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GNC Holdings Inc., the chain of health and wellness stores, plummeted as much as 21 percent after Oregon sued the company, claiming it sold supplements made with illegal ingredients…the company’s nutritional and dietary supplements were laced with unapproved drugs. One is picamilon, a Russian prescription medicine for neurological conditions, and the other is BMPEA, which was first synthesized in the 1930s as a replacement for amphetamines and never studied in humans, according to the state’s complaint.

There is a new price surge in the pharmaceutical industry—for a limited number of government-issued vouchers that drug makers… are buying to speed products to market…vouchers require the FDA to shorten its decision deadline to six months… Because companies can also sell the vouchers, a lucrative secondary market has emerged. AbbVie agreed in August to pay $350 million for a voucher from United Therapeutics Corp. ,which received it for developing a pediatric cancer treatment…the voucher program is attracting…criticism…These programs allow sponsors to ‘purchase’ a priority review at the expense of other important public health work in FDA’s portfolio… such as reviewing applications for drugs that treat more serious conditions...Adding to the escalating prices: the vouchers have a scarcity value because only seven have been issued…

...House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing called "Examining Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management Program."...aimed at figuring out the best ways to strengthen MTM model as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid roll out an overhaul… Rite Aid’s director of field clinical services… spoke in favor of expanding MTM…and highlighted recent efforts...which include the introduction of a bill…the Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act that would increase access to MTM for patients with such chronic conditions as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and COPD…given community pharmacist’s unique role as an easily accessible healthcare provider, they could be at the center of the expansion of MTM programs.

two steps…the president detailed in a memo all federal departments and agencies…providing prescriber training among federal health care professionals, a move that addresses concerns raised recently by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which noted that prescribing behavior was one of the biggest contributors to opioid abuse…need for patients to have access to treatments…Obama has directed federal agencies and departments to…facilitate easy access to health benefits and to find barriers to treatment for those with opioid uses issues.

Food and Drug Administration recently approved…PCSK9 inhibitors…These novel biologic agents offer the promise of reductions in blood cholesterol levels. This broad indication sets the practice of cardiology on a collision course with specialty pharmaceutical pricing models…At its core, the current pricing model for these products is driven by a transformation in the pharmaceutical industry, whereby 84% of prescriptions are filled with generic products and follow-on biologics have the potential to disrupt many established markets and firms…for most firms, future revenue expectations hinge on novel therapies…without the potential for outsized returns, capital might not be available for early innovation in biotechnology. Pricing pressure on innovative products would drive a fundamental restructuring of the industry and further increase the financial challenges of bringing scientific innovations to the market. It is important that we manage these downside risks carefully as we work toward a more sustainable pricing model in this market.

Scientists have found a genetic explanation for why the world's first malaria vaccine is not very effective in protecting some African children against the deadly mosquito-borne disease… The analysis…comes at a critical time for the experimental shot from GlaxoSmithKline, when global experts are assessing how it might be deployed…Mosquirix is specifically designed for use by African babies and toddlers. While it has the potential to help prevent many cases of malaria, researchers have been disappointed by its limited efficacy…scientists have discovered that genetic variability in a protein found on the surface of malaria parasites may help explain the patchy response because, while the protein comes in different forms, GSK's vaccine incorporates only one variant.

A…nurse who admitted taking kickbacks from a drug company that makes…Subsys (fentanyl sublingual) was pressured by sales representatives to increase her prescribing "so that the Subsys numbers would also increase,"…federal prosecutors charged that Heather Alfonso "continued to increase her prescribing of Subsys and to find more patients for whom she could prescribe the drugs" in exchange for a series of $1,000 kickbacks, totaling $83,000, from the company, Insys Therapeutics…the…narcotic is approved only for cancer patients, some of the patients given Subsys by Alfonso "did not have a cancer diagnosis,"...But "prior authorizations" submitted on behalf of patients falsely represented that they had cancer, misleading insurers into paying for the drug…She…was the highest prescriber in Connecticut in 2013, writing $2.7 million in prescriptions.

..Duexis is a combination of two old drugs, the generic equivalents of Motrin and Pepcid…If prescribed separately, the two drugs together would cost no more than $20 or $40 a month. By contrast, Duexis, which contains both in a single pill, costs about $1,500 a month…Needless to say, many insurers do not want to pay for Duexis. Yet sales of the drug are growing rapidly, in large part because its manufacturer, Horizon Pharma, has figured out a way to circumvent efforts of insurers and pharmacists to switch patients to the generic components, or even to the over-the-counter versions…It is called "Prescriptions Made Easy." Instead of sending their patients to the drugstore with a prescription, doctors are urged by Horizon to submit prescriptions directly to a mail-order specialty pharmacy affiliated with the drug company. The pharmacy mails the drug to the patient and deals with the insurance companies, relieving the doctor of the reimbursement hassle that might otherwise discourage them from prescribing such an expensive drug...Horizon is not alone. Use of specialty pharmacies seems to have become a new way of trying to keep the health system paying for high-priced drugs.

Interrupted sleep and withholding of food can make hospitalized patients sicker, according to three U.S. physicians who say patient safety in hospitals is not just a matter of preventing falls and infections…adequate sleep and nutrition are key to keeping the immune system strong, but noisy hospital conditions and long wait times may be compromising the body's defenses…poor nutrition, present in up to half of all hospital patients - can contribute to inflammation, muscle breakdown and organ damage…hospitals are busier and as a result we are seeing longer wait-lists for procedures, diagnostic testing, and inpatient transfers such as from the ER..

Yesterday’s POS won’t cut it when it comes to providing a consistent experience across channels… retailers are struggling to unify their online and in-store experiences, with existing technology/infrastructure preventing them from moving forward with new omnichannel solutions… 77% of the surveyed retailers believe their legacy point-of-sale is preventing them from providing a consistent customer experience across channels…retailers…face significant challenges getting new technologies rolled out to stores and in helping employees respond to informed, smartphone-enabled shoppers. Key findings include:

• store and the digital experience must be brought together for a continuous, seamless experience
• getting new technologies rolled out to stores is a top challenge
• inventory insight across all channels is important
• real-time visibility into customer activity across all channels is important