Cholesterol-lowering drugs used to prevent heart attacks and stroke
may also help fight a pandemic sparked by bird flu, and should be
tested, said a physician who has studied immunization for decades.

Medicines such as Pfizer Inc.'s Lipitor, the world's best- selling
drug, have helped patients with sepsis and pneumonia in observational
studies, indicating a potential to reduce deaths from bird flu, said
David Fedson, former director of European medical affairs for
Sanofi-Aventis SA, who spoke at an avian influenza conference in Paris
today.

Vaccines and antiviral drugs will likely be unavailable in many places
in the early months of a pandemic, and researchers should study
alternative therapies to fill the gap, Fedson said. Lipitor, Merck &
Co.'s Zocor and similar medicines, known as statins, also may be
acquired more cheaply than vaccines and antivirals because of generic
competition.

``It's an idea,'' Fedson, who is also a former professor of medicine
at the University of Virginia, said in an interview yesterday in
Paris. ``Experimental, clinical and epidemiological evidence suggests
that statins might be protective. The clinical and public health need
for something that is available is immense.''

Merck's Zocor lost its patent protection June 23, opening the door to
more generic competition. The worldwide market for cholesterol
treatments is about $22 billion a year.

Cheaper Than Tamiflu

A five-day course of generic Zocor, chemically known as simvastatin,
will cost as little as $1.75 in the U.S., and costs about 50 cents in
developing countries such as India, Fedson said. A five-day course of
Roche Holding AG's antiviral Tamiflu costs about $60 to $90 in the
U.S., he said.

The World Health Organization said last month that Tamiflu, or
oseltamivir, should be the first choice for doctors treating people
with avian flu. The drug inhibits the multiplication of influenza
viruses, helping fight infection.

Disease trackers are monitoring the H5N1 virus in the event it evolves
into a pandemic form capable of killing millions of people. Since late
2003, H5N1 is known to have infected at least 228 people, mainly in
Asia, killing 130 of them, according to the WHO.

Fedson, 68, is a Yale University-educated physician with a special
interest in infectious diseases and the cost- effectiveness of
vaccines in public health. He served on the national vaccine advisory
committee in the U.S. between 1990 and 1994 and worked for Sanofi in
Europe for seven years.

Research Needed

Influenza increases the risk of heart attack and stroke and induces
the production of proteins that promote inflammation. The immune
response to influenza infection can cause acute respiratory distress
syndrome, associated with mortality in H5N1 cases. Statins decrease
these risks, Fedson said.

In a report published by the journal Intensive Care Medicine this
year, in an observational study of 438 patients with bacterial sepsis,
statin treatment during hospitalization reduced the rate of death
attributable to sepsis by 92 percent, Fedson said. In a similar study
of 388 patients, the mortality rate was cut by 87 percent. That study
was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases in 2001.

Fedson urged statin makers and other researchers to provide data on
the drugs and their effect on respiratory illnesses, and said the
hypothesis should be tested in animals and people infected with flu.

Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore said in a telephone interview
yesterday that she couldn't comment. Pfizer did not return calls
seeking comment.

New Hope?

``Statins are a potential treatment, but there are also alternative
ways to modulate the immune system,'' said Menno de Jong, head of the
virology department at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. De Jong's team observed 18 H5N1 cases in
the Southeast Asian nation.

De Jong, whose unit is coordinating an initial clinical study of
Tamiflu in human H5N1 cases, said subsequent trials could investigate
other treatments, including statins.

The WHO said in November that if current trends persist, most
developing countries won't have access to a vaccine during the first
wave of a pandemic. If effective, statins may provide some hope for
poorer countries that don't have the money to buy large quantities of
antiviral medicines and vaccines or the capacity to make them.

Pomegranate Juice, Green Tea

``I come from Africa, where we have no vaccines, no antivirals'' to
treat a flu outbreak, said Girish Kotwal, a virologist at the
University of Cape Town School of Medicine in South Africa. ``The WHO
has enough antivirals to treat 3 million, but how much of that will
trickle down to Africa? Maybe none.''

Kotwal presented data that indicate that the plant trifolium, a type
of clover, along with pomegranate juice may have antiviral properties
that could be developed for use against bird flu.

