Latest California Healthline Stories
Some California Health Plans Put 14-Day Limit on Cipro Prescriptions to Prevent Shortage, Resistance
To “discourage frivolous” use of the anthrax treatment Cipro, some of California’s largest health plans have “imposed” restrictions on the drug, limiting initial prescriptions to a 14-day supply, the Orange County Register reports.
Labeling Language of Pediatric Exclusivity Law Causes Friction
A provision in the pediatric exclusivity bill passed with unanimous consent by the Senate last week is “creating friction” between generic and brand-name drug makers, CongressDaily reports.
Consumers Union Asks Congress to Subsidize Insurance for Unemployed Workers
Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, on Oct. 22 issued a report, titled “A Pink Slip Away: Why Congress Should Subsidize Health Insurance Coverage for Laid-Off Workers,” urging Congress to help laid-off workers maintain their health insurance by subsidizing COBRA premiums.
Laid-Off Workers in Bay Area Struggle to Keep Health Insurance
While the growing number of laid-off workers nationwide all face the prospect of losing health coverage, the problem is particularly acute in the Bay Area, where the high cost of living and the collapse of dot-com companies complicates matters for many people hoping to maintain their health insurance, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Anthrax Suspected in Two Washington, D.C. Postal Workers’ Deaths
Two Washington, D.C.-area postal workers have died in local hospitals of suspected inhaled anthrax infection, the Boston Globe reports.
Local Officials Question Federal Funding for Bioterrorism Preparedness
Public health officials said yesterday that the funding level sought by the Bush administration to boost the nation’s preparedness for bioterrorism on the local level is “inadequate,” the Washington Post reports.
Schools Relieved as State Lawmakers Agree to ‘Watered-Down’ Nutrition Bill
Lobbyists succeeded in persuading state lawmakers to “water down” a school nutrition bill that would have banned junk food and soda sales in elementary and middle schools and “partially eliminated them” at high schools, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Gregg Bill Addresses FDA ‘Power’ in Fighting Bioterrorism
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) is crafting a bioterrorism prevention bill with HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson that would give the FDA “more power to protect food supplies, liberaliz[e] vaccine and medication development rules and helps state governments gear up” for a bioterrorism response, the Manchester Union Leader reports.
Many Consumers Lack Information Needed to Make Health Care Decisions, CHCF Survey Finds
Nearly half of California consumers generally lack sufficient information to make health care decisions, with an even greater “information deficit” among certain populations, according to a survey conducted by RAND for the California HealthCare Foundation.
Aventis Agrees to $33M in Fines for Defrauding FDA
Drug maker Aventis SA on Friday pleaded guilty to charges that a French subsidiary misled the FDA about the production of its antibiotic cefaclor in order to receive the agency’s approval, the Washington Post reports.