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. colioutbreak. The public can be confident
that spinach grown in the nonimplicated 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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