A Korean researcher, Baik-Lin Seong of Yonsei University in Seoul,
said a chemical found in green tea blocked a flu virus's ability to
attach to cells, and may be processed into a treatment. Star anise, a
plant found in China, is used in the production of Tamiflu.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Living with HIV is not Nikk Bowden's major concern. Like other people
infected with the virus that causes AIDS what worries him most are the
long-term toxic effects of the medications he takes.

For patients fortunate enough to receive them, drugs have turned
HIV/AIDS from a death sentence into a treatable illness. But muscle
pain and wasting, liver and pancreas problems, diabetes, fat
redistribution and nerve damage are side effects that can occur after
years of use.

"Long-term you do worry as to exactly what it is doing to your body.
If you are expected to be on them for 30-40 years, as some doctors
will tell you, what is going to happen further down the line," said
the 34-year-old decorator from Edinburgh.

"Has enough research been done into this and is it on-going? Are we
going to get the answers as the doctors get them or are they going to
keep them quite quiet?" he added in an interview on Friday.

Bowden, who was infected 7 years ago through unsafe sex, is not alone
in his concerns.

In a survey of nearly 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Britain, 69
percent said they did not feel informed enough about the long-term
effects of medications.

Fear of other illnesses, or opportunistic infections, caused by HIV
was second on the list of top concerns followed by the short-term side
effects of the drugs. Patients were less troubled about the
interaction of HIV drugs with other medications, according to the
poll.

Ninety-three percent in the survey conducted by the UK Coalition of
People Living with HIV and AIDS said they had difficulty planning for
the future.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

The rising cost of prescription medicine was on Corinne Clauschee's
mind when she stepped onto the Partnership for Prescription
Assistance's (PPA) big orange bus at Gateway Park on Wednesday
afternoon.
Clauschee, 39, of Kirtland, has two prescriptions that need to be
filled, but doesn't have the money to do so.

"I can't afford medications," said Clauschee, who added she works for
a company that does not offer full medical benefits. "I saw the bus
and I was curious. (The program) is interesting, but I'll give it a
try and see what happens."

Clauschee said she needs allergy medicine for herself and acne
medicine for her son, but the cost is just too high.

"I did pay for it once," she said. "My son's acne medicine was at least $100."

After answering 10 confidential questions, Clauschee was matched to
three programs that could offer her a prescription discount card or
help her get her prescriptions for free. The applications for all
three programs were printed out for Clauschee. All she has to do to
complete the process is fill out the application and get a doctor's
signature.

Getting applications for assistance is easy. People who need help can
call a toll free number or log on to the Internet for applications,
said Grady Forrer, director of communications and public affairs for
the American Pharmaceutical Companies, the group sponsoring PPA's
campaign to provide information about low-cost prescription drugs.

Nearly 2,500 prescription drugs are available through the program.
Drug cards and medication assistance is provided to patrons by
manufacturers.

"This is a national program put on by the American Pharmaceutical
Companies to help people in need," Forrer said. "Each individual
manufacturer has had programs like these but we have found programs
that will help with four to five drugs across the board."

The PPA is traveling the country in a bright orange bus promoting the
program which helps people like Clauschee find cheaper ways to get
their medicine.

"Everyone who is without insurance or between jobs can try to apply,"
said Forrer. "A typical person (we serve) is a single mom with no
insurance and is worried about how to get her kids medicine."

Forrer said since the bus first left the station in April 2005, the
program has helped about 2.5 million people. In Farmington, 228 people
have signed up, with 91 percent of those people being "matched" to a
company.

"We think it's been pretty successful, but we know there are more
people out there," Forrer said.

For more information call (888) 4PPA-NOW o visit www.pparx.org

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Lansing - Starting Thursday you'll be able to find the cheapest price
for your prescription drugs on-line.

A new "price comparison" website from the Michigan Department of
Community Health will be up and running.

The website will allow consumers to compare costs among pharmacies, in
order to find the lowest price for their prescription drugs.

The website was developed, in part, after a series of surveys done by
the State Attorney General, which found wide discrepancies in prices
of prescription drugs.

