Drug benefit companies are negotiating sweetheart deals with pharmaceutical companies at the expense of consumers, according to a report by USA Today. Under the complex arrangements, drug companies offer incentives for pharmacy benefit managers (drug benefit plans) to push expensive name-brand medi
Do you know what it means if you see a dog with a yellow ribbon on its collar, leash, or around its neck? If you don’t, you should make note of this global movement, the “Yellow Dog Project.” According to the non-profit organization, “[a] yellow ribbon…
It’s no secret that the $5 billion dollar per year pharmaceutical industry has been known to bend, twist, ignore, or hide the truth. If you’re new to the topic, check out my last post on the reporting of side effects by drug manufacturers to the…
The FDA keeps a database for adverse events (i.e. side effects, serious injuries, deaths) related to a particular pharmaceutical. Both doctors and patients have the option of voluntarily reporting problems to the agency or a drug manufacturer, but drug companies are required to investigate and…
Michigan State Police are planning a “crackdown” on West Michigan freeways. Their target? Left lane drivers now through the end of April, according to a recent Mlive article. “Most violators don’t realize that the left lane is intended for vehicles that are passing– it’s not…
Last week I wrote about recent studies into the potential health risks and benefits of e-cigarettes. I also mentioned another hazard involved with vaping: exploding batteries. As more people take up vaping, reports of serious burn injuries continue to pop up. Exploding e-cigarette batteries have…
By now we should all be able to agree that smoking tobacco products is very bad for your health. Less clear at this point is the effect of e-cigarette use, otherwise generally known as “vaping.” Vaping devices hit the market as a supposedly safer alternative…
Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are designed to capture blood clots before they enter the lungs. The filter is designed for patients who are unable to take anticoagulants (blood thinners). The filter captures the clots in the blood stream, and over time, the clots dissolve.…
Earlier this week, the Michigan House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed a plan that could eventually raise the speed limit on certain stretches of highway to 80 mph. Of course, this plan goes in effect if passed by the Michigan House and Senate.…
Before I began practicing law over 30 years ago, I received a degree in Pharmacy and worked as a registered pharmacist. Even then, I could see how the demands placed on pharmacists and pharmacy technicians were creating a potentially dangerous environment in which very serious…
Medscape Medical News conducted a survey of four thousand physicians of various specialties to determine trends in medical malpractice lawsuits. The survey was completed in a 10-15 minute anonymous survey by U.S. physicians during the fall of 2015. Medscape published the 2015 report on December 9,…
The North American International Auto Show – also known as the NAIAS, or, as we like to call it, the Detroit Auto Show – opens to the public today. The event has already been open to media and industry insiders for a few days, so…