HEALTH

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. Biotech company Amgen took home a top award for one of its drugs at an annual event for drug makers, the company said Friday.

Amgen won the Best New Drug award for the osteoporosis treatment Prolia (denosumab) at the 2010 Scrip Awards in London Thursday.

The drug works by targeting the cells that break down bone, called osteoclasts, and was named one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2009 in Time magazine.

BOSTON An investigative treatment for hepatitis C got strong results in patients who had failed previous treatments or who were new to treatment, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial program announced this week.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — It would be no small thing to define the retail market for wellness, much less “own” it. But Walgreens is staking its future on its ability to do just that.

(THE NEWS: Walgreens chief: We want to own ‘well.’ For the full story, click here)

WASHINGTON Under the Affordable Care Act, the average savings for those enrolled in traditional Medicare is expected to amount to more than $3,500 over the next 10 years — and will be even higher for seniors and people with diabetes who have high drug costs — according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

CAMP HILL, Pa. Rite Aid will introduce Rite Aid Online Care to the Pittsburgh market, a service that offers patients live online interactive personal consultations with specially trained Rite Aid pharmacists via a computer, at the American Diabetes Association on Nov. 6.

DEERFIELD, Ill. The healthcare landscape is changing. There’s a new value-driven consumer who has emerged and, in light of this, retail pharmacy giant Walgreens is in the midst of an evolution into “a retail health and daily living store” and is on a mission to “own well.” That was a key message that an optimistic Greg Wasson, Walgreens president and CEO, had for Wall Street during the company’s Analyst Day conference on Thursday in Chicago.

WASHINGTON Nearly 100 drugs are in development for treating Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new report by the main lobby for the pharmaceutical industry.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said 98 medicines for dementia, mostly Alzheimer’s, were in clinical trials or under review by the Food and Drug Administration.