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

Concerns about the soaring prices of prescription drugs have focused on new specialty treatments that can cost tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient. But insurers, health care providers, and industry specialists are now raising alarms about a new source of rising prices: generic drugs…Insurers say they are seeing huge cost increases for some commonly used generic drugs, with prices surging 15, 25, and even 75 times what they were just two years ago…In sheer dollars, the drugs remain cheap and the increases appear modest…Several factors contribute to rising drug costs. Generic drug companies say they sometimes raise prices to offset increasing costs, such as purchasing chemicals and other raw materials. Some drug makers say they hike prices when their competitors do…Industry analysts say rising drug prices are also a result of declining market competition, which can occur when companies stop making drugs or when drug makers merge and consolidate.

Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceuticals) lost another courtroom battle over claims that the company failed to warn doctors and patients that its antipsychotic drug Risperdal (risperidone) could cause breast growth in boys, a blow for the company as it continues to deal with related cases…state court jury in Philadelphia ordered J&J to pony up $1.75 million, including damages for disfigurement and mental anguish, to a young man who developed gynecomastia…while taking the drug as a teen…The company and its Janssen unit still face about 1,500 cases…

The FDA is an exciting and respected career option for students unsure about what to do when they graduate from pharmacy school…advice to pharmacy students interested in a career with the FDA is to apply for the Pharmacy Student Experiential Program during their third professional year so that they can gain exposure to the agency and network…final-year students, (Lindsay E. Wagner, PharmD) suggested attending continuing education or poster presentations by FDA speakers at meetings and introducing themselves…those who are already in their residency or fellowship program can ask if their postgraduate program has any connection with the FDA or other public health agencies. There is always the possibility that a pharmacy student could do an optional rotation or shadow someone at the agency.

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.

...latest fallout over the role that specialty pharmacies play in boosting prescription drug sales, Express Scripts has ended a contract with a company that is used by Horizon Pharma to distribute some of its medicines…Express Scripts cancelled its contract with Linden Care after determining the mail-order pharmacy was apparently dispensing drugs that are mostly made by Horizon, according to a spokesman. Express Scripts, which is the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager, is scrutinizing what it calls captive pharmacies. Those captive pharmacies appear to sell products for mostly one drug maker…In response, Linden filed a lawsuit accusing Express Scripts of making “a trumped-up charge that Linden Care is mailing drugs out of state purportedly in violation of [its] contract.” The pharmacy also maintains Express Scripts failed to provide adequate notice that the contract was ended. Express Scripts sent its termination notice yesterday, Nov. 10.

“Pharmacy is first and foremost a commercial enterprise and allowing pharmacists powers to prescribe and treat patients will lead to serious conflicts of interest.”…The President of the Irish Medical Organisation has issued a strong warning of the risks that will arise for patient health and safety if pharmacists are given permission to expand their role into areas which are more properly undertaken by doctors. Due to economic reasons pharmacists are seeking to expand their professional roles and move their scope of practice into the treatment and management of patients thus undermining the role of doctors and the patient/doctor relationship. Dr. Ray Walley said that the IMO (Irish Medical Organisation) will strongly oppose attempts to allow pharmacists increase their roles in respect of activities like managing repeat prescriptions, diagnosing minor ailments, Chronic Disease Management and any further expansion of vaccination programmes.

Settlements sought for prescriptions written in cases where doctors never met patients…Federal prosecutors in at least four states are mounting investigations into what they describe as widespread fraud by compounding pharmacies in claims to the health-insurance program that covers 9.5 million U.S. military members and their families…In the latest move, four Florida pharmacies last month agreed to pay $12.8 million combined to settle civil allegations that they falsely billed the insurance program Tricare for expensive pharmaceutical creams and gels to treat pain, scars and other ailments…Two of the compounding pharmacies...employed salespeople who paid doctors to write prescriptions to Tricare beneficiaries…In some cases, doctors would conduct telephone consultations with beneficiaries and then write them prescriptions, despite having not met with the beneficiaries in person…Those prescriptions were illegitimate because they weren’t based on genuine doctor-patient relationships, a violation of the federal False Claims Act...

British pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies face a major skills shortage which threatens future investment and the long-term success of the life sciences sector, according to a new industry report…Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said…that firms could increasingly seek workers abroad due to low numbers of good quality candidates, particularly those with appropriate biology and maths skills…The report follows a warning this week from lawmakers on the House of Commons science and technology committee that Britain's position as a "science superpower" would be jeopardized if government spending on science was not protected.

The IPU (Irish Pharmacy Union) has reacted angrily to claims made in a statement about Community Pharmacists issued by the IMO (Irish Medical Organisation) this afternoon, calling it an ‘unprecedented and unfounded attack on the pharmacy profession’…The IMO claim, ‘that there is a risk to patient’s health and safety if pharmacists are given permission to expand their role into areas which are more properly undertaken by doctors’ goes against international evidence that clearly shows the benefits of expanding the role of pharmacists in areas such as providing treatment for minor ailments and vaccination services…Various GP organisations have pointed out that general practice in Ireland currently faces a manpower crisis, which they claim will be worsened by the expansion of free GP care. In England, Scotland and Canada, where demand for GP services exceeds the available capacity, the unique skills and expertise of pharmacists have been used to enhance access to healthcare, generating considerable benefits to both patients and the State...