drugs
FDA Advisory Committee recommends new orphan anti-infective drug
Yesterday’s FDA Anti-Infective Drug Advisory Committee meeting considered evidence about the safety and effectiveness of ISA, a new drug to treat a rare fungal infection threatening the lives of people with severe illnesses. The condition affects a few thousand Americans each year suffering from weakened immune systems due to conditions such as HIV, stem cell…
Read MoreFDA Advisory Committee recommends streamlining approval for tools to fight super bugs
Yesterday the FDA anti-infective drug advisory committee recommended streamlining approval processes for antibiotics that target super bugs. Decades of overtreatment have escalated bacterial resistance to known drugs – super bugs. CDC estimates that 2 million Americans are infected and 23,000 die of infections by antibiotic-resistant bugs annually. The answers are better hygiene, especially in hospitals…
Read MoreMy first FDA Advisory Committee meeting – refreshing change from CT
I was recently appointed as a consumer representative to the FDA’s Anti-Infective Drug Advisory Committee and yesterday was my first meeting. It was a bit intimidating to open the Wall Street Journal that morning to see an article about our meeting. It was fascinating – I learned more new things yesterday than I did all…
Read MoreCT among ten highest states in Medicare drug spending
A new analysis by C-HIT finds that CT seniors on Medicare are spending more than consumers in most other states on prescriptions. CT elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more likely to use brand name drugs than generics, especially in high income towns in Fairfield county. Within the state, Meriden has the highest per beneficiary prescription…
Read MoreFascinating UConn medication management conference
UConn’s School of Pharmacy invited some stellar speakers to yesterday’s 2012 Hewitt Symposium on Medication Management. Medication management is an important new tool to both lower health care costs and improve care. The tool pairs patients with complex conditions and many medications with a pharmacist to ensure they are taking the right medications, eliminate conflicts,…
Read More48% of CT Medicaid highest prescribing physicians get drug company perks
According to the CT Health I-Team, the highest prescribing doctors in CT for many medications receive large payments for speaking fees and travel from the companies that manufacture those same medications. Forty of the 108 physicians in CT’s Medicaid program with the highest psychotropic and pain medication prescribing rates get perks from the companies that…
Read MoreDSS medication clients’ information released in error
In supporting information regarding a bill, DSS sent OPM information on up to 8,500 clients who receive medications from DSS. The information, with client numbers but no names or Social Security numbers, was then sent to legislators, legislative staff, and organizations involved in administering medications to DSS clients. The client numbers should not have been…
Read MoreSen. Blumenthal’s survey finds hospital drug shortages harming care
Yesterday, Sen. Blumenthal released a survey documenting serious drug shortages at CT hospitals. The number of drug shortages grew by 76% from 2009 to 2010. Some of the drugs in short supply are used for anesthesia, pain management, treating cancer, and acute asthma attacks. Shortages have led to drug hoarding and price gouging, according to…
Read MoreAdvocacy group financial ties to drug companies probed
The Wall Street Journal Blog is reporting on growing interest about drug company financial support for health care advocacy organizations. The latest report on funding from Eli Lilly found that only one in four groups that receive the funding disclose it on their website. The company admits that they fund groups that advocate in areas…
Read MoreCost cutting commission final proposals
The state Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes issued its final recommendations to save money in the state budget including over $145 million from health care spending. Proposals include more efficient Medicaid drug purchasing, drug recycling, preventing falls, and reducing the number of nursing home beds in the state and re-balancing long term care to emphasize…
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