Latest California Healthline Stories
Editorials, Opinion Pieces Examine Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Bill
Recently published editorials and opinion pieces continue to examine the congressional debate over a Medicare prescription drug benefit.
House Panel Releases Study, Holds Hearing on Sales of Counterfeit Prescription Drugs
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations yesterday held a hearing on the rising number of counterfeit prescription drugs entering the United States through the mail and heard testimony from FDA and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection officials about the difficulty of stopping the shipments, USA Today reports.
FDA Warns Allergan About Botox Advertisements
The FDA in a letter Monday warned officials at Allergan that the company’s advertisements for Botox were illegal because they minimized the risks associated with the treatment and promoted Botox for uses not approved by the agency, the New York Times reports.
Fresno County Board Approves 75-Cent Pay Raise for Home-Care Workers
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors yesterday unilaterally implemented a 75-cent wage increase to $7.50 per hour for the county’s 11,000 home-care workers after failing to reach an agreement with the workers’ union, the Fresno Bee reports.
Uninsured, Technology Complicate Hospital Finances, Editorial Says
With five of Sonoma County’s hospitals posting a net loss in 2002 and over half of California’s hospitals reporting losses, the United States needs to reconsider the cost of the uninsured and of new technologies, a Santa Rosa Press Democrat editorial says.
Tenet Healthcare Second-Quarter Earnings Will Not Meet Estimates From Analysts
Officials from Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare, the nation’s second-largest for-profit hospital chain, yesterday announced that the company’s second-quarter earnings would be “significantly below” analysts’ predictions of 34 cents per share and that the hospital chain faces a “very challenging transitional period” through fiscal year 2003, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Editorials, Opinion Pieces Examine Congressional Debate Over Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
Several editorials and opinion pieces published recently address the congressional debate over a Medicare prescription drug benefit.
FDA To Reduce Review Times for New Treatments by 10%, Commissioner Mark McClellan Says
FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan yesterday in a speech to the Biotechnology Industry Organization said the agency is moving to reduce by 10% the median review time for new drugs over the next five years, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Justice Department Joins Two Whistleblower Lawsuits Against Medco Health Solutions
The Justice Department yesterday joined two whistleblower lawsuits against pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions, a subsidiary of Merck, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
President Bush Asks Pharmaceutical Companies To Support Medicare Reform
President Bush yesterday asked drug makers to support a congressional effort to create a Medicare drug benefit, noting that under his “vision” for Medicare reform, the government would not mandate which medicines would be covered, the Wall Street Journal reports.