Generics

New research funded by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts has concluded that consumers give up medications rather than switch from brand-name drugs to generics. The study, which looked at healthcare claims for two national employers, compared prescription claims for the first nine months of 2005 versus the first nine months of 2006. The employers had kicked off CDHPs for their employees in January 2006, with one of the two employers seeing more than 20 percent of employees enroll. …

> A survey of upstate New Yorkers found that they saved about $130 million in 2006 by switching from brand-name meds to generics. Article

> A bill which would cap non-economic damages from med mal suits at $250,000 has stalled in the Tennessee legislature for a third time. …

When the mighty lobbying engines of the AARP spin up, something concrete usually happens. So it's definitely of note that healthcare reform is at the top of the powerful group's 2007 political agenda. Among other things, the 35 million member association is pushing for bills that lower prescription drug prices and extend coverage to the uninsured. Specifics of their agenda include backing a bill which would allow legal importation of drugs from Canada and other countries, as well as reforms that would make generics available faster. Article

With Democrats taking power on the Hill, it seems likely that they'll push through rules making it easier to bring generics to market. In fact, observers say next year could be as important as 1984, the year new laws kicked off the current generics system. While it's not clear whether the Dems will let the FDA move from approving generic versions of chemically-derived drugs to generic biotech drugs, they may very well limit brand drug manufacturers' ability to thwart competition from …

Wal-Mart's $4 generics juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Wal-Mart announced today that it would roll out its $4 generics program to 11 more states, bringing the total to 38, while adding 17 more generics to the program. The retail giant has added Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and West Virginia to the list of states …

Wal-Mart Adds 11 States and More Medicines to $4 Generics Prescription Program

Sometimes, even well-insured patients can't afford the co-pays imposed by their health plan--and of course, some people don't have insurance to begin with. But doctors don't usually ask patients whether they can afford needed drugs, and patients rarely admit to the problem on their own, according to a new study published in the The American Journal of Managed Care. As a result, rather than working with their physician to find generic drug alternatives or make use of physician …

> A Washington state health plan rates its contracted medical groups. Their conclusion: preventive care could still use work. Article

> Under a new proposal, children of low-income illegal immigrants born in the U.S. would no longer be automatically entitled to Medicaid. Article

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> According to a new study by Harris Interactive, many Americans feel that hospitals and managed companies should face more regulation. Of course, there are just a few regs in place already... Release

> The juggernaut keeps rolling. Wal-Mart is rolling …

OK, maybe you're going to think I'm obsessed with Wal-Mart, but for a second time, it looks like retail giant deserves the spotlight. I …