The Michigan Pharmacists Association opposes the website saying it
will not be accurate.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Kristina Marie Flatow, 21, Waterford, was charged Tuesday with two
counts of distribution of a false controlled substance as a habitual
offender. If convicted, she could face up to $20,000 in fines, 10
years in prison and at least a year-long driver's license revocation.

According to court records, an undercover agent paid Flatow $260 for
13 Oxycontin tablets on Sept. 14, 2005. The agent noticed the covering
on the off-white tablets had been removed; Flatow allegedly said it
was to make it harder for police to identify them. Flatow then gave
the agent her number and said they could contact her if they wanted
more Oxycontin.

A week later the agent again contacted Flatow, asking for 30 tablets
for $525. Flatow had 28 white and orange tablets, also with the
coating removed. They agreed on a price of $500. The agent talked to
Flatow about getting tablets with the coating still intact, and Flatow
said she would attempt to comply with his request.

The Sheriff's Department had the tablets Flatow sold analyzed and
found they were psychiatric medications used to treat psychotic
disorders. The medication is only available with a prescription, but
is not a controlled substance. The drug has several possible side
effects, some serious, investigators said.

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The European Commission said it is taking Italy to the European court
of justice over the country's restrictions on the acquisition and
ownership of retail pharmacies.

The commission has also formally asked Austria and Spain to change
their rules on the establishment of pharmacies.

The three infringement procedures concern such national restrictions
to the opening and running of pharmacies as a ban on non-pharmacists
from owning pharmacies, exclusion on non-national pharmacists from
opening new pharmacies, preference for pharmacists with local
experience, territorial and demographic limits to the setting-up of
pharmacies, and a ban on owning more than one pharmacy.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Pulmonary hypertension is due to increase in pressure of pulmonary
artries. Some diseases can narrow the blood vessels in the lungs,
which leads to high blood pressure in the lungs even when blood
pressure in the rest of the body is normal. It may be due to lung
diseases or heart diseases. Pulmonary hypertension is a highly fatal
disorder since the strain of pumping blood through narrowed vessels
often leads to failure of the heart muscle. When the heart muscle
fails, the lungs cannot supply enough oxygen to meet the body's needs.

There are various treaments available for pulmonary hypertension.
Goals of treament are:

Dilate pulmonary vessels
Decrease thickening of blood
Decrease preload on heart
Increase oxygen supply to lungs
Prevention and treatment of respiratory infection
Increase cardiac output
Treat cause of secondary Pulmonary hypertension.

Any treatment which dilates pulmonary vessels can decease pulmonary
hypertension. Treatments for this disorder widen the damaged blood
vessels in the lung and make it easier for the heart to pump blood
through the lungs. How can we dilate these pulmonary vessels?

One such drug (epoprostenol) is effective only if given intravenously
through a small plastic tube that must remain in the vein permanently.
Another treatment involves continuous inhalation of a gas (nitric
oxide) that also widens blood vessels in the lungs. A newer approach
has been an inhaled mist form of epoprostenol called iloprost. Because
each mist treatment lasts only about 60 minutes, up to 12 treatments
each day are required. Each of these treatments has its drawbacks and
side effects. You cant take these orally, and have shorter duration of
action. Recently, researchers learned that a drug Viagra (sildenafil
citrate) the erectile-dysfunction drug used by more than 26 million
men worldwide,can enhance and prolong the actions of both iloprost and
nitric oxide.

Viagra's Active Ingredient Treats Pulmonary Hypertension New drug
Revatio, which contains sildenafil citrate, the same active ingredient
found in the erectile-dysfunction drug Viagra, has been approved by
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating pulmonary
hypertension. Revatio is white and round; Viagra is a blue
diamond.Will the drug work long-term? "Only time will tell," says
Norman Edelman, medical director of the American Lung Association.
"Anything that lowers blood pressure in the lungs and can do it over
time will probably prolong life."

Good thing about this drug "it can be given orally, rather than
intravenously or in an injection." The only other drug that can be
given orally, Bosentan, can damage the liver. Studies are underway to
see whether Revatio can be given with Bosentan and other drugs to
yield an even bigger benefit.

