I’m new here to ClearHealthCosts, and jumping right into the pharmacy beat. I’m looking forward to it–even for those of us who rarely darken the door of a local hospital may have longtime prescriptions that need to be filled. And like nearly everything in the health care world, figuring out how to get the most for your time and money is often perplexing.
I’ll be looking at prices, news, new research, court cases, the wide world of generics and more. I’ll also ask for your help on a project (more on that soon). Meanwhile, here are a few medicine-related stories that caught my eye.
On a CVS Caremark earnings call yesterday, CEO Larry Merlo sought to quash any rumors that the company would split, Drug Channels reports. For more background on that story, check out this New York Times story that ran last month.
The Wall Street Journal reports that some pharmaceutical companies are swapping live reps for iPad apps, websites and digital tools. Why lunch when you can live chat?
Fairwarning, an investigative project that reports on consumer issues, has a comprehensive piece on issues with the anti-smoking remedy Chantix.
The Times covers on a new government report about rampant overuse of anti-psychotics in nursing homes. (You can also check out the audit).
In an unusual move, a federal judge in Maryland acquitted a former Glaxo lawyer of obstructing a federal investigation before the trial began. Though this seems outrageous, it seems speak to the weakness of the Government’s case. U.S. District Court Judge Roger W. Titus wrote in his opinion that, “only with a jaundiced eye and with an inference of guilt that’s inconsistent with the presumption of innocence could a reasonable jury ever convict this defendant.”
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