Individuals with pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for six months may now find it easier to obtain coverage through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). PCIP was created by the Affordable Care Act to provide interim coverage until the Health Insurance Exchanges are up and running in 2014. Twenty-seven states administer their own PCIP. [...]

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Today the Food and Drug Administration approved Ampyra, a new drug owned by Biogen Idec. to fight multiple sclerosis. The new drug is an extended-release tablet aimed at helping to increase mobility in those battling against multiple sclerosis. The FDA said those who took the drug had better movement and faster walking speeds than those [...]

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Long-term sufferers of insomnia who have not found lasting relief from such sleep aids as Ambien or Sonta should consider researching Rozerem, the only medication of its type approved in the treatment of sleeplessness. Rozerem (ramelteon) is the first of a new class of insomnia drugs: melatonin receptor agonists. These are similar to the naturally-produced [...]

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A diagnosis of high cholesterol can be intimidating, but there is a lot you can do to control this condition. In addition to modifying your diet and upping your exercise, the addition of a HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor — a class of drugs commonly called “statins” — can safely and effectively lower your cholesterol. (HMG-CoA Reductase [...]

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Too many Americans today are basing their opinions on prescription drugs solely on advertising by drugmakers. You should never get all your information from pharmaceutical commercials, Web sites, or drug labels. Why, you might ask? Aren’t drugmakers required by the FDA to tell the truth about their medications? The answer is, yes and no. Drugmakers [...]

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Sometime back, Effect Measure posed a question many of us have pondered about direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical commercials: What’s with the side-by-side bath tubs in the Cialis ads? Here are some of the answers given in comments – “Cialis really gets your pipes flowing or plumbing flowing…” “Bathtubs — because you can’t show naked, mutually aroused [...]

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Consumers search for antidepressants online more than any other class of drug, according to data from comScore. In a recent study of 500,000 search queries, five of the 15 most frequently searched prescription brands were for depression. This is in keeping with our own search results at eDrugSearch.com. Here are those five medications, in order [...]

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Lipitor was the most frequently prescribed brand-name drug in the United States last year, with 50 million prescriptions being filled. Vytorin was right up there, with 20 million. Add in all the other statins and you’re up to an amazing 150 million. As you might expect, we’ve had a fair amount of discussion in the [...]

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Yeah, I know; I’ve written about this topic before — more than a few times. But I feel compelled to do so again. Frankly, I’m mad as heck and I can’t take it any more. Just as there have been past hysterias blaming the Internet for sexual predators, pornography, political polarization, celebrity obsession, obesity (go [...]

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Jo Hartley reports: “Health insurance companies are currently revising their pricing systems for very expensive drugs and they are now requiring patients to pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for prescriptions for drugs that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases. “With the new pricing system, insurers have now abandoned [...]

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