10 healthcare names get Shkreli Awards for bad behavior If you are concerned about what (and who) is wrong in healthcare, read this article.
About health insurance/insurers
Massachusetts court orders UnitedHealth-owned insurers to pay $165M in penalties “A Massachusetts court has ordered three UnitedHealth-owned insurers to pay over $165 million for engaging in widespread deceptive practices that misled thousands of consumers into purchasing supplemental health insurance they didn't need.”
About pharma
CVS officially rolls out CostVantage model for commercial prescriptions “All of the commercial prescriptions dispensed at CVS pharmacies will be processed through its CostVantage reimbursement model beginning this year, the healthcare giant announced Monday.
Under the model, prescriptions are priced based on the underlying cost with a delineated markup and dispensing fee to cover the services provided by CVS in the transaction. The company says this model makes it less necessary to raise the cost for certain prescriptions to cover losses on other drugs.
The model also seeks to increase transparency for insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, making it potentially easier for PBMs to establish their own more transparent programs for plans and clients.
About the public’s health
Louisiana health officials report first fatal case of H5N1 bird flu in the US. Here's the latest update “A Louisiana patient who had been hospitalized with the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1, in Louisiana and the U.S. has died, the state's health department reported Monday.
This marks the first human death related to bird flu in the U.S.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), the patient was over the age of 65 and had underlying medical conditions. The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a noncommercial backyard flock and wild birds, health officials said.”
FDA disappoints child advocates with its new limit on lead in baby food “For the first time in history, the US Food and Drug Administration has established guidance for levels of lead in processed baby foods that are sold on supermarket shelves and online. The agency’s action, announced Monday, only provides guidance to industry and is not enforceable.”
These common medications could be releasing ‘forever chemicals’ into the environment “The widespread use of pharmaceuticals in America is introducing even more toxic “forever chemicals” into the environment through wastewater, according to a study released Monday, and large municipal wastewater treatment plants are not capable of fully filtering them out…
The researchers found up to three-quarters of the extractable compounds were from 12 commonly prescribed fluorinated medicines, including antidepressants, statins and medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes and HIV. The facilities removed less than 25 percent of the compounds during treatment, the researchers found.”
Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries The headline says it all (or most of it). Read the abstract to find out which regions are most affected.