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Most Medicare Part D beneficiaries have access to most drug classes despite wide variations in formularies, according to a report in the June 20 issue of JAMA.

According to a just-released study of Medicare Part D data from 2006, conducted by the Department of Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General, 97% of retail pharmacies offer at least one Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.

The Michigan Department of Community Health has expanded its prescription drug price Web site from 30 medications to 150.

The Department of Health & Human Services has withdrawn a controversial proposed rule that would have allowed it to exclude from government health programs any provider that submitted reimbursement claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal and state healthcare programs that were held to be "substantially in excess" of the provider's "usual charges," unless the provider had "good cause" to submit the claim.

A medication list that includes patients' current medications and only the most relevant information about their care will be an effective tool to tackle one of the most challenging obstacles to the smooth delivery of care facing patients.

Adult patients with Type 1 or 2 diabetes will now have the option of receiving insulin glulisine (rDNA origin) injection (Apidra, Sanofi-Aventis) by intravenous infusion while under medical supervision in a clinical setting.

The FDA has given the go-ahead to Cephalon Inc. to market armodafinil (Nuvigil) for the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome, narcolepsy, and shift-work sleep disorder.

Giving irinotecan (Camptosar, Pfizer) at low doses for several days may eliminate the need for the genetic test that determines whether a patient carries a variation in the UGT1A1 gene, putting one at risk for increased toxicity.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Merck Serono have announced the launch of their expanded-access program for sapropterin (Kuvan), an investigational agent for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU).

Information on Kawasaki disease (KD) has been added to the prescribing information for Merck's RotaTeq vaccine after three postmarketing reports were received of KD following vaccination.

A request from the FDA has led to a revision of the prescribing information for pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals).

The CVS ExtraCare Plus card will provide CVS customers with a convenient and secure multipurpose reward and payment solution that links the cardholders' existing checking accounts to their existing ExtraCare accounts.

The FDA has approved DexCom Inc.'s STS-7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. The STS-7 System measures glucose levels every five minutes throughout a seven-day period.

The sudden death of a Staten Island, N.Y., high school track star was caused by the accidental overuse of OTC remedies to treat sore muscles and joints, according to the city medical examiner.

King Pharmaceuticals is the 11th pharmaceutical company to join Together Rx Access, a prescription savings program created by leading pharmaceutical companies to help individuals and families gain access to meaningful savings on drugs.

The FTC has accepted, subject to final approval, an Agreement Containing Consent Order with Rite Aid Corp. and the Jean Coutu Group. The agreement is designed to remedy the likely anticompetitive effects arising from Rite Aid's proposed acquisition of the Brooks and Eckerd retail pharmacies from Jean Coutu.

A Hallandale Beach, Fla., importer issued a voluntary recall of toothpaste it imported from China and distributed to wholesalers, saying the product may contain a poisonous chemical.

The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services issued a new study of average manufacturer price fluctuations.

Medical and consumer groups applauded Vermont after Gov. Jim Douglas signed into law a bill that will sharply limit the marketing and data-mining capabilities of drug manufacturers.

The suit against First Databank and McKesson alleged that the companies conspired to inflate AWP for prescription medications.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy (DSP) has entered into a joint agreement with Oncology Physicians Resources (OPR) to create a program for managing oncology medications, called OPRx.

According to a recent study of health plan sponsors conducted by ReedHaldyMcIntosh for Medco's Systemed Group, 90% of respondents currently use strategies that encourage the use of mail order and 38% have rules that require it.

Consumers most frequently pick mass-merchandisers over other outlets when it comes to purchasing OTC drugs.

After repeated warning about the devastating impact of the Medicare Part D benefit, NCPA officials finally have the data to back it up. In 2006, the first year of the new drug benefit, more than 1,100 community pharmacies closed shop and those that survived saw dramatically lowered net operating income and sales income even as their prescription sales rose.

According to a new study, consumers trust their pharmacists as a source of information on both the quality and cost of prescription drugs more than independent sources such as Consumer Reports, doctors, and Web sites.

Fluticasone propionate inhalation aerosol (Flovent HFA 44 mcg) and fluticasone propionate inhalation powder (Flovent Diskus 50 mcg), both inhaled corticosteroids from GlaxoSmithKline, will now offer a dose counter for children aged four and older with mild, persistent asthma.

A new painkiller, Magnacet, containing several strengths of oxycodone and 400 mg of acetaminophen, has been launched by Mallinckrodt Brand Pharmaceuticals.

The recent safety concerns regarding the use of the thiazolidinediones pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda) and rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) and the risk that they lead to cardiac failure may cause an increased market uptake of other drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes.