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GSK Defends Its Record on Avandia
Washington -- Responding
to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that
highlights cardiovascular problems linked to GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) diabetes
drug, Avandia, Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Committee on
Finance, and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the committee, sent
letters to FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD asking what the FDA
knew about Avandia and when they learned about it. In separate correspondence,
they asked GSK to respond to allegations that company executives sought to
silence independent scientist(s) about risks with the drug. GSK claims the
senators' allegations are "absolutely false." The company said that its
records concerning the company's efforts to "thoroughly study the safety and
effectiveness of Avandia" are "fully transparent." The company said that as a
result of its "comprehensive and rigorous program of scientific analysis" of
the drug's cardiovascular safety profile, Avandia was "comparable to other
oral antidiabetic medicines." The company said it "welcomes the opportunity to
meet with the committee and its staff to correct misunderstandings and to
clarify the record."
AZ Launches Rx Assistance Program to Part
D Enrollees
Wilmington, DE --
AstraZeneca (AZ) has created a program called the AZ&Meô Prescription Savings
program designed to provide savings at the pharmacy counter to eligible
patients enrolled in Medicare Part D. The program covers a select list of AZ
drugs. To qualify, patients must have Medicare Part D coverage; be taking one
or more of the qualifying AZ medications, have an individual annual income
below $30,000, or a couple whose income is less than $40,000 (with some
exceptions); and have already spent at least 3% of their annual household
out-of-pocket income on prescription medications. For more information
patients should call 1-800-292-6363.
Global Warming Could Have Affect on
Infectious Diseases
Toronto --
Scientists attending the 107th General Meeting of the American Society for
Microbiology warn that as the Earth's temperatures continue to rise, we can
expect to see significant change in infectious disease patterns around the
globe. Stephen Morse of Columbia University said that at least one aspect of
rising global temperatures can be predicted fairly accurately. In mountains of
endemic areas, malaria is not transmitted above a certain altitude because the
temperatures are too cold to support mosquitoes. As temperatures rise, so will
the malaria line. Another key disease area affected by global warming is the
spread of influenza. While influenza is a year-round event in the tropics, if
the tropical air mass around the Earth's equator expands, some global areas
will lose their seasons and this could lead to a rise in influenza outbreaks.
State Legislatures Pass Bills That
Benefit Community Pharmacy
Alexandria, VA --
Two key pieces of legislation passed in Iowa and Kansas that could affect the
way pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) conduct their business and improve
community pharmacy reimbursement under Medicaid, respectively. The Iowa bill
requires more transparency from the PBMs while the Kansas legislation restores
a portion of the cuts proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services. The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) sees the Iowa
legislation as an important step in protecting "the employers who provide drug
benefits for employees and retirees, and the consumers who pay the premiums."
In commenting on the Kansas legislation, NCPA Executive Vice President and CEO
Bruce Roberts, R.Ph. commended the Kansas legislature "for including the
dispensing fee provision in its budget bill."
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editor@uspharmacist.com.
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