Prescription Drugs

Americans are asking for drugs they don't need based on vague TV commercial promises that are heavy on emotions but light on facts, according to a study published yesterday in the Annals of Family Medicine. The charge, based on 30-month-old advertisements, has some pharmaceutical companies questioning the study's validity. AstraZeneca PLC, for example, acknowledges criticism of past advertising practices but said it has introduced new, more responsible campaigns. "That was an old ad," AstraZeneca spokeswoman Michele B. Pelkowski said, referring to a summer 2004 commercial for its cholesterol medication Crestor, which the medical journal featured online.

Chase Brexton plans open house June 20 As part of Columbia's 40th birthday celebration, Chase Brexton Health Services will hold a community open house at its Columbia center from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 20. Housed in offices in Twin Knolls North, the center provides primary adult medical care, pediatric care, women's health services, mental health services, case management, counseling, testing and referral services for diverse communities. For those who are uninsured, underinsured or in need, Chase Brexton offers a sliding scale of fees and help in accessing state and federal assistance programs.

WASHINGTON -- Ten months ago, as a team of lawyers was launching his impeachment defense, President Clinton strode into the House chamber to propose, in his State of the Union address, one of the most ambitious policy agendas of his presidency, including a revolution in Social Security financing, a pricey expansion of Medicare coverage and the linkage of federal education aid to student performance.Now, with Congress adjourned for the year, the White House is boasting again of besting the Republicans in the budget battle.

WASHINGTON -- There's a story about a man who brought his car to the mechanic to have the air conditioning worked on. The mechanic told him to leave it with him and he'd take care of it.A few days later the man came back and the mechanic happily reported that he had put in a new high performance engine and four new tires. The man was presented with a bill of $5,000 for his redone car. He then asked if the mechanic had fixed the air conditioning, which is what he wanted in the first place.

THERE wont be any big changes in the current congressional session on Medicare or other aspects of this nations struggling health-care system.Congress and the White House would rather jockey for political advantage than hammer out fundamental reforms.Other than a bill undoing a tiny fraction of the damage done to teaching hospitals, nursing homes and home-health programs through budget cuts two years ago, congressional leaders are content to spout platitudes on health care.A patients bill of rights?

An excerpt from a Los Angeles Times editorial that ran Wednesday:When the legislation that created Medicare was enacted in 1965, doctors depended more on surgery than drugs to treat serious ailments such as heart disease and cancer. Basic medical care for disabled and elderly Americans should include hospital care, yes, and doctor visits, yes. But prescription drugs were not on the legislative radar.As President Clinton repeatedly has pointed out, medical care has advanced in ways that Medicare has not. Today, prescription drugs extend life spans by decades.

MOST AMERICANS don't care whether their prescription drugs were approved on a "fast track" or slow lane, as long as the medicine is safe to take, does not cause troubling side effects and works.The Federal Drug Administration is charged with ensuring the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs. It has long been credited with providing Americans the world's safest medicines.But a series of highly publicized drug problems -- and the withdrawal last year of three drugs from the market -- has left the public confused about the safety of the nation's drug supply.

WASHINGTON -- Appealing to a large voting bloc, President Clinton plans to propose coverage of prescription drugs for all Medicare recipients this month, promising relief to millions of elderly Americans but confounding many experts who say the plan may not prove financially feasible."

WASHINGTON -- The Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that President Clinton had grossly underestimated the cost of his proposal for Medicare coverage of prescription drugs.Dan L. Crippen, director of the budget office, also told Congress that Clinton had overstated the savings that could be achieved by his proposals to redesign Medicare and encourage competition in the traditional fee-for-service program.When Clinton unveiled his drug proposal June 29, he said it would cost $118 billion over 10 years.

WASHINGTON -- Donald Soule, a 70-year-old retired electrical engineer from Lutherville, takes six medications for acid reflux and clogged arteries. His 75-year-old wife, Catherine Soule, takes three prescription drugs. Their bill: $11,000 a year."It's taking most of my discretionary income," says Donald Soule.Not one cent of those costs is covered by Medicare, the government program that guarantees health care for 39 million elderly and disabled Americans. And the Soules don't get anything from his longtime employer, who dropped medical coverage for retirees on the day Soule retired four years ago.Shelling out ever higher amounts of money for drugs, millions of older Americans, many worse off than the Soules, are seeing red, while many Democrats are seeing campaign gold in the retirees' dilemma and are pressing the issue with a new-found vigor.

