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January 6, 2009

News for the retail pharmacy industry

Daily Dose

U.S. spent $2.2 trillion for health care in 2007
U.S. spending for health care in 2007 rose 6.1% to $2.2 trillion, marking the lowest rate of growth since 1998, researchers concluded. More affordable generic medicines and drug-safety issues contributed to the drop, but out-of-pocket spending increased 5.3% from 2006, according to the report. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/6) , Reuters (1/6)

Health & Wellness

Study: Diet can prolong life in breast cancer patients
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy can help women with early-stage breast cancer live longer, a new study suggests. Researchers found that women who ate the "prudent" diet had a lower overall death rate during the eight-year study. Reuters (1/5)

More Americans living with multiple chronic medical conditions
The latest U.S. health data show 44% of Americans had at least one chronic medical condition in 2005, up from 41% in 1996. The percentage of those with three or more chronic conditions jumped from 13% to 22% for people ages 45 to 64 and up to 45% for those 65 to 79 during that time period. Increases in obesity and sedentary lifestyles may have led to more people developing two major chronic conditions -- diabetes and high blood pressure. Reuters (1/6)

Few overweight patients get diagnosis from physicians
A study analyzing medical records for more than 60,000 children found only 10% of those who were overweight got that diagnosis from their physician. Researchers say weight-related diagnoses were given to 54% of obese patients and 76% of the severely obese. They say physicians are missing an opportunity to counsel overweight patients before they become obese. The New York Times (1/5)

Industry News

Drugs for rare diseases helped increase approvals in '08
Specialty treatments from Amgen, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and ViroPharma helped increase the number of novel medicines that the FDA approved last year. The agency's Web site noted 17 "new molecular entities" as of November, while an analyst in Washington reported that four others were cleared in December. Bloomberg (1/5)

Merck asks FDA to clear Gardasil for boys, young men
Merck & Co. requested that the FDA expand the use of the company's cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to males ages 9 to 26 to protect them against genital warts and other kinds of lesions. Merck also awaits U.S. clearance for Gardasil's use in preventing human papillomavirus infection in 27- to 45-year-old women. The Wall Street Journal/Health Blog (1/5) , CNBC (1/5)

Group warns against combining impotence drugs, other medicines
Public Citizen named 56 common products that it said could cause health risks such as heart attack or stroke when taken with Pfizer's Viagra, Eli Lilly and Co.'s Cialis and other drugs for erectile dysfunction. The consumer group's list includes hypertension treatments and herbal medicines. Viagra's label "accurately and responsibly reflects" its safety profile, a Pfizer spokeswoman said. Bloomberg (1/5)

FDA clears CyDex drug to treat abnormal heartbeats
CyDex Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for Nexterone, a treatment for heart arrhythmia that it developed with Prism Pharmaceuticals. Nexterone uses CyDex's Captisol technology, which makes injectable compounds more soluble. American City Business Journals/Kansas City, Mo. (1/5)

Retail Update

Walgreen's sales boosted by demand for the basics
Walgreen saw same-store sales rise in December, driven by demand for necessities such as food, drinks and paper products. The retailer is redesigning stores and recently hired a chief marketing officer. The Washington Post/Reuters (1/5)

Weis Markets gets new CEO
David Hepfinger will take over as CEO of Weis Markets, replacing Norman Rich, who is retiring. Before coming to Weis in March, Hepfinger was executive vice president of retailing and administration at Price Chopper. The Boston Globe/The Associated Press (1/5) , The Philadelphia Inquirer (1/5)

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