Family Planning Cooperative Purchasing Program
A non-profit purchasing collaborative for health care & community organizations
August 13, 2008
Mylan Signs Deal With Indian Firm To Develop 22 Oral Contraceptives
Public Release Date: 8-August-2008
Mylan on Wednesday announced a deal with Indian drug maker Famy Care to develop and sell 22 generic oral contraceptive products, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Stouffer, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 8/7).
Mylan plans to seek FDA approval for the products over the next few months and hopes to begin marketing them in 2010. Under the terms of the deal, Mylan can sell other contraceptives in other markets, including Australia and Japan. Mylan did not disclose financial terms of the deal (AP/Yahoo! News, 8/6).
August 06, 2008
Six-Week Postpartum Visit Should Be Changed to Three-Week Visit To Consider Contraception
Public Release Date: 31-July-2008
Summary of "The Postpartum Visit: It's Time for a Change in Order To Optimally Initiate Contraception," Speroff, L., and Mishell, D.R., Contraception, August 2008.
Traditionally, women are advised to receive their first postpartum pelvic examination six weeks after childbirth. However, Leon Speroff of Oregon Health and Science University and Daniel Mishell of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in the commentary write that scheduling the traditional postpartum visit for six weeks after delivery is an "anachronism" that is "based upon statements in old textbooks and teachings from a time when infection was prevalent and before modern methods of contraception were available."
July 30, 2008
Interest of Extended-Cycle Oral Contraceptive Increasing Among Women, Survey Finds
Public Release Date: 29-July-2008
More than two-thirds of women in the U.S. said they are interested in suppressing monthly bleeding using extended-cycle oral contraceptives, according to a survey recently presented at a conference of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, HealthDay/Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports. Despite increased interest, women also expressed some reluctance about the safety of suppressing monthly bleeding, the survey found. However, 97% of physicians surveyed said that it is medically safe and acceptable to suppress bleeding.
July 23, 2008
104 Reps. Send Letter Asking Bush To Halt Potential Rule That Could Limit Birth Control Access
Public Release Date: 23-July-2008
One-hundred four House members on Monday sent a letter to President Bush calling on him to "halt all action" on a proposed regulation being developed by the Bush administration that allegedly seeks to allow medical providers to refuse patients access to commonly used contraceptive methods as a matter of conscience on the grounds that they are a form of abortion, ABC News reports. The letter says the draft regulation's "definitions are so broad as to go far beyond abortion politics and threaten virtually any law or policy designed to protect women's access to safe and effective birth control" (Jaffe, ABC News, 7/21).
July 16, 2008
Legislators, Advocates Respond To Potential Federal Rule That Could Limit Birth Control Access
Public Release Date: 16-July-2008
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and several family planning advocates on Tuesday responded to a regulation being developed by the Bush administration that would effectively allow abortion to be defined to include commonly used contraceptive methods and would protect the rights of medical providers who refused to offer them, Reuters reports.
Bush Administration Developing Rule That Could Limit Access to Birth Control
Public Release Date: 15-July-2008
The Bush administration is developing a regulation that would define abortion as "any of the various procedures -- including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action -- that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation," the New York Times reports. The draft proposal leaked to the Times also would require all recipients of aid from HHS to certify they will not refuse to hire health care workers who object to abortion and certain types of birth control.
Continue reading "Bush Administration Developing Rule That Could Limit Access to Birth Control "
July 09, 2008
Flaws in the Barcoded Technology Used to Reduce Medication Administration Errors Identified
Public Release Date: 1-July-2008
Barcoded medication technologies and their inadequate integration with hospital workflow
PHILADELPHIA – In the first study of its kind, researchers led by The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Ross Koppel, Ph.D. studied how hospital nurses actually use bar-coded technology that matches the right patient with the right dose of the right medication. The surprising result is that the design and implementation of the technology, which is often relied upon as a "cure-all" for medication administration errors, is flawed, and can increase the probabilities of certain errors.
June 25, 2008
New York City Health Department Approves $2M Contract To Distribute 2M Female Condoms
Public Release Date: 17-June-2008
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently approved a $2 million contract to purchase two million female condoms that will be made available in health clinics and organizations, the New York Daily News reports.
June 18, 2008
Researchers Analyze 35 Trials To Compare Effectiveness, Acceptability, Side Effects of 10 Copper IUDs
Public Release Date: 29-May-2008
Summary of "Copper-Containing, Framed Intrauterine Devices for Contraception: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials," O'Brien et al., Contraception, May 2008.
European researchers recently conducted an analysis of existing studies on the effectiveness and side effects of intrauterine devices -- the most widely used reversible method of contraception worldwide. According to the authors, about 100 million women worldwide, or 13% of women of reproductive age, use an IUD.
June 17, 2008
Daily Women's Health Policy Report Examines Breast Cancer News from ASCO Conference
Public Release Date: 4-June-2008
Several breast cancer-related studies recently were presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, which began Friday. Summaries appear below.
