American Heart Association says Less than half of Patients prescribed new Cholesterol Drug receive Insurance Approval

Circulation Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Less than half of patients received their insurer’s approval for prescriptions of PCSK9 inhibitors, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

PCSK9 inhibitors, like Repatha (evolocumab) and Praluent (alirocumab), work by increasing the removal of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol from the blood. They have been shown to reduce LDL by 60 percent and decrease major cardiac events but cost much more than other cholesterol-lowering drugs with an average cost of $14,300 per year. Prescriptions require prior authorization by health insurance companies.

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FDA Warns About Fraudulent Tamiflu

Fraudulent product is dangerous to patients allergic to penicillin

Silver Spring, MD — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers about a potentially harmful product represented as “Generic Tamiflu” sold over the Internet. FDA tests revealed that the fraudulent product does not contain Tamiflu’s active ingredient, oseltamivir, but cloxacillin, an ingredient in the same class of antibiotics as penicillin.

The agency reminds patients who are allergic to or may have experienced adverse reactions from penicillin products that they are at risk of experiencing similar reactions from cloxacillin. This includes a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, with symptoms that include difficulty breathing, chest tightness, swelling of the throat or tongue, hives, dizziness, loss of consciousness, or a rapid or weak pulse. To date, the FDA is not aware of any reports of adverse reactions.

There is no FDA-approved generic drug for the prescription product Tamiflu. [Read more]