UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s drug-benefits unit is starting to reimburse pharmacies more for dispensing brand-name medicines to address longstanding complaints that expensive prescriptions are losing money for drugstores. PBMs have traditionally compensated pharmacists more for cheaper generic medicines to encourage their use, said Patrick Conway, CEO of UnitedHealth's Optum Rx unit. But generic adoption has plateaued, and Conway said the old system discouraged some pharmacies from stocking newer branded drugs like diabetes and weight-loss shots.
The FDA has found problems at an Indian factory that makes generic drugs for American patients, including one medication that was manufactured there and has been linked to at least eight deaths, federal records show. The agency inspected the factory after a ProPublica investigation in December found that the plant, operated by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, was responsible for an outsized share of recalls for pills that didn't dissolve properly and could harm people.
With its measles outbreak spreading to two additional states, Texas is on track to becoming the cause of a national epidemic if it doesn't start vaccinating more people, according to public health experts.
"Health disparity" is among hundreds of terms the Trump administration is telling federal agencies to avoid or scrub from government Web sites, research and databases. Some researchers point out their work benefits rural White populations often overlooked in debates about diversity and equity.
Florida's controversial surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, and a former Texas Republican congressman, Dr. Michael Burgess, are each being backed by some of President Trump's allies to be the next head of the CDC. The White House is searching for a replacement after the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon, a former Florida congressman, was abruptly pulled last week.
More and more U.S. hospitals are being bought by private equity firms. Sudden closures and layoffs are having a devastating effect on resident doctors' careers.