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PATIENTS and taxpayers are set to save some cash as the federal government announces it'll no longer subsidise basic over-the-counter medicines like paracetamol and aspirin...17 common drugs that treat issues like headaches, heartburn and constipation will be removed from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from January 1, 2016…The move is expected to save taxpayers half a billion dollars over the next five years, which…says will instead be spent on listing new life-saving drugs…The Consumers Health Forum is concerned consumers will now be buying and taking medicines without a treatment plan and regular monitoring from their doctor... the move will have no impact on a patient's ability to speak to their doctor or pharmacist about over-the-counter medicines… Australian Medical Association…said doctors welcomed the announcement, which was based on advice from the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

Senator Lamar Alexander…called on the government to delay Stage 3 final rules – and offered five reasons why…"The whole purpose of this program is to benefit patients, so that they and their health care providers have quicker and better access to their health histories and their doctors and hospitals and pharmacists can provide them with better care,"…"There is no reason not to take time to do it right."

1. Stage 2 is so onerous, in fact, that just 12 percent of physicians and 40 percent of hospitals have managed to successfully attest.
2. Penalties and bonus payouts under the new Medicare payment system are inextricably tied with meaningful use compliance.
3. Many leading medical institutions with the best electronic health records systems also recommend proceeding with caution.
4. A recent GAO report that shows that, in many cases, MU mandates are actually hindering electronic health record interoperability.
5. The HELP Committee has worked to develop seven areas for legislation to drive interoperability:

• Decreasing unnecessary physician documentation;
• Enabling patients to have easier access to their own health records;
• Making electronic health records more accessible to the entire health care team, such as nurses;
• Stopping information blocking
• Ensuring that EHR certification "means what it says it does"
• Improving standards
• Ensuring the security and privacy of patient records.

It's no secret that pharma salespeople are barred at the doors of many doctors' offices. Those doors have been closing one by one for several years…barriers are rising at a bad time for drugmakers intent on launching new products to make up for patent-cliff losses. Just as doors are closing, there's been a renaissance in drug approvals, with the FDA blessing record numbers of meds in the past few years…pharma marketers have adopted workarounds--such as digital detailing--face-to-face meetings are still the cornerstone of new drug launches.

Picking apart biopharma’s protracted boom,…the vibe that getting drugs approved is simply much easier than it once was…. FDA has been green-lighting new drugs at an escalating rate for the past few years… some think the agency can go farther… 21st Century Cures Act,..contains a bevy of provisions designed to bring medicines to the market more quickly…The bill has faced staunch criticism from public health officials and media outlets, cautioning that there can be too much of a good thing, and improperly evaluated drugs can be just as dangerous to patients as no treatments at all.

..overuse of antibiotics is one of the greatest threats facing the pharmaceutical, farming and medical industries. Overuse or abuse of the drugs has led to increasing resistance and given rise to "superbugs" that threaten patients and the world's food supply…threat is especially acute in poorer, developing countries where antibiotics are routinely overprescribed or given without a prescription…a plan in China to control the use of antibiotics has shown positive results, at least for one kind of superbug (MRSA)…Data..showed…rates of infection…decreased…from 70% to 30% …in many hospitals in China, thanks to the strict control…Part of those new controls include requiring prescriptions…and doctors are also being required to cut down on the use of the drugs.

Apple stirred a long-simmering controversy into a raging debate:… ad blocking in its newest operating system…ad blocking technology is not new, Apple's considerable mainstream influence had publishers scrambling and advertisers worried… Pharma companies are affected mechanically in much the same way all advertisers are…ad blockers could have some specific effects for pharma. Some pharma companies,… rely more heavily on digital advertising than other media placements, especially for marketing smaller-reach specialized drugs...

University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno has been training students in the Las Vegas Valley for more than 20 years. But the creation of the UNLV School of Medicine will result in the Reno school moving most of its operations north,..deans… will encourage their students to consider a career as a primary care physician because…The goal of both schools is to develop programs to address Nevada's doctor shortage. The state consistently ranks near the bottom of number of physicians per capita, and the medical schools, have been touted as a key component to boost the number of doctors serving Nevadans.

...drugmaker Mallinckrodt Plc spent $1.3 billion to buy a company that sold an injectable form of acetaminophen… the new owner more than doubled the price of the drug, called Ofirmev. Revenue from the medication shot up… hospitals were able to fight back by seeking other options, cutting into Mallinckrodt’s projected sales growth… Mallinckrodt earnings report Aug. 4 that sent shares down 14 percent in a single day, their worst drop on record...stock has slid an additional 38 percent… Ofirmev demand is starting to turn a corner after hitting a low point earlier this year…revenue from the drug will decline year-over-year until the second half of fiscal 2016..Mallinckrodt’s experience underscores the risk for drugmakers that increase prices on medicine that doctors and health-care providers are already accustomed to using. As expenses mount, customers will look for alternatives, no matter how popular or useful the product.

Doctors say primary care is growing fragmented and turning into more of a commodity, with physician access based on what consumers will pay…the role of primary care has diminished ... and I don't see encouraging signs that it is having a renaissance,.. the result of technology and competition creating more convenient options for care that does not require an in-person doctor visit… changes have helped make basic care more accessible to patients and lowered the cost per visit for many consumers… Patients are opting for drugstore clinics over doctor's offices, and many will soon start wondering why they even need to leave the house when smartphone apps let them chat live with a physician.

PharmTalk is a special production from the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy that features Keith and Kevin Boesen.

Yes, we know the doctors are usually the stars in the hospital emergency room. And the pharmacist with special training in emergency medicine makes a big contribution too!