June 11, 2008
Safety Concerns Over Merck's HPV Vaccine Gardasil Unfounded, CDC Officials Say
Public Release Date: 9-June-2008
Safety concerns over Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil are unfounded, and reports of serious adverse events are unrelated to the vaccine, CDC officials recently said, the Dallas Morning News reports.
According to the Morning News, about 5,000 reports have been filed by the public through a CDC- and FDA-administered database that monitors the safety of vaccines after they are licensed (Meyers, Dallas Morning News, 6/6).
Continue reading "Safety Concerns Over Merck's HPV Vaccine Gardasil Unfounded, CDC Officials Say"
May 30, 2008
Allocation of Desogen Distribution for 340B Agencies
We are all too familiar with the issues surrounding penny pricing of birth control. Yasmin and more recently Ortho and Depo have illustrated well the myriad of distribution problems which come with those amazing prices. This link is Schering-Plough's answer to the probability of similar distribution issues arising (we have already seen some out East) in regards to Desogen as it is now priced at a penny and will be around that price for an idefinite period of time.
Please note the letter from the Office of Pharmacy Affairs found on the 340B Prime Vendor website here.
Thanks for your time and have a Wonderful Weekend!
- louis
Louis Linsmeyer
Cooperative Manager
California Family Health Council, Inc.
May 28, 2008
House Members Introduce Resolution Asking FDA To Stop Efforts To Ban Hormone Ingredient Estriol
Public Release Date: 28-May-2008
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and eight other House members earlier this month introduced a "sense of Congress" resolution (H Con Res 342) that would ask FDA to stop its effort to ban custom-made hormones aimed at treating menopause-related symptoms that contain the ingredient estriol, the Arizona Daily Star reports.
May 14, 2008
AMA Backs FDA Pre-Screening of Direct-to-Consumer TV Drug Ads
Public Release Date: 9-May-2008
WASHINGTON -- The American Medical Association, testifying before Congress, has endorsed the proposal that the FDA should review and approve all direct-to-consumer ads for new drugs before they are aired on television.
Continue reading "AMA Backs FDA Pre-Screening of Direct-to-Consumer TV Drug Ads "
August 13, 2007
Colorado, Illinois, Maryland Take Action on Abortion, EC, Sex Education Measures
Public Release Date: 8-August-2007
The following highlights recent state actions on legislation related to abortion, emergency contraction and sex education.
Continue reading "Colorado, Illinois, Maryland Take Action on Abortion, EC, Sex Education Measures "
August 09, 2007
Four-Step Plan Stabilizes Costs of Prescription Drugs
Public Release Date: 7-August-2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- If health care plans use a little ingenuity, they can keep the cost of drugs from rising for their members, reported investigators here.
The Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's health plan contained prescription drug costs with four interventions over three years, wrote David P. Miller, M.D., of Wake Forest, and colleagues, in the August issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.
Continue reading "Four-Step Plan Stabilizes Costs of Prescription Drugs"
August 01, 2007
ACOG Opposes Switching Contraceptives Without Woman's Assent
Public Release Date: 31-July-2007
WASHINGTON -- It should be a woman's right to know what oral contraceptive she is taking, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
If a physician or pharmacist switches a woman's oral contraceptive prescription for cost, insurance coverage, compliance, or any other reason, the patient should always be notified about the substitution to avoid confusion and poor compliance, said an opinion issued by ACOG's Committee on Gynecologic Practice, published n the August issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Continue reading "ACOG Opposes Switching Contraceptives Without Woman's Assent"
July 31, 2007
Synova Launches Advertising Campaign for Today Sponge Contraceptive
Public Release Date: 31-July-2007
Synova Healthcare recently launched a new Web site and an advertising campaign to market the Today Sponge female contraceptive in the U.S., the New York Times reports (Levere, New York Times, 7/30).
The sponge, which is constructed of soft polyurethane foam and is inserted into the vagina for up to 24 hours, provides barrier protection and the spermicide nonoxynol-9 to prevent pregnancy. The device is 89% to 91% effective in preventing pregnancy but does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
Continue reading "Synova Launches Advertising Campaign for Today Sponge Contraceptive "
July 26, 2007
Gardasil Adopted by Vaccines for Children Program's 55 Immunization Projects, Merck Announces
Public Release Date: 18-July-2007
Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil has been adopted by all 55 of CDC's Vaccines for Children Program immunization projects, the company announced Monday, Reuters reports (Krawskopf, Reuters, 7/16). VFC provides no-cost immunizations to children ages nine to 18 covered by Medicaid, Alaska Native and American Indian children, and some uninsured and underinsured children (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/8).
July 25, 2007
Review of Subdermal Implantable Contraceptives
Public Release Date: 18-July-2007
A Cochrane Systematic Review that set out to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of subdermal implantable contraceptives compared to other reversible methods of contraception found that they were all good at preventing pregnancy.
