Author: Peter

The differences between biotech and pharma have always been a bit arbitrary. They mostly amount to whether the company name has been around for a century or mere decades, and whether there's a "gen" or a "zyne" in there somewhere…One thing investors like about Amgen is its most pharma-like attribute: For years, it was the only biotech to pay a dividend…But the company now risks adapting one of Big Pharma's less-desirable habits: expensive buyouts that risk large chunks of capital and investor goodwill…Amgen would be the latest in a trend of biotechs becoming buyers instead of…targets…Everyone's chasing the same shiny object…The road to every blockbuster drug is a minefield…Amgen's fear of missing out is understandable. But the very fastest way to derail a good thing is through big, bad acquisition. If Amgen wants to keep swinging $10 billion bats, it can't afford to miss.

A local pharmacy owner says the Affordable Care Act is putting him out of business. After nearly 20 years in operation, Mike's Pharmacy in Carson City will close its doors for good on Wednesday, November 11, 2015…Mike's Pharmacy opened in Carson City in 1997 and has been a community institution ever since…"It is very hard to lose this business because of circumstances I had no control of," said Mike Hautekeet, owner of Mike’s Pharmacy…He says the trouble started with the implementation of Obamacare. It wasn't the employer obligation; his employees already had insurance. Instead Hautekeet says Obamacare changed the way pharmacies are reimbursed by insurance companies…"If my cost is too high, and they reimburse me not enough, a lot of times we lose money to fill the prescription," said Hautekeet.

...this Walgreens isn't your usual neighborhood pharmacy…Then again, it's not in a typical neighborhood. It's on the Strip, and investors have again paid big money for the building in America's gambling and party mecca…The 1.6-acre property, on Las Vegas Boulevard at Convention Center Drive, sold for $37 million on Friday, up 33 percent from what the sellers paid in 2012.

Nevada has been facing healthcare workforce shortages for decades because of the state's rapidly growing population and expanding economy. Right now...the problem is felt both in rural and urban areas across most medical specialties..."I think the ones that trouble me the most are those that we're experiencing in primary care and behavioral health, such as psychiatrists,"...Nevada ranks 50th for the state's number of psychiatrists per capita, and the state is also struggling to have enough marriage and family therapists, alcohol and drug counselors, and clinical social workers.   (podcast 4:14min)

Starting today, all pharmacies in Greece will close for 24 hours due to a strike…The impact of closed pharmacies—including disruption to patients’ access to medications—may not be widely covered, as Greek journalists are preparing to cancel news broadcasts and online content today, as well…Public services, museums, and schools will also close, public transportation will be affected, and hospitals will function with emergency staff…Small regional airports will cancel flights, and ferries will stay in port.

Life can be hard. In fact, it can almost seem impossible for families devastated by substance abuse. However, there is hope and there are second chances…a family healing from the devastating effects of drugs, which is possible in part because of a volunteer who shines her love and support on this young family…The Senior's in Service program is seeking for more volunteers…families through drug court. "It's very rewarding. However, it can be very frustrating when you first get a client and they're angry and you get one that fails and that is very disappointing,"…If you are at least 55-years-old and would consider become a TruVista volunteer…

Starting next year, Renown will welcome students with St. George’s University to Reno for four- to eight-week elective clinical rotations as part of their fourth and final year of training…SGU is an independent, international school of medicine in Grenada…The students, who have already completed two years of classroom and lab studies and one year of clinical rotations elsewhere in the U.S., will receive hands-on training overseen by physicians. Renown will also welcome third year medical students from SGU, but the start date for that program expansion hasn’t been announced.

Carlos Aquino, founder and president of PharmaDiversion LLC, talks about his experience working undercover for the Philadelphia Drug Enforcement Administration task force.

What happens to physician-patient confidentiality when any government agency can obtain a patient’s prescription records without a warrant? A case before a state supreme court threatens to keep these indiscriminant lines of investigation wide open…Lewis v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, a case before the Supreme Court of the State of California, calls into question whether or not the California Medical Board infringed upon patients’ constitutional right to privacy when it obtained prescription data without a showing of good cause. The board did so through the California Department of Justice database, which allows broad and indiscriminate disclosures to state, local and federal agencies—including law enforcement—and fails to adequately protect patient privacy.

Reno’s two largest hospitals are gearing up to meet the medical needs of an expected population surge. In September, Renown announced a nearly $64 million investment that includes state-of-the-art technology, enlarging its Institute for Cancer building, creating an intermediate level of care between emergency medicine and hospital admission, and exploring the construction of a completely new medical center. Saint Mary’s Medical Group has invested $50 million in the past 18 months on new facilities and equipment, including the recently expanded medical clinic in northwest Reno, which opened Nov. 1. It has additional clinics and specialty facilities opening in other areas of the…(sub. req.)