Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Defeats Budget Plan to Restore Health Care Reductions Proposed by Davis
The Senate yesterday failed to pass its version of the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Endorses Legislation to Allow Purchase of Needles Without a Doctor’s Prescription
A “controversial” Senate-passed bill (SB 1785) that would allow adults to purchase as many as 30 hypodermic needles at licensed pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription could help reduce the spread of diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV, according to a Los Angeles Times editorial.
Los Angeles Times Examines Trend of Medical Group Failures
The Los Angeles Times on Sunday examined the state’s “troubled” medical groups, many of which have closed or consolidated as “economic forces roiling the health care industry push doctors into ever-larger groups in the search for cost savings and bargaining power with insurers.”
Most Recently Approved Rx Drugs are Modifications, Copies of Existing Treatments, Study Finds
Two-thirds of prescription drugs approved by the FDA between 1989 and 2000 were either modified versions of existing treatments or “copycats of drugs already on the market,” rather than innovative medications, according to a new study released yesterday, USA Today reports.
Philip Morris Anti-Smoking Ads Do Not Work, Could Undermine Other Prevention Efforts, Study Says
Anti-smoking advertisements made by the Philip Morris Cos. do not work and actually could “undermine” other anti-smoking campaigns, according to a new study by the American Legacy Foundation, the not-for-profit organization created as part of the 1998 national tobacco settlement and the largest anti-smoking advertiser.
Regulation of Rx Drug Ads is ‘Necessary,’ Former FDA Officials Say
FDA regulation of direct-to-consumer advertisements is “necessary” and should not be compromised by concerns over infringing upon the First Amendment rights of commercial speech, William Schultz and Michael Taylor, former deputy commissioners for policy at the FDA, write in a Washington Post opinion piece.
State Fines Pharmacy $88.7 Million for Illegal Sale of Prescription Drugs Online
The Board of Pharmacy yesterday levied an $88.7 million fine against a Los Angeles drug store, saying that it used the Internet to illegally sell prescription drugs directly to consumers without requiring a doctor’s examination, the Los Angeles Times reports.
AARP, States Not Hiring Plaintiffs’ Lawyers for Lawsuits Seeking to Reduce Rx Drug Prices
The AARP and some states considering lawsuits aimed at lowering prescription drug costs have opted against hiring plaintiffs’ lawyers, whom some state attorneys general feel are “motivated by the prospect of large monetary settlements” during similar lawsuits filed against tobacco companies in the 1990s, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Senate Republicans May Enter Debate on Medicare Rx Drug Benefit
Senate Republicans — who have been “noticeably absent” from congressional efforts to draft a Medicare prescription drug benefit — are reportedly developing “principles” for such a proposal, CongressDaily reports.
Assembly Passes Legislation to Reduce Weight of Student Backpacks
The Assembly yesterday voted 71-1 to approve a bill (AB 2532) that would require school boards to develop plans to reduce the weight of student backpacks, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.