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Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc, seeking to allay investor concerns about its business practices, said Friday it is cutting ties with a specialty pharmacy called Philidor Rx Services accused of helping it inflate revenue…The news failed to stem Valeant's sliding share price, which lost another 12 percent on Friday even after Bill Ackman…told investors the shares were "tremendously undervalued."…three top U.S. drug benefit managers...said they would no longer work with the pharmacy (Philidor). Express Scripts, CVS Health and OptumRx…said they made the decision after conducting audits of the pharmacy…Valeant shares have lost more than half their value since September as the company has come under attack on several fronts. U.S. prosecutors are also investigating the company over drug pricing…

Ken Whittemore Jr, Surescript's senior vice president of professional and regulatory affairs, discusses some of the ways in which e-prescribing trumps traditional prescriptions. (video)

Neil Friedman, COO of Bodimetrics, explains how pharmacists can best leverage the Bodimetrics Performance Monitor technology in their day-to-day practice.

Hospitals are continuing to make big investments in technology as they recognize the need to effectively manage population health, according to C-suite execs polled for Premier's Fall 2015 Economic Outlook survey…More than 64 percent of respondents reported an increase to capital budgets this year, reflecting the need for investments in advanced technology to meet value-based care goals…39 percent of these respondents increased their budgets by at least 10 percent…The biggest investment for hospital expenditures is on health information technology, according to 72.2 percent of respondents to the survey…"Investments in HIT, data analytics and modern clinical infrastructure are foundational for providers to seamlessly deliver population health services across their inpatient, outpatient and alternative care sites,"…

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s deal to acquire Rite Aid Corp. is expected to draw antitrust scrutiny not only because the company would grow to 12,700 locations, but because of what goes on behind the scenes with drug payments…Federal Trade Commission…will look closely at whether the merging of the No. 1 and No. 3 pharmacy chains in the U.S. will lead to higher prices for prescription drugs...the FTC will probably review the approximately $9.4 billion deal market-by-market instead of on a national basis, since CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Rite Aid together control only about half of the U.S. retail pharmacy market...The rest is held by independent stores, smaller chains and mail-order companies. Walgreens is likely to sell or shutter some stores...

FDA has once again delayed its enforcement of product tracing requirements for pharmacies under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act...Although these track-and-trace requirements took effect on July 1, 2015, the FDA said it would not enforce the product tracing obligations for pharmacies until November 1, 2015, which it has now extended to March (March 1,2016)…FDA granted this latest extension because “some dispensers—primarily smaller, independent pharmacies and health systems—have expressed that they need additional time,” …In the meantime, pharmacies that do not capture and maintain product tracing information, or accept prescription drugs without product tracing information prior to or during a transaction, will not be penalized…this compliance policy does not extend to other requirements for dispensers under the DSCSA, which include verification related to suspect and illegitimate product (including quarantine, investigation, notification, and record keeping) and engaging in transactions only with authorized trading partners.

Some of the biggest customers of Philidor Rx, the consolidated specialty pharmacy tucked inside embattled drug giant Valeant Pharmaceuticals, are seeing red flags. Two of the nation’s biggest pharmacy benefits managers, CVS Health and Express Scripts, both said on Thursday they are cutting ties with Philidor Rx after finding the noncompliance with provider agreements…The terminations add a new headache to Valeant Pharmaceuticals as it tries to recover from an onslaught of scrutiny from lawmakers, regulators and investors into its business practices.

Mike Glaicar, Business Development: Pharmacy Times (PTNN) This weekly video program highlights the latest in pharmacy news, product news, and more. (video)

Health care professionals have known about the nocebo effect for years, but it recently reared its head in headlines again…As the darker counterpart to the placebo effect, the nocebo effect leads patients to experience adverse effects from an inactive substance…This effect recently caught the media’s attention when a French woman won a court case that permits her to receive a disability allowance because of her “allergy” to Wi-Fi…Marine Richard claimed that she had an allergy to electromagnetic radiation, which emanates from objects like cell phones and Wi-Fi routers…The woman won the case despite the fact that this allergy is not recognized as a medical condition in most countries…There is also no scientific evidence that electromagnetic exposure is linked to symptoms such as tingling, headaches, fatigue, nausea, or palpitations…Some surmised that fears about harmful effects from Wi-Fi radiation catalyze the nocebo effect in these individuals.

As the nocebo effect becomes more mainstream, here are 5 key points to keep in mind:

1. The nocebo effect can be dangerous.
2. Language is important.
3. Tolerability of medications should be emphasized.
4. The nocebo effect may decrease medication adherence.
5. Communication is paramount.

Wow. Walgreens Boots Alliance is acquiring Rite Aid. As I told The New York Times: “The pharmacy consolidation endgame has begun.”…Given the consumer angle, the deal has been widely covered.

Here are two significant news reports that outline the transaction’s high points:

• Walgreens to Buy Rite Aid for $9.4 Billion in The New York Times
• Walgreens, Rite Aid Unite to Create Drugstore Giant in The Wall Street Journal

..here are the surprisingly skimpy official company documents:

• Press release…
• Fiscal year end 2015 and 4Q earnings conference call (See page 19.)

The deal was not a total surprise. In April, I asked Will Walgreens Boots Alliance Buy Rite Aid?

1. WBA is doubling down on retail pharmacy.
2. Surprisingly, WBA is claiming that mega-scale with payers did not drive the deal.
3. Envision Rx is a learning opportunity, not a strategic driver.
4. The FTC will approve the deal.
5. The deal adds even more complexity and opacity to WBA.
6. It’s good for AmerisourceBergen, but horrible for McKesson.
7. Wholesaler outsourcing will make integration easier.
8. WBA will (probably) proceed with its ABC warrants.
9. All hail our global channels overlord.
10. Big deals beget more deals.