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The article discusses the volatility of generic prices and the potential factors behind increased generic drug prices. Topics discussed include the series of mergers and acquisition initiated by generic drug makers to consolidate and maintain profitability, the virtual monopoly held by several companies over the production of certain drugs and suggestions for insurance companies ad Medicare to negotiate with manufacturers what they will or will not pay for medications.

The article presents four ways that hospital pharmacists can help improve post-acute care coordination. These ways include performing medication reconciliation during all transitions of care, tracking the patient's postdischarge progress, addressing any communication barriers head on, and leveraging health information technology (HIT).

The article focuses on the findings of the public health researchers at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School that the generic biologic drugs appear equivalent to its brand name counterpart. Topics include the safety and effectiveness profiles of the biosimilar drugs, the use of infliximab biologic drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Zarxio and Inflectra biosimilars.

The article discusses the disagreement of drug patent stakeholders regarding the opinion of the Supreme Court of the U.S. of favoring generic drug manufacturers and advocates for lower drug prices in a patent-law case. Topics discussed include the focus of the case "Cuozzo Speed Technologies v Lee," the difference between inter partes review (IPR) process and the federal court system, and an amicus brief filed by America's Health Insurance Plans and Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

The article reports that the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) House of Delegates has urged the U.S. Congress to ban direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising. Topics covered include ASHP's stand is in agreement with that of the American Medical Association's (AMA) support of a total ban on DTC advertising in November 2015.

The article presents the five new best practices for medication safety that all hospital pharmacists must know. These practices include segregating, sequestering, and differentiating all neuromuscular blocking (NMB) agents from other medications and administering high-alert intravenous (IV) medication infusions through a programmable infusion pump using dose error-reduction software.

The article discusses the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) guidance on the Generic Drug User Fee Act (GDUFA) of 2012. Topics covered include the GDUFA requiring genetic industry stakeholders to pay user fees to supplement the costs associated with reviewing generic drug applications and the faster inspection of facilities.

The article mentions the "Responsibility in Drug Advertising Act" or House of Representatives (HR) 4565, introduced by Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, which aims to restrict direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising as of June 2016. Topics discussed include the support given by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to DTC advertising and DTC advertising expenses of pharmaceutical companies in 2015.

The article highlights studies published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine" journal as of June 2016 on the impact of substituting brand name with equivalent generic drugs on potential savings for patients and the U.S. health system. Topics discussed include concerns regarding therapeutic substitution such as drug interactions and suggestions from Michael E. Johansen, Doctor of Medicine (MD) on pharmacists educating patients with medication options.

The article focuses on the impact of health information technology (health IT) on the optimization of health care. It discusses several ways of health care optimization through health IT including the performance of medication therapy management (MTM) by pharmacists, closer collaboration of prescribers and pharmacists and the role telehealth services in increasing patient demand for care.

The article reports on a draft released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which encourages industry stakeholders to produce safe and effective abuse-deterrent generic opioids, as of May 2016. Topics include the views of Robert Califf of FDA on the draft, the views of Douglas Throckmorton of FDA on the innovations in the field of abuse deterrence and an acknowledgement by the FDI regarding addiction due to abuse-deterrent formulations.

The article focuses on move of the Vitality Institute to release a report on "Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology" in response to the rapid growth of the personalized health industry and related concerns, The guidelines aim to ensure personalized health technologies strike a balance between function and form. Several guidelines being discussed include protecting and securing health data.

The article offers information on issues concerning generic drug pricing at pharmacies in the U.S. It discusses the move of online entrepreneurs to set out to change the way consumers fill their drug prescriptions by disclosing the lowest prices for generics drugs. Firms such as GoodRx Inc. and Blink Health are featured.

The article discusses the highlights of the hearing conducted by the U.S. Senate to investigate the growing backlog of generic drug applications at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Topics covered include the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA) implemented in 2012, the reported growth of the generic drug industry, and the highlights of the testimony of the hearing's sole witness FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director Dr. Janet Woodcock.

The article discusses the importance of solvency in setting goals for independent pharmacies, and in enabling independent pharmacies adapt to the changing pharmacy business landscape according to chief executive officer (CEO) Dan Benamoz of Pharmacy Development Services. Topics covered include the advantages of setting and consistently executing goals, the need of independent pharmacies to embrace new technologies, and the importance of customer retention for independent pharmacies.

The article offers information on a predictive smartphone application from IBM and Medtronic designed to give patients with diabetes early warnings of potential emergencies.

The article offers information on the popular generics that decreased in price in 2015. Topics include the issue of generic drug pricing, analysis from the prescription drug cost comparison site GoodRx, and the generics that decreased in price in 2015, including fluoxetine, montelukast, and duloxetine.

