Pharmacy

Amid a raging opioid epidemic, many doctors and families in the U.S. have been pleading for better treatment alternatives. One option now under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration is a system of implanted rods that offer controlled release of buprenorphine -- a drug already used in other forms to treat opioid addiction.

A broad proposal by Medicare to change the way it pays for some drugs has drawn intense reaction and lobbying, with much of the debate centering on whether the plan gives too much power over drug prices to government regulators.

Cigna said it would tap into its experience with prevention, wellness and chronic disease management programs to will work with clients, physicians and others to develop ways to increase prevention and treatment of substance use disorders.

The problems were traced to the compounding pharmacy lab at Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, California, where inspectors found "dust, stains and foreign material" in a supposedly sterile environment in which thousands of intravenous medications were prepared over eight months -- from Jan. 1 to Aug. 18.

The stakes are high for the companies and CalPERS, which is struggling along with many employers nationwide to contain fast-rising drug costs.

Proposed Medicare Part B drug payment models threaten medical practices and patients who are already financially strained due to the price of needed treatment, physicians told a House Energy and Commerce Committee Tuesday.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals on Monday said it will offer hospitals deeper discounts for the heart drugs Nitropress and Isuprel, with hospitals now eligible for rebates between 10 and 40 percent based on the volume of the drugs purchased over the course of one quarter.

Despite an overall drop in doctor's visits, emergency visits and hospital care, children's healthcare spending rose in 2014, according to a new report by the Health Care Cost Institute that claims rising prices bridged the gap in utilization.

Citing "well-intended" but "flawed" public policy that led doctors to treat pain more aggressively, Stack advised physicians to avoid prescribing opioids to patients with non-cancer pain, except in cases where the benefits are expected to outweigh the risks.

Walgreens is teaming up with Mental Health America, a nonprofit focused on the needs of those struggling with mental health issues, to launch a new initiative to increase mental health screenings and tie patients with more telehealth services.