Prescription Drug Corporations

Are Drug Companies Defrauding our Most Vulnerable?

We often hear how tough economic times are taking a toll on families, with many wage earners losing their jobs or having their hours reduced. But people aren’t the only ones being affected. State budgets are being hard hit, too, with some teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. This has caused leaders to come up with some pretty creative ways to balance their budgets.

Even states that aren’t about to go bust are taking steps to trim budgets to the bone, starting with payroll, one of state government’s biggest expenses. However, payroll cuts have not been enough to create balance. More is needed.

The battle over prescription drug prices

That’s why several state legislators have set their sights on bigger and better targets: prescription drug groups. Claiming they are manipulating the price that Medicaid recipients pay for drugs, some state governments hope to pump up their bottom lines by forcing drug companies to repay hundreds of millions of dollars they claim they overspent on Medicaid reimbursements.

That type of budget-balancer is easy enough for most of us to support, especially when you consider that the prescription drug market is a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s difficult to feel any sympathy towards these seemingly greedy groups that charge crazy prices for drugs that already cash-strapped governments and individuals have no choice but to pay.

Just the facts, please

But fortunately for the drug groups, that’s not the way the judicial system works. Feelings and emotions have no place in decisions. When in court, only the facts are considered. A perfect example occurred recently with a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court.

Prior to hearing the case, it appeared the state of Alabama had scored a major victory against three big pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline when a jury awarded the state $274 million in repayment.
The decision allowed the state to conduct its own research when deciding how much to pay pharmacists for Medicaid recipients’ prescription drugs. The decision meant that Alabama did not have to rely on information provided by drug companies when calculating payment. By conducting its own research to determine pricing, the state would be freed from overpaying for the drugs to which poor and elderly citizens are entitled under Medicaid.

But when the Alabama Supreme Court heard the case, it didn’t agree with the previous jury decision and overturned the ruling. As you’d imagine, drug company representatives were pleased with the outcome, fiercely defending their pricing practices and benchmark data used to set those prices.

This decision doesn’t mean the battle is over. In fact, it’s just beginning and Alabama isn’t the only state taking on pharmacy group giants.


Who will be the winners?

Will the ultimate winners be the states and their constituents? Or will be the side that has the most money to spend on legal fees be the victor? If history is a good predictor of the future, there’s a good chance states will have to find some other way to fund their budgets.

Please give us your opinion on this topic.

The Bill Gates Foundation

Bill and Melinda Gates – All That Money and They’re Doing the Right Thing!

William Henry "Bill" Gates III; the man so many people love to hate. Well not hate, maybe, but certainly envy. And what’s not to envy? His is the consummate rags to riches story. In the right place at the right time, Bill turned a passing opportunity into what is arguably the most successful company on the planet.

First, a brief history

Follow his meteoric rise to fame from geeky programmer in 1975 who co-founded a small software company originally named Micro-Soft, to CEO of Microsoft until he stepped down in January 2000, and you see a driven man who has the skills and savvy to capture the PC marketplace and hold it hostage with the only operating system most PC users have ever known.

Here’s a man that reportedly earns more than $300 per second who wakes up one day to the realization that he has reached the pinnacle of his career and can’t possibly buy enough toys to drain his bank account. So what does one of the world’s most wealthy men do when he grows tired of running the multi-national company he built from the ground up?

Now, the history-making foundation

He and his bride took the lion’s share of their wealth and created The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF or the Gates Foundation). The primary purpose of one of the world’s largest privately-owned philanthropic organizations is “to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, globally and in America, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.”

And that’s just what Mr. and Mrs. Gates are busy doing. On October 20th, it was announced that the Foundation recently awarded 76 grants, each in the amount of $100,000 with the goal of finding newer and better ways to improve global health. While this in itself is newsworthy, something else that caught people’s attention during this year’s award was the recipients.


Many of the $100,000 grants were awarded to “young” researchers; graduate students and post docs. And this points to a major shift. Historically, the people that are awarded grants are the ones with the most experience in their fields. These tend to be professors and associate professors. Of the 3,000 grant applications submitted to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for consideration, the majority were submitted by the groups with more life and work experience; in other words, the older folks.

But when you take a closer look at the applications that were ultimately chosen after not one but three rounds of consideration, a noticeable percentage was awarded to younger applicants.

Why the shift?

