Fort Collins Personal Injury Lawyer - Miscellaneous

Free Drug Samples Lead to Higher Out of Pocket Expenses

Linda Snyder — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:50:45 GMT

According to a University of Chicago, patients who are given free samples spend nearly 40 percent more on their medications. My first thought was how could that be possible?

You're saving the cost of the medication and the cost of driving to the pharmacy. Common sense says if you're getting something for free it's saving you money, right?

A new study, published in Medical Care this week, questions the practice of pharmaceutical companies doling out over $18 billion dollars of free samples a year. A practice the drug company reps describe as a cost-saving safety net for the poor. This study follows a January report that showed that the free samples are more likely to go to insured and financially secure patients instead of to the needy.

In the Chicago study, patients who did not receive free samples spent an estimated $178 out-of-pocket on prescription drugs over six months. By comparison, patients given free samples spent about $166 of their own money during the six months before they got the samples -- but then $244 during the six months they received the samples and $212 in the six months after that, researchers found.

So, why would your out of pocket costs go up? Free samples allow patients to try new medications, including those without insurance coverage.

One thought is that patients who received the free samples are sicker than those who did not. However, the study indicated that illness was not a factor.

Another more compelling reason could be; it's a brilliant marketing move. Many of the patients, who take the free samples, continue to use that higher priced brand, not knowing that a generic may be available. If you consider that two out of every three drugs prescribed is generic, it makes perfect sense for a drug company to give away their product for free taking a chance that the patient will develop some loyalty to that product and continue to use it even when they have to pay for it.

"This builds on a growing body of literature that shows that samples are not aimed to help the uninsured and the poor, but to increase the sales of the branded drugs," said Dr. William Shrank, an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

So it seems, free drug samples will cost more in the long run if you're not careful.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

Botox Linked to 16 Deaths

Linda Snyder — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:49:09 GMT

Botox and Myobloc have been associated with 16 deaths, four of them in children, and with 180 adverse effects that occurred after the drug spread to vital organs, according to Public Citizen, a health advocacy group.

The drug, a neurotoxin that is used to relax muscles, should come with a far stronger warning label and patients should be given a letter detailing its risks, the group said in a petition filed Thursday with the Food and Drug Administration.

The drugs' manufacturers and others have reported to the F.D.A. 658 cases of problems associated with Botox and Myobloc, Public Citizen said. The serious adverse effects include muscle weakness, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and aspiration pneumonia, the latter sometimes resulting in death.

Executives at Allergan, the maker of Botox, issued a statement saying that adverse reactions were rare and because many patients who get the drug are seriously ill, it is not proved that Botox caused the reactions. My understanding is Public Citizen is requesting a stronger warning label, not a recall. So, I find it interesting that Allergan is taking such a defensive stance on this issue. I would think if there's the potential to improve public safety for one of your products, as a good corporate citizen, you'd jump on it.

What about Botox that is administered at a spa? The most commonly known use of Botox is as a cosmetic procedure to reduce wrinkles usually between the eyebrows or around the eyes. Often, your injection is given by a nurse and there isn't even a doctor on the premises. Do these consumers know of the possible side effects? There has been at least one death associated with cosmetic usage. The dosage for wrinkle treatment is much lower than the dosage used for treating cervical dystonia, a painful knotting of neck muscles to relieve debilitating pain. So, theoretically, the risk to cosmetic users is relatively low. However, as an educated consumer, wouldn't you like to know what the possible side effects are before your treatment?

The deaths might have been prevented had patients been adequately warned of the possible dangers, said Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's health research group. The labels for Botox and Myobloc mention the issue but not prominently enough, Dr. Wolfe said.

"Nobody should die from the medical use of Botox," Dr. Wolfe said. "The fact that they are shows that patients don't have a clue about these problems."

I don't think it's too much to ask that as a consumer, I know what risks are associated with using Botox.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

A Friend in Need of a Kidney Transplant

Linda Snyder — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:49:10 GMT

Imagine the hope and excitement of graduating from high school and looking forward to the next, both exhilarating and terrifying chapter of your life as you head for college to pursue career of your dreams.

Imagine the devastation as you learn you have a serious, life threatening condition that will put those dreams on hold.

This is Kelsey Crider's story. A lovely young woman from Boulder, Colorado, Kelsey Crider's future looked bright as she was headed for Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Two weeks after graduation, Kelsey had some routine blood work done to ensure she was healthy for college. Her tests came back indicating she was anemic and her hematocrit was low. More tests revealed that Kelsey had Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease, a hereditary disorder in which cysts develop deep within the kidneys and eventually loses their ability to function. At this point, Kelsey's kidney was only functioning at 12%. She was suffering from kidney failure and needed a kidney transplant.

Although Kelsey's father was a match and the transplant went perfectly, Kelsey's body rejected her new kidney even after a heroic fight and a lengthy hospital stay . She is now on dialysis 3 days a week at four hours each session. Throughout her ordeal Kelsey has persevered with a smile on her face and positive attitude.

