US Pharm. 2006;10:8.
Wal-Mart Launches $4 Generics
Program in Florida
Bentonville, Ark.
--Wal-Mart is selling nearly 300 generic drugs for only $4 per prescription for
up to a 30-day supply. The program, which was launched last month at 65
Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market, and Sam's Club pharmacies in the Tampa Bay,
Florida area, is available to insured and uninsured patients. It is expected
to be expanded to the entire state in January 2007 and eventually nationwide.
At least one of Wal-Mart's competitors, Target Corporation, announced it will
match the price.
E. coli Outbreak Continues
to Climb
Washington, D.C.
--The number of Escherichia coli cases from tainted spinach
continues to climb. At press time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
reported that 183 cases of illness due to E. coli infections have been
reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 29 cases
of hemolytic uremic syndrome (which can result in kidney failure and is most
likely to affect young children and the elderly), 95 hospitalizations, and one
death. These numbers were expected to climb. The outbreak was confirmed in 26
states, representing virtually all regions of the country. According to a
statement released by the FDA, it was determined that "the spinach implicated
in the outbreak was grown in three California counties: Monterey, San Benito
and Santa Clara. Spinach grown in the rest of the United States has not been
implicated in the current E. coli outbreak. The public can be confident
that spinach grown in the non-implicated areas can be consumed."
Republicans Look to Ease Ban on
Rx Drug Imports
Washington, D.C.
--A deal may have been struck in the U.S. House of Representatives that would
lift the ban on prescription drugs brought back to the U.S. by Americans who
purchased the medications in Canada. The tentative agreement would allow
Americans to bring back up to a 90-day supply of medication without being
stopped by customs agents. It does not apply to Internet purchases.
Diabetes in Europe Could Cripple
Health Budgets
London
--While diabetes in the U.S. continues to be a major health problem, Prof.
Martin Silink, President-Elect of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF),
said a diabetes epidemic in Europe could cripple all health care budgets.
According to the IDF, more than 53 million Europeans, or 8.4% of the adult
population, suffer from diabetes, and that number could reach 9.8% by 2025.
"Health care budgets will just not be able to cope," said Silink. Most
developed countries today spend around 10% of their health care budgets on
diabetes, which is increasing at a rate of about seven million new cases per
year.
Lipitor Patent Upheld in
Netherlands
New York City
--The District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands has ruled that the basic
patent covering atorvastatin, manufactured by Pfizer under the brand name
Lipitor, would be infringed on by a competitor product from generics
manufacturer Ranbaxy. The decision, which is subject to appeal, prevents
Ranbaxy from launching its drug before Lipitor's basic patent expires in
November 2011. The court also ruled invalid a challenge by Ranbaxy of a second
patent covering the calcium salt of atorvastatin, which the court also ruled
invalid. The decisions of the Dutch court do not affect challenges to Lipitor
patents pending in other countries, including the U.S.
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