Revatio's known side effects are typical of those for Viagra:
blue-tinged vision, muscle aches, flushing. Unwanted erections have
been noted but very rare cases.

Although survival rates over 18 months increased from 65% to 95% with
the use of Revatio, it is unknown if the drug will work long-term.
When combined with standard treatments for pulmonary hypertension,
sildenafil may significantly improve control of this fatal disease.
Because experience with this treatment is limited, it is too early to
make firm recommendations for treatment.

This article for Patients of pulmonary hypertension is presented for
informational purposes only. This article is not a substitute for
advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about
this material, or need medical advice about your own health or
situation, please contact your physician

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Swiss competition authority WEKO said it has started to investigate Pfizer Inc, Bayer AG and Eli Lilly & Co over alleged price fixing of their impotence drugs Viagra, Levitra and Cialis.

The recommended retail prices are almost identical, WEKO said.

Preliminary research by WEKO also raised concerns about price-fixing of over-the-counter drugs which are sold for very similar prices, it said.

WEKO pointed out that these drugs are sold on the basis of recommended retail prices, and that the fact that pharmaceutical companies make recommended retail prices publicly available might severely impede competition.

WEKO said it would also investigate pharmacists und general practitioners.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

You can find just about anything on the internet and according to a new report, websites for illegal prescription drugs are more popular than ever.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse or CASA, says with just a couple of clicks, anyone can pick from a list of powerful and addictive pills.

CASA's latest study found, of the internet sites selling these drugs, a whopping 89% do not require a prescription.

According to the study, some of the most popular prescriptions bought illegally include valium, painkillers like oxycotin and even stimulants like ritalin.

And unfortunately, children are some of the best customers. But no matter the age, buying drugs without a prescription is a crime.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Two recent surveys of drug prices by consumer advocacy groups show a disturbing pattern of increases as the new Medicare drug benefit was getting under way. The surveys make it clear that health plans and individual consumers will need to be especially vigilant to keep spending on medications within reasonable bounds.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

A medical doctor has been found guilty on four charges of prescribing excessive drugs to his patients and for not giving them counselling or referring them for psychiatric evaluation for their drug dependency.

A disciplinary inquiry of the Singapore Medical Council says that given the case histories of the patients and their prolonged use of benzodiazepines, Dr Lim Tien Chiar should not have prescribed further use of these dependency-forming drugs.

Dr Lim was also convicted on another charge of failing to exercise adequate supervision over the prescribing practices of the doctors in his clinic.

Dr Lim was the licensee and manager of Jurong Clinic and Dental Surgery in Jurong West Street 51.

Under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Regulations, he was obliged to supervise the work of the doctors employed.

However, he left the running of the clinic and the ordering of these drugs to his locum doctor, did not review the medical and dispensing records of the clinic and the patients and delegated his responsibility via private agreements with his doctors.

For the offences committed, Dr Lim was suspended for three months and fined $2,000.

He was also censured and ordered to give an undertaking to the Medical Council not to repeat the acts.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Researchers said Monday they have unraveled new data on the area of the brain that ADHD drugs target to relieve symptoms.

The drugs, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, work in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the brain, which is responsible for attention, decision-making, and personality expression.

According to the researchers, ADHD drugs relieve symptoms by boosting levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which affect memory formation, arousal, and attentiveness.

The drugs have come under scrutiny because they are routinely given to young children, have the potential to create addiction, but no one could explain which part of the brain they affected.

Craig Berridge, lead author of the study which appeared in the June issue of Biological Psychiatry, said it was impossible to come up with better drugs until the work site of the existing drugs was discovered.

To find out, the team fed rats doses of ADHD drugs, including Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine, that were functionally equivalent to those used to treat human beings.

Brain probes were used to monitor the resulting neurotransmitter activity in three areas of the brain: the PFC, the accumbens that processes rewards, and the medial septum, which is associated with arousal and movement.

Under the influence of ADHD drugs, dopamine and norepinephrine levels increased in the prefrontal cortex but remained much the same in the two other brain structures.

Berridge said his team's next step is looking at how ADHD meds act on neural tissue to enhance cognitive ability.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - Wyeth (WYE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday said it has asked U.S. regulators to approve two new prescription drugs for postmenopausal women, one to prevent osteoporosis and the other to treat moderate to severe symptoms of menopause.