Is this an effort by Bill Gates to relive his youth by giving a hand, or in this case, $100,000 to so many younger applicants? Or do the Gateses think it’s time to let a younger, more innovative generation take a chance at solving the world’s problems? Or is something else going on?

What do you think?

Pharmacy Mistakes or Misfills

Pharmacy Mistakes More Prevalent Than You Realize

Have you ever taken prescribed medication and felt worse rather than better? I’m not talking about experiencing known side effects; those you can plan for like not driving if a possible side effect is drowsiness.

What I’m talking about instead is pain so bad you had to be hospitalized, or an illness or medical condition that worsened to the point that it threatened your life or incapacitated you.

If you haven’t experienced anything like this, consider yourself lucky. And then pay close attention to what you’re about to read.

What is a pharmacy misfill?

If you’ve experienced this situation, hopefully you or your doctor figured out the reason. If you didn’t, your problem could have arisen because of a pharmacy misfill. A pharmacy misfill is a mistake the pharmacy filling your prescription makes either in dosage, type, or directions for use.

Pharmacy misfills are a growing problem that can affect anyone at any time. And they’re not just happening because pharmacists have a hard time deciphering a doctor’s writing.

Like other industries, staff cutbacks and budget constraints are having an adverse affect. Fewer pharmacists and technicians mean those that are left are often overworked. They’re being asked to fill more orders in shorter periods of time. They’re tired from working longer hours and overtime. And they’re making mistakes as a result.



What kinds of mistakes do they make?

• Sometimes the mistakes involve similar-sounding medications like Zyrtec instead of Zantac, and Quinipril instead of Quinamm.

• Sometimes it’s a matter of grabbing the wrong pill, like diet pills instead of blood pressure pills, antidepressants instead of antibiotics, or psychiatric drugs rather than allergy medication.

• Sometimes the pharmacist or technician’s instructions differ from the doctor’s like when the number 4 is typed instead of the number 1 indicating the number of pills to take each day.

• Sometimes two different types of pills are somehow added into the same bottle. One might be right but the other definitely is wrong.

Although the types of mistakes may differ, they have one thing in common: they all are potentially harmful to the patient.

The other thing they have in common is under-reporting. When patients believe there’s a problem with their prescription drugs, right back to the pharmacy they go. If a mistake is identified, the pharmacist promptly corrects it. Usually that’s the end of the story since most people are happy just to get the right medication. Few file formal complaints. And that’s the way pharmacies like it.

Take steps against becoming a victim

It’s your health and only you can protect it. So next time you receive a prescription, take time to examine it. Check that your name, address, and doctor’s name are correct. Check to see that the right drug is listed on the label. Double-check the dosing instructions against those provided by your doctor. If all seems right, then open the bottle or package and look for inconsistencies in color, shape or odor. And most importantly of all, talk with the pharmacist. A big part of their job is listening and answering patient questions.

Have you ever had a problem with pharmacy misfills? Please let us know what you think.

Map Your Genetic Code

A DNA Chip to Map Your Genetic Code?

That’s exactly what researchers at IBM are working on. But why?

Right now the goal is to see whether such an idea is even feasible. That’s the first step and that’s what researchers will be focusing on over the next few years. Everyone will be able to map their DNA

If it turns out that the idea IS feasible, average citizens, folks like you and me, may be able to have our DNA mapped as easily as testing blood-sugar levels with a glucose meter. We won’t have to travel thousands of miles to a specialized medical center, either. When the technology becomes available (if it becomes available) mapping our DNA is something we’ll be able to do right in the neighborhood doctor’s office!

The goal is to be able to deposit a DNA strand sample into a genome reader, which is basically a silicon chip with tiny electrodes that help trap DNA molecules, and in seconds, have the chip read DNA characteristics including measurement and sequencing. If all turns out as hoped, the DNA chip will be small enough to be inserted into a device that you can hold in your hands.

Welcome life extender?

Such an idea seems so science fiction and so big-brother, but the way the technology will be used sounds very promising. Researchers hope that such a device will go a long way towards personalizing medicine and patient care, both of which show huge potential for extending human life.

Proponents of the DNA chip believe the technology can put an end to the unnecessary deaths that result from the side effects of inappropriate medicine. Proponents also hope that the availability of affordable, quick and easy genetic mapping can help detect disease and help an individual adapt their lifestyle to their specific genetic makeup. Such a device could also assist with fixing genetic errors before they have a chance to develop into a full-blown disease.


