Content about Pharmacology

MINNETONKA, Minn. — UnitedHealth Group will start a program next year that it said can reduce drug costs to as low as $2 per script, the company said Tuesday.

The program, Pharmacy Saver, will be available to Medicare Part D members and is a collaboration with Kroger, Safeway and Prescription Solutions. The program will allow members to purchase some scripts for $2 for 30- and some 90-day supplies and applies to hundreds of prescription drugs, including 8-of-the-10 most commonly used by UnitedHealthcare Medicare plan members.

SILVER SPRING, Md. A drug maker will pull a common prescription painkiller from the market following the release of clinical data that it could cause heart problems.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — There is a direct correlation between the amount of a patient's out-of-pocket co-pay and prescription abandonment, according to the findings of a CVS Caremark-sponsored study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study also found that e-prescriptions are more likely to be abandoned at retail compared with handwritten prescriptions.

HAYWARD, Calif. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic treatment made by Impax for seasonal allergies, Impax said Tuesday.

The drug maker announced the approval of its generic version of Sanofi-Aventis’ Allegra-D (fexofenadine hydrochloride and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) tablets in the 60-mg/120-mg strength.

WALTHAM, Mass. — William Gibson, the science-fiction author who helped create the cyberpunk genre in the 1980s and paved the way for “The Matrix” movie franchise, once said, “The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”

He was correct. Emerging technologies, ranging from computers to mobile phones, historically have migrated from the theoretical to the inaccessible to the aristocratic to the indispensable and finally to the mundane.

PHILADELPHIA — The Food and Drug Administration has approved an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug for use in adolescents.

British drug maker Shire announced Monday the approval of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) capsules for patients aged 13 to 17. The drug was already approved for children ages 6 years to 12 years and adults.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — On Tuesday, Lifetime Television’s program “The Balancing Act” will feature an appearance from Sarita Thapar, director of medical affairs for Actavis, to discuss the benefits of the company’s pediatric suppository FeverAll, Actavis announced last week.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In a ruling hailed by retail pharmacy leaders, the Department of Defense now is insisting that drug manufacturers extend the same discounts for prescription drugs sold at community pharmacies that the military gets for medicines dispensed through base dispensaries or mail order.

NEW YORK —The often wide gap between what consumers will pay out of pocket for a branded versus a generic drug is one big factor driving the continually rising demand curve for me-too medicines.

CHICAGO — A drug made by Pfizer may help decrease the risk of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization in patients with chronic heart failure, according to a late-stage clinical study.

The “Emphasis-HF” study — funded by Pfizer, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association scientific sessions in Chicago — found that adding Inspra (eplerenone) to standard therapies reduced the risks compared with placebo.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — There’s been quite an uproar following healthcare reform’s flexible spending account proposal that in January will force consumers to spend upward of $40 on doctor visit co-pays in order to save some $2.50 for every $10 spent on nonprescription items.