The Madison, New Jersey-based drugmaker said it had asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve bazedoxifene -- a member of the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) class of drugs -- to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis.

It said it also asked the FDA to approve desvenlafaxine succinate, a non-hormonal drug to treat vasomotor symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

U.S. scientists, looking for a way to help soldiers perform in Afghanistan's mountains, have found a miracle pill that safely helps the heart and lungs work at high altitudes - Viagra.

In tests on cyclists in the thin air of high altitudes, it helped may men ride taller in the saddle, though it didn't boost the performance of everyone.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Researchers reported Thursday that cyclists may be able to increase their performance by taking Viagra - their athletic performance, that is.

Certain cyclists have more trouble than others in sustaining high levels of exertion at mountainous elevations. The new study found that Viagra, a drug most commonly used to treat male impotence, helped overcome that problem.

For these cyclists, taking Viagra improved their performance up to 45 percent, which would allow a cyclist racing in the high Rocky Mountains to cover a stretch of road in 39 minutes that would otherwise take him an hour.

The findings, to be published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, come at a time when competitive cycling has been struggling to prevent athletes from using banned drugs and other methods of bolstering performance. Viagra is not currently among the blacklisted drugs.

The study's senior researcher, California physiologist Anne Friedlander, emphasized that Viagra did not improve the performance of all cyclists. Instead, it helped "level the playing field" for those most affected by altitude, she said.

Hoping to learn more about why high altitudes affect people differently, Friedlander and other researchers with Stanford University and the Palo Alto Health Care System studied 10 male competitive cyclists.

The cyclists were tested on an exercise bike both under normal conditions and while breathing air low in oxygen. Some were given a sugar pill, and the others took Viagra.

"The participants told us that while they were riding the bike they didn't know whether they were on the drug or not," Friedlander said. "However, what they did say was that in the showers afterwards they pretty much knew which pill they had been given."

Friedlander got the idea for the study when Viagra hit the market last year under a different name, Revatio, as a medication for pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension occurs when the blood vessels in the lungs constrict, decreasing the amount of blood flowing through the oxygen-rich lung tissue. The result is lowered levels of oxygen in the blood, which causes patients to feel tired, dizzy and short of breath.

People who have similar symptoms in the mountains are often experiencing temporary pulmonary hypertension, said Friedlander. Viagra counteracts these effects because it is a blood vessel dilator. It relieves constrictions in the vessels and allows blood to flow more freely through some organs in the body.

The findings of the study could benefit people working at high altitude, such as military personnel operating in the mountains of Afghanistan or mountaineers climbing Himalayan peaks.

But in the world of competitive sports, boosting performance with a drug can be considered unfair.

"Physiological gifts are what separate (athletes) from one another and what separate them greatly from the general public," said Sean Petty, chief of staff for USA Cycling, the organization that oversees competitive bike racing in the U.S.

It is illegal for an athlete to take any drug to unnaturally increase performance, Petty said. As for Viagra, "if it's determined at some point to be a performance-enhancing drug, I'm sure it will be on the banned list," he added.

Friedlander, however, has a hunch that some athletes are already taking Viagra for competition.

"Cyclists are always looking for that competitive edge. They are scanning for anything, and it's conceivable that they might be taking it already," said Friedlander.

That concerns Dr. Rajive Tandon, a pulmonary hypertension specialist at Rush Medical Center. Tandon said very few studies, and none of them long-term, have looked at the use of Revatio, or Viagra, to treat pulmonary hypertension in the general population.

"These drugs can't be used indiscriminately. You have to study them in a certain population to see if there are side effects," said Tandon.

More studies are on the way, according to Friedlander. Next summer she plans to test subjects for longer periods of time and in real-world mountain conditions. She also wants to find out if women will similarly benefit from the drug.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

More Americans initiated nonmedical use of narcotic pain relievers in the past year than initiated use of marijuana or cocaine. This is the finding of a new report from the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that extracted data from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Over half of persons who initiated nonmedical use of pain medications (54.9 percent) in 2004 were female.
      