More than humans stand to benefit from such an invention. It’s quite possible that in addition to human DNA, the chip may be able to sequence other types of DNA including animal, vegetable and bacterial.

Or veiled invasion of your privacy?

Those opposed to DNA mapping, and there are many, fear that they will not have any control over the way the technology will be used. Certainly the possibilities outlined above are very encouraging. But undoubtedly there will be individuals and groups that will use the information derived from this technology for other than the intended beneficial purposes.

Knowing whether an individual has or is susceptible to certain diseases can lay the groundwork for employment and insurance discrimination. It can lead to missed job opportunities, frivolous lawsuits, higher costs for health insurance, and worse, removal of potentially at-risk body parts before something like cancer has a chance to take hold.

Like it or not, the technology is advancing and may very soon be headed to a doctor’s office near you! So let me ask this:

If you had the chance right now to map your DNA, would you take it? Why or why not?

U.S. and Canadian Drug Markets

As the United States government struggles to devise a better way to provide health care coverage to its citizens, comparisons to the Canadian-run system are common. What’s also common is the wide range of opinions offered by patients and physicians alike.

Depending on whom you believe, the Canadian government-run plan is either far superior to or far more limiting than the privately run U.S. system.

How can this be? And who should you believe? As the heated arguments rage on, both sides seem willing to agree on this: Neither system is perfect.

Today, we’ll take a closer look at one of the biggest dilemmas both U.S. and Canadian citizens face: Access to affordable prescription drugs.

Price regulation

The United States and Canada are two of the biggest pharmaceutical drug markets in the world. Unlike in the U.S., the Canadian government determines the price Canadians pay by regulating drug prices. While this helps “cap” drug prices, Canada’s numerous provincial drug benefits plans creates inconsistencies in drug benefits, drug prices, and drug coverage.

In the U.S., insurance companies and other large drug purchasers negotiate prices with drug manufacturers directly. Since the U.S. government does not regulate prescription drug pricing (except in certain government-run programs like Medicaid), the free market reigns, making drugs a very lucrative market. The driving force behind U.S. pricing strategy is maximizing profitability, which is why drugs in the U.S. cost so much more than they do in other industrialized countries like Canada.

In exchange for the higher price they pay though, U.S. citizens don’t get superior drugs. Aside from the occasional name change, the ingredients in same drugs purchased in the U.S. and in Canada are usually identical. Most often they’re manufactured at the same facilities in an effort to control manufacturing costs then distributed around the world.

It doesn’t take long for anyone searching the Internet to realize that purchasing drugs from non-U.S. dispensaries can save a considerable amount of money. Naturally, attempts to stop this practice are frequent, but so far, unsuccessful.


A Closer Look at the U.S. and Canadian Drug Markets
Use of generic brands

Another notable feature of the Canadian drug market is use of generic brands. Just over 50% of 2008 total drug sales in Canada were for generic drugs. Generic drugs come to market much more quickly than they do in the U.S. so Canadians have greater access to them.

Drug manufacturers aren’t allowed to saturate Canadian television advertising like they do in the U.S. so there isn’t the same demand for name-brand drugs. However, today’s tough economic climate is changing this, as U.S. citizens already struggling with higher costs for health care and basic necessities are switching to generics as a way to save money.

One similarity

Interestingly, there is one similarity in both drug markets that affects millions: Newer drugs and specialty drugs are still out of reach for many of the people that need them either because they lack insurance or because their insurance plans doesn’t cover 100% of the costs.

And that is a problem both governments need to fix.

A New Treatment For Erectyle Dsyfunction

New Hope for an Embarrassing Problem

Listen up all you men out there…

If you suffer from Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and have not responded favorably to drugs and other treatments, you may soon have another option.

That’s what the people at Meditronic, Inc. hope according to a press release dated October 13th. The press release announced that the company has initiated a feasibility study to determine whether the same type of stent inserted into blocked arteries can be effective in treating ED symptoms. The plan is to insert the stents into the pelvic vessels that supply blood to the penis. Once in place, the stents will elute a drug that the company believes may help preserve the functionality of the lining of the vessel into which it is inserted.