The article focuses on generic drug labeling rule the Supplemental Applications Proposing Specific Labeling Changes for Approved Drugs and Biological Products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be released in July 2016. It mentions the rule will allow generics manufacturers to independently update labeling with safety. It presents a study conducted by consulting firm Matrix Global Advisors and Generic Pharmaceutical Association which shows impact on private generic drug spending.

The article discusses about the U.S. Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015's Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. It informs the program allows generic drug makers to pay rebate to Medicaid, if the prices of their generic drugs increase than inflation. It informs the said act will control generic drug prices. It informs that the drug makers will evaluate financial impact of the change and will take steps towards generic drug pricing.

The article focuses on a study related to smartphone users' health application habits, conducted by NYU Langone Medical Center. It informs that health application users has reported improved health condition and accuracy of the application. It also informs that hidden fees of the application and privacy concern are declining interest of using health application. It further informs that the application helps in monitoring sleep and scheduling medical appointments.

The article focuses on the platform launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights through which mobile health technology (mhealth) developers and others interested in the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy protection standards may submit and review questions. It discusses the prospective gains from integrating mHealth into health practices, protection of patient privacy, and violations of privacy integrity.

The article reports on the plan of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) to approve Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) on the basis of draft labeling. It presents a clarification from the OGD regarding the requirements for generic drug approval based on draft labeling. The issue about the FDA's proposed rule to allow generic companies to update labels without FDA approval is also discussed.

The article informs that health care company CVS Health has teamed up with American technology firm International Business Machine (IBM) to leverage technology in chronic disease prevention and management. It reveals that CVS will use the Watson cognitive computing technology by allowing Watson to have access to data points from patient clinical records, claims and wearable devices. It also mentions the role of community pharmacists in chronic disease management.

The article discusses the impact of change in patent law on health costs. Topics discussed include advantages of Inter Partes Review (IPR) process, which is faster than the federal court system, concern of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) regarding IPR process, and how increase in generic drug costs would affect patients.

The article reports that representatives Steve Stirers of Ohio and Peter Welch of Vermont proposed the FAST Generics Act again at the U.S. Congress in June 2015. Topics discussed include the goals of the revised bill is to boost consumer access to generic drugs and enhance market competition, support for the bill by health groups like the Healthcare Supply Chain Association, and opposition by advocates of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies.

The article reports that the U.S. Food Drug and Administration (FDA) will seek more resources to enhance regulation of generics. Topics discussed include over 8 in 10 prescriptions in the U.S. composed of generic drugs, which reduced costs for consumers at a total annual cost of 8 to 10 billion dollars, the agency approved 409 new generic medications as of 2014 and approved 154 more in 2015, and the Generic Pharmaceutical Association criticized the FDA for not maximizing on its resources.

The article discusses a proposed legislation that would rein in skyrocketing generic drug prices and require drug manufacturers to pay a rebate to Medicaid when their generic prices increase at a rate that outpaces inflation. The federal bill is seen as a response to concerns by physicians, hospitals and patients about drug manufacturers who increase generic drugs prices without an explanation. It cites an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General on the rising prices of generics.

The article discusses a report by Project Catalyst of the AARP organization at the White House Conference on Aging on the benefits of smart wristbands and activity and sleep trackers for senior consumers. It takes note of the difficulties in setting up wearable health and fitness devices while citing the motivation derived by users from awareness of activity levels. Georgia Tech Research Institute scientist Brad Fain underscores the importance of feedback provided by the devices.

The article offers information on the impact of the appearance of generic drugs on patient adherence in the U.S. Topics include the plan of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop surveys that will examine the effects of changes in generic drug suppliers to patient adherence, the importance of patient education, and the involvement of the Office of Management and Budget in relation to the proposed survey.

The article offers information on the new robotic pill from U.S.-based Rani Therapeutics which addresses the complex drug administration for conditions like diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and hepatitis.

The article discusses the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation's analysis of a lawsuit that is filed against Actavis to prevent the pharmaceutical company from removing its Namenda IR drug for patients with Alzheimer's disease before the release of a generic version in summer 2015. Topics covered include practice of drug companies to address the competition from generic counterparts, cost of the disruption of the therapy and popularity of the prescription drug.

The article offers information on a smartphone application called Maven that is suitable for women with health care needs in the U.S. Topics discussed include the recommendation of providers based on user data, booking of an online appointment with the medical professional and cost of the service. Also mentioned is the comment of Maven's chief executive officer Kate Ryder on the benefits of telemedicine to working mothers.