Content about Murray Aitken

May 14, 2013
Riding the bend in the health cost curve

Americans and their health care plans are spending less on medicines and health services. Is that a good thing?

Americans and their healthcare plans are spending less on medicines and health services. Is that a good thing?

Researchers for the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics posed that question with the release of a report on the U.S. pharmaceutical market this week. But pharmacy leaders, independent and chain pharmacists, the U.S. health system and healthcare advocates are going to be dealing with the implications of that trend going forward.

May 9, 2013
Generic use reached 84% in 2012, study finds

Declining use overall of healthcare services drove down spending on medicines in the United States by 3.5% per capita last year, according to a new study.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Declining use overall of healthcare services drove down spending on medicines in the United States by 3.5% per capita last year, according to a new study.

April 8, 2013
Shift to Managed Medicaid shows some effects on patient care, but overall effect unclear, study finds

A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

February 28, 2012
Study finds 'substantial' differences between older, younger patient groups

Lowering health costs will require a greater understanding of differences between two distinct groups of patients, according to a new study, which also noted a growing availability of specialty drugs for complex and chronic conditions outside the hospital.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Lowering health costs will require a greater understanding of differences between two distinct groups of patients, according to a new study, which also noted a growing availability of specialty drugs for complex and chronic conditions outside the hospital.

February 1, 2011
Generics to save $70 bn

NEW YORK — The U.S. healthcare system could get at least $70 billion in savings over the next four years thanks to loss of patent protection for branded drugs, according to published reports.


IMS Health SVP Murray Aitken said at the Reuters Health Summit that generics also would increase their dominance in terms of prescriptions dispensed, increasing from 77% during the first half of this year to perhaps 85% by 2014, Reuters reported.