Shop around 1 According to Tod Marks, a senior editor at Consumer Reports who focuses on prescription drugs, many consumers don't realize that drug costs can vary widely from one pharmacy to another. He recommends shopping around, and he says you can save hundreds of dollars if you are willing to do some price comparisons. "Pharmacies expect it," he says of the price questions. "These days there's complete price transparency. If you want to shop around, there's no doubt you can get the information you need."

Rental property law protects communities Councilman T. Bryan McIntire's opposition to the new Baltimore County rental law is well-intentioned but unfounded ("Most Balto. Co. rental properties conform to new law," Feb. 8). Towson University fails to provide housing for about 30 percent of its students. And the surrounding communities suffer as a result of its campus housing shortage. Don Gerding, the chairman of the Rodgers Forge External Affairs Committee, and I have frequently reported problems with rental housing in the area to housing code enforcement authorities and county police.

As the nation's president-elect and incoming Congress mull a variety of fixes for the nation's ailing health care system, there's at least one relatively simple step that could be taken to make prescription drugs more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders. It requires only that the federal government give states the power to enable lower and middle-income families to buy prescription drugs at the same prices paid by the Medicaid program. It wouldn't cost taxpayers a dime but would make prescription drugs 40 percent to 45 percent more affordable for participants.

Wrong time to limit generic medications I was very alarmed by the news that generic medicines may be blocked and replaced by higher-cost, brand-name medicines ("Cost of medicine could increase," June 17). I am a heart patient, and I take eight medications and supplements. All are generic, except one. My health care provider insists on generic drugs if they are available. And I believe this is the right thing to do; it saves me lots of money - money the big pharmaceutical companies do not get. So no wonder the drug firms are mad. But do not feel sorry for the big drug companies.

Electric shock is used to start hearts that have stopped beating. In a pinch, would it be possible to start a heart using a stun gun? Doctors use defibrillators to shock a heart out of a life-threatening rhythm. A stun gun is NO substitute for a defibrillator! We consulted two cardiologists who both said this would not work and is a very bad idea. If you are concerned about needing a defibrillator "in a pinch," you can purchase an AED (automated external defibrillator). These home models detect life-threatening heart rhythms and use an electrical shock to restart the heart.

In a public-private partnership to help thousands of seniors struggling to pay for prescription drugs, Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to announce today a deal with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to help cover those caught in a Medicare gap. The agreement would help seniors bridge the "doughnut hole," a much criticized cost-saving measure built into the Medicare prescription drug benefit passed by Congress in 2003. The program covers annual prescription costs up to a certain amount and costs above a higher threshold, but not those in between, leaving a hole in the middle of the coverage plan.

The news yesterday that actor Heath Ledger died from a lethal combination of six different medications has raised new concerns about the hazards of overdoses among Americans with increasingly well-stocked medicine cabinets. The New York City medical examiner ruled yesterday that Ledger's death last month was accidental, the result of "acute intoxication" from two prescription painkillers (oxycodone and hydrocodone); two prescribed anti-anxiety drugs (diazepam and alprazolam); and two sleep aids - one of them available over the counter.

OK, so you're hungry and rooting around in the fridge, or maybe the pantry, and find something. You think you've stumbled upon it - What's this? Chocolate? Yes! - when it dawns on you: You can't remember buying the bar. Or when you first opened it. What now? Should you eat it or toss it? What if it's milk? Or medication? How long will that stuff keep, and what's at stake after you pass that point? For many things, your budget and personal preference can dictate how often you replace them, but for others, it's a safety issue.

I live with a disease that has no known cause and no cure. It can leave me in excruciating pain. Slowly, it is eroding the neurological connection to my brain and spinal cord, which can eventually lead to my losing my vision, my strength, my balance, my speech and even my memory. Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, I've developed a greater understanding of how important it is for patients to have access to good doctors, treatment and prescription drugs. As a television host with good insurance, I'm fortunate that I can afford to be treated by some of the world's best physicians and also afford the specialized medicines needed to battle this debilitating disease.

Two Maryland men have been indicted in federal court for illegally selling prescription drugs over the Internet and several other charges related to dispensing 10 million painkillers from their Baltimore pharmacy over two years - leading to overdose deaths of two customers, according to federal prosecutors. Pharmacists Steven Abiodun Sodipo, 51, of Forest Hill and Callixtus Onigbo Nwaehiri, 48, of Jarrettsville were indicted Friday on charges of illegally selling 9,936,075 pills of hydrocodone over the Internet, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and in monetary transactions using illegal proceeds, and tax charges, according to Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein's office.