Biologics and other high-cost specialty drugs can significantly increase spend -- and they are poised to make inroads into workers' compensation claims. By Brian Carpenter and Kimberly DuBrueler For risk managers looking to reduce workers' comp claims costs, they should perhaps look no further than specialty drugs. Although their use in workers' comp is not widespread, they can quickly drive up claims costs. Specialty drugs include biologics, or protein-based medications like Enbrel, Humira and Remicade for rheumatoid arthritis, and nonbiologics, or chemically-derived medications such as Synvisc and Hyalgan for osteoarthritis. Many are injectable -- requiring broader service capabilities -- or have specific storage requirements. In the last 15 to 20 years, the specialty drug segment has increased from about 30 products to more than 200 -- a number that is expected to double in the next decade. The Express Scripts (ESI/Medco) 2011 Drug Trends study notes that nearly 600 specialty drugs are in Phase II or III clinical trials. By 2020, ESI/Medco expects specialty drugs to occupy eight out of 10 spots on the Top 10 Drugs list, generate $1.7 trillion in sales and account for 40 percent of total drug spending. With an estimated 7 percent of specialty drugs … Continue reading →

18 September 2012 Last updated at 11:02 ET The police have apologised for battering down the front door of a house belonging to two 75-year-old pensioners during a search for drugs. The officers broke into the property in Lurgan at about 10:00 BST on Thursday. The couple's son, who did not want to be named, told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show that his elderly mother had been "traumatised" by the incident. He said the officers were instructed to search a house a short distance away but had read the address incorrectly. The couple were not in the house at the time, but the man said his father was in his back garden when he heard "a terrible racket" and thought there had been a car crash at the front of his house. When he went to investigate, he found that his front door had been battered down by up to six PSNI officers. "They had stormed into the house and were in the hallway. The lead police officer then seemingly took a look at my father and, at that stage, I think they realised that they had made a mistake," their son said. "They had been given the correct information … Continue reading →

By Bloomberg News - 2012-09-18T02:28:10Z China cut the maximum retail prices for some cancer, immune and blood system drugs by an average of 17 percent, the countrys top planning agency said. Oncology, immune and blood system drugs are costly and have a greater impact on patients, so lowering their prices can effectively reduce the burden on patients, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement posted on its website today. The price cuts, effective October 8, comes as China seeks to rein in the rising cost of health care for its aging population. Policy makers are also expanding national health insurance coverage to include more major diseases, and adding to its list of essential drugs, for which prices are controlled by the government, Health Minister Chen Zhu said yesterday. This latest move was in-line with past drug price cuts of about 18 and 19 percent, so the market would see this as quite reasonable, said Gideon Lo, an analyst with Nomura Holdings Inc. in Hong Kong. China has cut the price of drugs five times since 2009, and more than 20 times since 2000, Lo said in a telephone interview. The latest round of price cuts, which affects … Continue reading →

18 September 2012 Last updated at 11:19 ET MSPs have been hearing about the apparent postcode lottery on the prescribing of new drugs. Holyrood's health committee was told that across Scotland on average a third of requests for new medicines were rejected. Doctors and politicians criticised the process branding it "overly complex". However, the Scottish government rejected the postcode lottery claim, saying patients were treated on a case by case basis. The committee heard from representatives of the Scottish Medicines Consortium, clinicians and drug companies. This is not a 'lottery' - these arrangements provide an opportunity for NHS boards to consider the needs of individual patients on a case by case basis, based on their expert clinical opinion Labour committee member, Dr Richard Simpson said he was concerned about the disparate nature of prescribing, with 14 different bodies making different decisions. He questioned the inconsistency across Scotland by saying: "If you have your heart attack in the west of the country, you will get access to a new drug, if it's in the east, you won't or vice versa, consistency is lacking in the system." Under the current rules, the Scottish Medicines Consortium approves a new medicine and individual doctors … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Accelerating Drugs to Market - Despite Challenges, Adaptive Clinical Trials Reduce Drug Development Costs and Time to Market http://www.reportlinker.com/p0969027/Accelerating-Drugs-to-Market---Despite-Challenges-Adaptive-Clinical-Trials-Reduce-Drug-Development-Costs-and-Time-to-Market.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Drug_Discovery_and_Development Accelerating Drugs to Market - Despite Challenges, Adaptive Clinical Trials Reduce Drug Development Costs and Time to Market Summary GBI Research's new report, "Accelerating Drugs to Market - Despite Challenges, Adaptive Clinical Trials Reduce Drug Development Costs and Time to Market", presents various tools and strategies which can accelerate a drug to the market. In this report, GBI Research has studied various hurdles at different stages of drug development that can halt a drug's development. The report provides detailed information about the need for accelerated drug development. Declining R&D productivity is highlighted as one of the major needs to be addressed. The report outlines misconceptions regarding accelerated drug development; one such major misconception is the cost of development. The cost of an accelerated development program can be effectively managed by implementing a structured and complete program. The report highlights major strategies adopted by pharmaceutical companies to accelerate drug development. The adoption of the latest technologies in lead generation, preclinical stages, and … Continue reading →