The new report, "Nonmedical Users of Pain Relievers: Characteristics of Recent Initiates," shows that 2.4 million persons ages 12 or older initiated nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in the 12 months prior to the survey, 2.1 million initiated use of marijuana, and 1 million initiated use of cocaine.
   
"While overall illicit drug use continues to decline among our young people we are always paying close attention to the data to identify any potential areas of concern," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie.

"Abuse of prescription pain medication is dangerous and can lead to the destructive path of addiction. The initiation rates show we must continue our efforts help the public confront and reduce all drug abuse."
   
The new report shows that 48 percent of new initiates used Vicodin(R), Lortab(R) or Lorcet(R).

34.3 percent used Darvocet(R), Darvon(R), or Tylenol(R) with codeine.

20 percent used Percocet(R), Percodan(R) or Tylox(R);

18.4 percent used generic hydrocodone; 14.3 percent used generic codeine; 8.4 percent used Oxycontin(R); and 4.3 percent used morphine.

Further, the report found that only 26.2 percent of the new initiates to pain medications started using pain relievers as their first illicit drug of abuse. Marijuana was used by 66.2 percent prior to starting narcotic pain medications; hallucinogens were used by 24.9 percent; and inhalants were used by 21.3 percent.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com.  He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Florida's innovative Web site that lets people comparison shop for the lowest prescription drug prices has marked its one-year anniversary, yet some are unaware the site even exists.

Attorney General Charlie Crist announced that more than 220,000 Internet users seeking the best prices for medication have visited www.MyFloridaRx.com since it was unveiled last June.

"Holding down the cost of health care is one of the greatest challenges facing Floridians, especially those living on a fixed income," Crist said.

With a few simple clicks at the Web site, Internet users can determine the price for the most common medications at pharmacies close to their homes. The searchable database, which the Attorney General's Office says is the only such tool updated monthly to help Floridians find affordable medications, provides pricing information from competing retailers for the 50 most commonly used prescription drugs in Florida, as well as generic equivalents, when available.

In Lady Lake, CVS Pharmacy and Walgreen's both have their prescription drugs listed on the Web site, allowing residents to see the competitors' prices for comparable medications.

During random phone calls Friday to local physicians' offices and pharmacies, several said they were unaware that MyFloridaRx.com even existed.

 

"I have never been on it," said Jason Fazio, senior pharmacy technician at Walgreen's in Lady Lake. "This is the first time I am hearing of it, and I haven't had any residents coming in saying that they have used it."

The Attorney General's Office says MyFloridaRx.com attracts an average of 4,200 visitors per week. And to maintain the privacy of those logging on, the office says it does not track the locations of those checking the site or the medications they are researching.

JoAnn Carrin, communications director for Charlie Crist, said the Attorney General's Office hopes more residents will use MyFloridaRx.com.

"This is a valuable resource to find out the varying prices of prescription medication," she said. "There may be several stores where the prices vary widely and this gives folks the opportunity to find the best deals and save money, and for our seniors, that is particularly important."

Before MyFloridaRX.com was introduced, the Attorney General's Office noted Floridians had no way to conveniently determine the current price of most common prescription medications at local pharmacies.

Carrin said Crist attended the National Attorney General Association conference 1 1/2 years ago and saw similar prescription drug-pricing Web sites and felt it was needed in Florida.

"We started looking at several Web sites and took the best from all of them," Carrin said, adding they also consulted with Florida physicians, pharmacies, the Florida Medical Association and other agencies on the project.

Prices on the Web site are updated regularly to reflect what an uninsured consumer, with no discount or supplemental plan, would normally pay. Because the information on the Web site is based on data provided to the state by the pharmacies themselves, prices shown on the Web site are not guaranteed and may change daily.

Theresa Campbell is a senior features writer with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9260, or theresa.campbell@thevillagesmedia.com.

Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs

Hailed for effectiveness at lowering cholesterol, the family of drugs known as statins in recent years has been the most costly U.S. brand-name prescription group for U.S. consumers and employers.

Retailing between $2 and $5 a pill, statins accounted for $16 billion in U.S. sales last year, the leading class of brand-name drugs, and representing 6.4 percent of U.S. prescription sales, according to research firm IMS Health.

