prescription drugs

Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Genentech Pour Money into State Elections

The Lund Report
Pharmaceutical companies spent $491,000 to influence elections and legislation in the Oregon capitol, as the Legislature tailored certain bills to fit their interests.

September 4, 2013 -- Nineteen drug companies have spent a combined half a million dollars since 2011 trying to influence elections and legislation, led by Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Genentech.

Pfizer, known for Viagra, Zoloft and Xanax, is the world’s largest drug company by revenue, and Eli Lilly is the world’s largest manufacturer of psychiatric medications, such as Prozac.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Small Pharmacies Getting Squeeze from Goliath PBMs

The Lund Report
A bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Jules Bailey and Rep. Greg Smith would regulate pharmacy benefit managers, which local pharmacists say are driving them out of business

 

March 27, 2013 — Central Drugs Pharmacy has been open for 110 years in downtown Portland, and it specializes in dispensing drugs for those who suffer from HIV.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Making Sense Out of Drug Prices

The Lund Report
When the author tried to find out why the cost of her blood pressure medication had gone up by 150%, she was left fumbling for an answer

OPINION – DECEMBER 18, 2012 -- I take a generic drug, a little yellow pill that’s been produced for decades, to control blood pressure. I started taking it long before the day I turned 65 that happened to coincide with the beginnings of the great recession that effectively reduced the value of our savings and our house.

By: 
Bertha D. Cooper

Member Insists OEBB Overpays for Prescription Drugs

The Lund Report
Its policy of mandating that only mail order companies can provide a 90-day supply of drugs is increasing insurance costs, she says

October 30, 2012 -- Tamara Weaver questions why the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB) is paying more for prescription drugs through its mail order company than at Costco, her local retail pharmacy. OEBB is responsible for selecting the health plans for the majority of Oregon’s public school teachers, community colleges and state universities.

By: 
Joanne Scharer

Physicians Focus on Curbing Opioid Abuse, Accidental Deaths

The Lund Report
Oregon's high rate of prescription abuse and reports of accidental overdoses nationwide have spurred conferences and discussion groups to change treatment protocols

October 8, 2012 -- In the 1990s, prescribing opioid painkillers for any patients besides those in the last stages of a terminal illness was frowned upon and could even result in censure, said Betsy Boyd-Flynn, deputy executive vice president of the Oregon Medical Association.

By: 
Christen McCurdy

Insurance Spat Leads to Less Rx Coverage for Some

The Lund Report
The health reform act will require coverage of all drugs beginning in 2014, but Washington's insurance commissioner and the state's largest insurance companies are facing off over a move to eliminate drug coverage entirely under one plan.

July 3, 2012 A fight between the Washington state insurance commissioner and the state’s largest seller of individual health insurance is spotlighting problems in that increasingly troubled market. The spat arose over insurers’ efforts to curb soaring premiums by restricting or eliminating prescription drug benefits.

Experts say they haven’t yet seen similar moves by insurers in other states to axe drug coverage from policies sold in the individual market. But some predict expensive drug benefits will offer an inviting target.

By: 
Harris Meyer

Mental Health Carve Out Bill Faced Governor’s Veto

The Lund Report
The bill would have required the state to pay for drugs that treat mental illnesses, HIV/AIDS, cancer and immunosuppressant disorders

March 12, 2012—A bill that would have required the state to continue paying for drugs used for mental illnesses, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and immunosuppressant drugs until 2016 died in the last days of the Legislature, blocked by the House and facing a veto threat from Governor Kitzhaber.

By: 
Amanda Waldroupe

House Passes Bill Allowing Zoomcare’s Physician Assistants to Dispense Medication

The Lund Report
Unlike last year, when both the Oregon Pharmacy Association and the Oregon Pharmacy Coalition opposed the legislation, it sailed through this year

February 24, 2012—A bill that colloquially became known as “the Zoomcare bill” passed the House with 58 votes on Wednesday, paving the way for the clinic chain’s physician assistants to begin dispensing bottled, non-narcotic medication starting in June.

Senate Bill 1565 already passed the Senate unanimously earlier this session, and now awaits Governor Kitzhaber’s signature.

By: 
Amanda Waldroupe

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