Vascular disease resulting from deterioration of this lining has been confirmed to be the cause of ED in a large number of cases. So it makes sense that if you can keep these important vessels functioning properly, you may also be able to reduce the number of people experiencing ED symptoms.

This study isn’t about meditation!

The feasibility study being headed up by Meditronic is referred to simply as ZEN. And that’s good since ZEN is much easier to say than Zotarolimus-Eluting Peripheral Stent System for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Males with Sub-Optimal Response to PDE5 Inhibitors, which is the full title of this study.

The feasibility study will include 50 men and will be a collaborative effort by 10 medical facilities located throughout the U.S. As the name of the study suggests, participants will be chosen based on a prior unfavorable response to the category of drugs called PDE5 Inhibitors.

You may know these drugs by their more common names Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. Participants will be studied over the course of a year. The goal of the study is to investigate whether stents can help ED sufferers respond better to PDE5 inhibitors and determine whether the stents might be an effective approach to treatment.


A safe, effective treatment that really works

That is Medtronic’s goal. If all goes as planned, the tiny, mesh Medtronic stent could be available as early as 2011. If successful, demand for this safe and effective treatment option likely will be great given that approximately 25,000 men fail to get relief from pills.

There are a few second and third line therapies to choose from including devices like vacuum pumps and penile implants, as well as self-injected medicines. The problem with these options is that they’re invasive and inhibit spontaneity. Needless to say, that makes them less desirable options.

If you suspect ED

Talk to your doctor. He or she will want to learn more about the symptoms you’re experiencing and their history. A physical exam is important in determining your overall state of health. Based on the history and exam, the doctor may order tests to rule out medical issues that may be contributing to your suspected ED. If ED is suspected, your doctor likely will refer you to a urologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, sex therapist or other type of counselor.

If this embaressing problem has caused a strain in your relationship, please let us know how you feel.

A Vaccine to End Cocaine Addiction

Is there Really a Vaccine to End Cocaine Addiction?

Not yet, but that’s what some doctors at Yale University’s School of Medicine are testing. So let me see if I have this right. They’re saying that a possible way to end cocaine addiction is to purposefully give a person more cocaine. Hmmm.

The way vaccines work is pretty interesting. You introduce a troublesome virus into your system. From there, the body begins the process of developing immunity to the virus by creating antibodies (an immune response). Once the immune system has learned to fight off the invader, it has the ability to mount an effective defense the next time the invader is encountered.

How the cocaine vaccine works

After reading more about the testing of 115 participants over 12 weeks, it appears that the cocaine vaccine that was tested functions a bit differently. In 21 of the 55 participants that actually completed the study, results show that the cocaine vaccine, (which is actually not pure cocaine but rather a cocaine-like substance called succinylnorcocaine!), did produce an immune response.

But in the case of the cocaine vaccine, the antibodies produced by the vaccine had the ability to block the brain from feeling the effects of the drug. The antibodies were able to bind to the cocaine and keep it in the bloodstream. With the drug stuck in the bloodstream, it was not able to reach the brain or any other organs.


If there’s no euphoric effect, why bother?

It appears that the cocaine vaccine’s success is based on the participant’s inability to feel the effects of the drug. In other words, there was no “high.” And that makes sense. If you use cocaine but don’t feel any different afterwards, why would you bother wasting any more money on the drug or any more time doing it?

So in this case, the immune system is actually doing what it does best which is protecting the body. But does the vaccine offer enough protection to actually help an addict kick his or her cocaine habit?

The study reports reduced use of cocaine in 53% of the participants that received the active vaccine versus just 23% that received the placebo. The numbers are impressive, and suggest the cocaine vaccine and boosters may be helpful in preventing relapses. However, it’s a bit early to draw any definitive conclusions regarding its use as an addiction ender.

To build on the promising news reported at the end of this study, doctors hint at expanding the study in an effort to confirm the results. If they’re confirmed, a cocaine vaccination could be available in a few years.

What about vaccines to combat other addictions?

And that’s great news for people looking for help with their addictions. But what has doctors even more excited is the potential to use vaccines to help combat other addictions. Vaccines for other addictive drugs have been developed for animals including vaccines for dealing with addictions to nicotine, heroine and methamphetamines. All that’s left now is to conduct tests of these other vaccines on humans and await the news!

Do you know someone from suffering an addiction to drugs or alcohol, do you think in the next few years this would be something they would be interested in? Let us know what you think.