when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN — the body that controls what goes into Internet URLs — gave the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy a passing grade for an initial evaluation of its plans for the domain ".pharmacy."

May 30, 2013

Few maintain partial dentures in good condition, survey finds

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare today released results from a new national survey of partial denture wearers revealing that while more than half of survey respondents (58%) report that it's important to them to maintain the health of their teeth — more so than their diet (46%) or skin (11%) — more than one third (36%) of respondents did not change any of their behaviors within the first year of wearing their partial denture.

PITTSBURGH — GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare today released results from a new national survey of partial denture wearers revealing that while over half of survey respondents (58%) report that it's important to them to maintain the health of their teeth — more so than their diet (46%) or skin (11%) — more than one third (36%) of respondents did not change any of their behaviors within the first year of wearing their partial denture.

May 30, 2013

Study finds higher childhood allergy rates in the United States

Children in the United States are more likely to experience allergies than those in other countries, according a new study.

CHICAGO — Children in the United States are more likely to experience allergies than those in other countries, according to a new study.

May 30, 2013

Study finds shifts in how consumers define wellness

More than half of consumers have recently changed their views on health and wellness and added more vitamin D to their diets, while nearly a third have consumed functional beverages in the last 30 days, according to a new survey.

NEW YORK — More than half of consumers have recently changed their views on health and wellness and added more vitamin D to their diets, while nearly a third have consumed functional beverages in the last 30 days, according to a new survey.

May 29, 2013

Closer collaboration between payers, physicians could reduce cancer care costs, studies find

Healthcare company Cardinal Health has released a series of studies showing ways that it says could reduce the cost of treating cancer.

DUBLIN, Ohio — Healthcare company Cardinal Health has released a series of studies showing ways that it says could reduce the cost of treating cancer.

May 29, 2013

Competitive Promotion Report releases briefing on taking on big data

Competitive Promotion Report is hoping to help consumer packaged goods manufacturers parse large and complex data sets in a new report.

MARIETTA, Ga. — Competitive Promotion Report is hoping to help consumer packaged goods manufacturers parse large and complex data sets in a new report.

May 28, 2013

Study compares tooth decay related to soda consumption, illegal drug use

Soda may be as damaging to the teeth as some illegal drugs, according to a new study.

CHICAGO — Soda may be as damaging to the teeth as some illegal drugs, according to a new study.

The study, published in the March-April 2013 issue of the journal General Dentistry, found that drinking large quantities of carbonated soda that the study labeled "abusive" can be as harmful to dental health as methamphetamine and crack cocaine.