Pharmaceuticals

Intermountain Healthcare, whose Intermountain Medical Center Patient Tower in Murray, Utah, is seen here, is a leader in the generic drug company being launched by hospitals.

Health & Safety

Hospitals Prepare To Launch Their Own Drug Company To Fight High Prices And Shortages

12:35pm September 06, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

A consortium of hospital systems and three foundations is moving ahead with a nonprofit drugmaker that would produce some of the generic medicines health care facilities need the most.

Texas officials are requiring that people who comment at Medicaid meetings on pharmaceuticals disclose more details about their ties to industry.

Health & Safety

Texas Tightens Disclosure Rules Following Medicaid Investigation

3:16pm August 17, 2018

by Liz Essley Whyte

Officials in Texas are responding to the findings of an investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity into drugmakers' influence over medication choices for Medicaid patients.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey speaks about a variety of issues during an interview in his office at the Arizona Capitol in May 2018, in Phoenix.

Health & Safety

Arizona Governor Takes Steps To Blunt Industry Influence On Medicaid

4:45pm July 27, 2018

by Liz Essley Whyte

After an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and NPR into conflicts of interest in Medicaid decisions about drugs, Arizona's governor added new transparency rules.

Drug companies have infiltrated nearly every part of the process that determines how their drugs will be covered by Medicaid.

Health & Safety

Investigation: Patients' Drug Options Under Medicaid Heavily Influenced By Drugmakers

11:18am July 18, 2018

Drug companies have infiltrated nearly every part of the process that determines how their drugs will be covered by Medicaid, an investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity finds.

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Information that could refine the uses of approved drugs may lie deep inside patients' medical records.

Health & Safety

To Improve Treatments, Researchers Want To Hunt For Clues In Medical Records

7:30am July 15, 2018

by Richard Harris

The vast amount of data held in electronic medical records and insurance bills contains bits that could be useful in refining the use of approved for drugs. But how to find it?

In a statement, Pfizer said it will return prices on dozens of the company's drugs to where they were before July 1 "as soon as technically possible."

Pfizer Agrees To Postpone Drug Price Hikes After Trump Tweet

1:22pm July 11, 2018

by Giles Snyder

The pharmaceutical company says it will delay price increases that went into effect on July 1. The move follows pressure from President Trump.

Lipitor, a best-seller as a cholesterol treatment, is being tested as a remedy for the flu.

Health & Safety

Scientists Find New Tricks For Old Drugs

5:31pm July 09, 2018

by Richard Harris

Researchers are looking to redeploy drugs used for years to treat cholesterol and high blood pressure as remedies for influenza and Ebola.

Marketing payments to doctors by makers of opioids have declined.

Health & Safety

Opioid-Makers Cut Back On Marketing Payments To Doctors

2:40pm June 28, 2018

ProPublica found that drugmakers spent less to market opioids to doctors in 2016 than in prior years. Studies have shown that payments to doctors are linked to more prescriptions for the drugs.

"If my life were to end next week ... I want to feel like I have made a contribution," said Carol Martin, seen here holding her 2018 Boston Marathon medal.

What Can Cancer Specialists Learn From Patients Who Beat All The Odds?

12:15pm June 27, 2018

by Carey Goldberg

A Harvard Medical School project aims to become the first national registry for exceedingly rare cancer patients who respond mysteriously well to treatments that failed to help others.

Stephanie and Natalie enrolled their older son in sessions at a Brain Balance Achievement Center in the hope that it would help him make friends.

'Cutting Edge' Program For Children With Autism And ADHD Rests On Razor-Thin Evidence

4:47pm June 18, 2018

by Chris Benderev

With 113 locations in the U.S., Brain Balance says its drug-free approach has helped tens of thousands of children. But experts say there's insufficient proof of its effectiveness.

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