Regulatory and Washington

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A MinuteClinic location at a CVS store in downtown Columbia, S.C., got a visit from one of the state's top health officials recently.

NEW YORK — A desire to save money is driving younger and older adults to request cheaper drugs from their doctors, but it's also driving younger adults not to take their drugs as prescribed, according to a new study.

NEW YORK — A joint conference by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy and the Association of Managed Care Pharmacy attracted hundreds of leaders from across the specialty pharmacy industry.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition last week issued recommended guidelines for caffeine-containing dietary supplement products, expanding its self-regulatory initiatives that encourage best practices within the supplement industry. 

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration has 30 days to approve over-the-counter availability of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to women of all ages, according to a decision issued Friday by Judge Edward Korman of the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York. In a second decision, Korman declined to intervene on Teva Pharma's behalf in extending patent exclusivity for Plan B One-Step. 

NEW YORK — The National Advertising Division on Friday recommended that Matrixx Initiatives discontinue advertising claims that suggest its homeopathic Zicam Cold Remedy products prevent users from catching a cold.

Claims at issue were featured in an advertising campaign that depicted a “Cold Monster” and encouraged treatment with Zicam products at the “pre-cold” stage.

CHICAGO — The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy on Wednesday announced that it is the recipient of a five-year, $2.1 million grant to train graduate and postdoctoral students in natural product drugs and dietary supplements. The grant is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, one of the National Institutes of Health.