Continue reading "Review of Subdermal Implantable Contraceptives "
July 23, 2007
Wyeth Raises Forecast as Profit Jumps
Public Release Date: 20-July-2007
Wyeth’s earnings jumped 13 percent in the second quarter on higher sales of the arthritis drug Enbrel and the pneumonia vaccine Prevnar, prompting the company to raise its 2007 forecast.
Net income increased to $1.2 billion, or 87 cents a share, from $1.06 billion, or 78 cents a share, a year earlier, the drug maker, based in Madison, N.J., said yesterday. Earnings excluding some items were 90 cents.
(Courtesy of the New York Times. Click Here to continue article.)
July 19, 2007
Pence Amendment Threatens Access to Family Planning Services – Action Needed Today!
Public Policy Alert: 19-July-2007
Today, Representative Mike Pence (R- IN) plans to offer an amendment that would deny Title X funding to Planned Parenthood clinics. This would be an amendment to the House Labor/HHS Appropriations bill that also gives Title X a historic $28 million increase.
July 12, 2007
Requiring HPV Vaccination for School-Age Girls for Upcoming School Year 'Too Soon,' Researcher Says
Public Release Date: 22-June-2007
It is premature to require middle-school age girls to receive Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil for the upcoming school year, Doug Lowy -- head of the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Cellular Oncology and one of the scientists responsible for the development of the vaccine -- said on Wednesday, CQ HealthBeat reports (Bartolf, CQ HealthBeat, 6/20).
July 09, 2007
Increases in Rx Cost-Sharing Gets Mixed Review
Public Release Date: 5-July-2007
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- When patients have to pay more for their prescriptions, spending on drugs goes down, but so does adherence, a new study shows.
Every 10% increase in consumer cost-sharing resulted in a 2% to 6% decrease in spending on prescription drugs, according to a report from the RAND Corporation published in the July 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Continue reading "Increases in Rx Cost-Sharing Gets Mixed Review"
July 05, 2007
GSK's Experimental HPV Vaccine Cervarix 100% Effective in Preventing Precancerous Lesions, Study Says
Public Release Date: 28-June-2007
GlaxoSmithKline's experimental human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix has shown as much as 100% effective in preventing advanced precancerous lesions caused by HPV strains 16 and 18, according to preliminary data of a phase III published in the online edition of the journal Lancet, the Wall Street Journal reports (Wall Street Journal, 6/28).
June 14, 2007
Mapping Our Rights
SisterSong, Ipas, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force have created a brilliant interactive Flash map.
Click here to see your state's reproductive policies!
Opinion Pieces Respond to FDA's Approval of Wyeth's Oral Contraceptive Lybrel
Public Release Date: 8-June-2007
Several newspapers recently published opinion pieces on FDA's approval of Wyeth's oral contraceptive Lybrel, which is designed to eliminate monthly menstrual periods. Lybrel contains a lower dose of synthetic hormones in a daily dose than traditional oral contraceptives and is taken 365 days a year with no placebo pills. The usual regimen for oral contraceptives is 21 active pills taken consecutively, followed by seven placebo pills.
Continue reading "Opinion Pieces Respond to FDA's Approval of Wyeth's Oral Contraceptive Lybrel"
June 12, 2007
First and Only Chewable Birth Control Pill Now Available
Public Release Date: 7-December-2006
New Spearmint-Flavored Femcon(TM) Fe Offers Convenient New Option for More Than 11 Million Women Using Oral Contraceptives
ROCKAWAY, N.J -- Warner Chilcott (Nasdaq: WCRX) announced today the availability of the first birth control pill that offers women the option of chewing their daily tablet, called Femcon(TM) Fe.
Continue reading "First and Only Chewable Birth Control Pill Now Available"
May 10, 2007
ACOG: Plan B Availability Varies from State to State
Public Release Date: 9-May-2007
SAN DIEGO -- Those who battled the FDA for non-prescription status of Plan B (levonorgestrel) apparently won only half the struggle. Prescription or not, Plan B can be hard to get.
A survey of Plan B availability in three major cities found that state laws can override the ease of access to the emergency contraception agent, whether by prescription or "under-the-counter" sales.
Continue reading "ACOG: Plan B Availability Varies from State to State"
April 24, 2007
Pharmacists' Workload Contributes to Errors
Public Release Date: 24-April-2007
Prescription volume may exceed safe capacity
Tucson, AZ -- High workloads for pharmacists increase the potential for medication errors, says a new study by University of Arizona College of Pharmacy researchers published in the May issue of the journal Medical Care.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by College of Pharmacy professor Daniel C. Malone, Ph.D., who is also a member of the Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics at the Critical Path Institute.
Continue reading "Pharmacists' Workload Contributes to Errors"
