Utah lawmaker proposes donating unused medications to needy

February 12, 2016 In Utah, Rep. Gage Froerer (R-Huntsville) has introduced a bill that would save unused prescription drugs and donate them to people in need. The bill would authorize certain physicians, pharmacies, manufacturers, and nursing facilities to donate to...

CDC highlights programs that reduce U.S. health disparities

February 12, 2016 CDC has published a supplement to the CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report that highlights programs that seek to reduce health disparities in the United States. “Reducing and eliminating health disparities is fundamental to building a...

UPMC using genetic testing as potential guide on medication

February 12, 2016 The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is offering voluntary genetic testing to help determine whether some people with heart problems have a certain genetic mutation. Studies show that clopidogrel (Plavix—Bristol-Myers) is ineffective in...

Are states obligated to provide expensive hepatitis C drugs?

February 12, 2016 Federal lawsuits against states that have restricted expensive hepatitis C drugs to Medicaid patients and prisoners could cost states hundreds of millions of dollars. The handful of class actions have all been filed in the last 8 months in federal...

Risk of dementia is falling, researchers not sure why

February 12, 2016 Three decades worth of data from the Framingham Heart Study could challenge conventional assumptions about dementia rates. While the incidence of the disease is predicted to climb as people live longer, numbers from the Framingham investigation...

HHS considering action on drug patents over high prices

February 12, 2016 In an effort to combat soaring drug prices, HHS is considering issuing guidelines about so-called “march-in rights,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Wednesday. Burwell, speaking at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing, had been...