Now cholesterol pills are going on sale.

The second-most widely prescribed statin, Zocor, is expected to be available late next month as a generic. The third-most prescribed brand statin, Pravachol, became available as a cheaper generic, pravastatin, earlier this month.

The availability of generic versions could mean annual savings on co-payments of more than $200 a year, depending on a person's prescription benefit plan, analysts say. And monthly drug co-payments could be cut in half to between $5 and $10 on average for a generic statin to $20 to $40 a month or more for a brand, employers and insurers said.

"When a big, branded drug loses patent protection, there is always a huge opportunity for cost savings," said Lynn Rossetto, a pharmacist with consulting firm Hewitt Associates, which advises employers how to save on their medical costs.

"The branded statins are around $100 or more for a month's supply," Rossetto said. "Oftentimes, more than one of these drugs fall among an employer's top (costliest) drugs."

There also may be ramifications for those who take the most widely used cholesterol drug, Lipitor.

While Lipitor has patent protection until 2011, doctors and pharmacists say the similarities in effectiveness between Lipitor and Zocor should give statin users an opportunity to switch to a generic and save $1 a pill or more at retail prices, depending on dosage.

The generic version of Zocor is named simvastatin. Last year Zocor's sales totaled $4.4 billion, IMS said.

The emergence of the generic cholesterol drugs could have even greater meaning this year. That's because millions of seniors who previously did not have drug coverage gained access to drugs in January under the Medicare health insurance program.

Already, health insurance plans and pharmacists are encouraging consumers to pick pravastatin, the generic, over the brand Pravachol, and they are planning to push generic versions of Zocor as well.

Pravachol, doctors contend, is not as effective as Lipitor, so those patients would likely keep using Lipitor.

But doctors, pharmacists and health insurers say generic Zocor is an effective alternative to rivals Lipitor and Crestor, the nation's fourth-leading brand-name statin in annual sales, according to IMS figures.

"Zocor has the efficacy that compares to the higher-end statins like Lipitor and Crestor," said Dr. Matthew Sorrentino, a preventive cardiologist at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

"If generic Zocor is priced low enough that it can save substantial amounts of money for patients, then I think it can have an impact in the statin marketplace and take away from the branded statins," he said.

Although the expected price of generic Zocor has not been disclosed, a Food and Drug Administration analysis said generics usually fall to 52 percent of the brand-name price once a second generic manufacturer launches a copy.

Still, consumers without drug coverage are not going to save as much on generic Zocor in the first six months it is available because a federal court in Washington earlier this month ruled that only two companies could have exclusive rights to the generic version for six months. Had the ruling gone the other way, several more firms would have been able to sell generic copies of Zocor, further driving down pricing.

Once the generic exclusivity expires, there could be several more copies of Zocor on the market by early 2007, adding to the downward pressure on pricing.

To prepare consumers for the introduction of generics, some pharmacy benefit managers earlier this year began listing Zocor as a "preferred brand" in their preferred lists of drugs, known as formularies.

As a way to encourage consumers to use Zocor while moving them away from Lipitor, giant pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts of St. Louis earlier this year put Lipitor in the more expensive "non-preferred tier." That move can add $20 or more to the co-pay of the health plan enrollee, depending on the structure of the benefit plan.

"This whole strategy will help pharmacy benefit plans and the members of those plans take advantage of a historic opportunity with Zocor going generic," said Steve Littlejohn, vice president of public affairs at Express Scripts.

Pfizer Inc., Lipitor's maker, however, is fighting back, contending that Lipitor is more effective than Zocor. Pfizer also cites studies that show it has certain advantages over Zocor, including lowering risks of heart disease and stroke.

Earlier this month, Pfizer released an economic analysis that showed taking Lipitor over Zocor provided additional cost savings for insurance companies "in long-term hospitalizations and surgical costs."

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Many people take Zocor to help lower cholesterol, and for those who've been shelling out big bucks for the name brand version, there's now a money-saving development. The drug lost its patent protection, and the FDA is approving the first generic versions. Zocor, made by Merck, is the second most widely prescribed of the cholesterol-lowering statins. Merck sold more than four billion dollars worth last year.

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