Her dream of attending college to become a photographer has been put on hold as Kelsey focuses on recovering from her surgeries and massive doses of anti-rejection medication. Her doctor has advised that her body needs to rest and heal before they attempt another surgery. In the meantime, we want to find her another donor.

Whether you consider becoming a living kidney donor or can pass this story on to your contacts, let's do what we can help this family and give this young lady a chance to reach her dreams.

To learn more, please contact Steve Crider at rockymtngatr@yahoo.com or call 303.530.2929.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

Two Snowmobilers Found in Summit County, Third Found Dead

Staff Writer — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:28:04 GMT

Two of the three snowmobilers who were lost in Summit County since Sunday, January 27th, were found on Tuesday night. The third snowmobiler, John McKibben, was found dead.

The National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew spotted the snowmobilers by a campfire. The two survivors were found on the west side of Elliott Ridge. McKibben was said to have died on Monday night.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Winter Safety.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Important Healthcare Advice to Prevent Medical Errors(2)

Staff Writer — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:24:44 GMT

There are an estimated 44,000 to 98,000 people that die in U.S. hospitals each year as a result of medical errors. Medical errors are one of the Nation's foremost reasons of death along with car accidents, breast cancer and AIDS.

Medical errors can happen anywhere such as in hospitals, clinics, outpatient surgery centers, doctors' offices, and nursing homes. Such errors occur when something that is planned as a part of medical care doesn't work out right or is done wrong. Errors can include medicines, surgery, wrong diagnosis, the equipment, or lab reports.

In order to help prevent medical errors from happening to you, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality advises prevention with 20 tips. To see the full list of tips, please click here.

The most important thing you can do to help prevent medical errors is to be involved in your health care, make your own decisions and inquiries.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice & Negligent Care Injuries.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Health Care Spending Increases for 2006

Staff Writer — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:01:57 GMT

A recent report by the government showed that national health spending rose to $2 trillion in 2006, practically doubling in the last decade.

Medicare spending increased at a fast rate in 2006 while private health insurance costs grew at a slow rate. In general, health spending increased to 6.7 percent in 2006.
Other expenditures include prescription drugs which rose to 8.5 percent ($216.7 billion) due to more and more prescriptions being filled by Medicare beneficiaries.

Numerous other factors that contributed to the increase of drug spending include the use of existing drugs for innovative drugs and the increase in costs for biotechnology products.

Over all, health spending has grown at an incredibly fast rate since 1995, increasing by 64 percent in 11 years.

Costs for doctors' services and nursing homes increased at the slowest rate of growth since 1999 with doctors' services at 5.9 percent and 3.5 percent.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Diamond Pet Foods Settles $3.1 million Lawsuit

Staff Writer — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:46:33 GMT

Diamond Pet Foods, a company that contaminated dog food that resulted in killing numerous dogs nationwide, agreed to pay a $3.1 million settlement with pet owners.

The company stated their workers failed to properly test and make sure their products were safe to sell.

This statement came after the Food and Drug Administration released a report showing the company has no record of test results for 12 shipments of corn in 2005, when grain tainted with the deadly fungus aflatoxin slipped into the plant.

Aflatoxin is a chemical found in corn and other crops that can cause serious liver damage.

The contaminated pet food sold by Diamond Pet Foods was found in 23 states and the company recalled 20 different types of their dog and cat food both nationwide and overseas.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on the Pet Food Recall.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Medical Identity Theft On the Rise

Staff Writer — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:37:50 GMT

Almost two months ago Marcella Young picked up her prescription drugs from a Walgreens in Fort Collins, Colorado. Young looked in her bag and noticed her painkillers were missing.

A stranger was able to get her information, most likely after she threw a past prescription bag in the trash, and was able to walk into Walgreens and out with her pills.

Pam Dixon, the executive director of the World Privacy Forum reports an estimated 500,000 Americans being victims of medical identity theft and most aren't aware of it.

It's hard to tally the cost, but fraud is estimated to account for as much as ten percent of all health care costs. It's not known how much of that is from medical identity theft.

Walgreens has released information on how to protect your self from being a victim of medical identity theft:

- Never dispose of your pharmacy bag or drug bottle in a public trash can .
- Don't unnecessarily let others know what drugs you're taking.
- Don't leave prescription medicine in plain sight at home where a visitor can see it.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Law Enforcement Officers' Deathes Increase

Staff Writer — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:22:17 GMT

A report recently released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors stated that there has been 186 officer deaths since December 26th. This has increased from 145 in 2006.

Eighty-one officers died in traffic-related accidents and there have been 69 shooting deaths.

Craig Floyd, chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, stated that he attributes the increase in shooting deaths to the increase in violence nationwide.

Of the 81 traffic deaths this year, 60 officers died in car crashes, 15 were hit by cars and six died in motorcycle wrecks.

Texas leads the nation with 22 fatalities, Florida with 16, New York with 12 and California with 11. The average age of officers who have died in 2007 was 39.

In 2007, the report states that Colorado only had 2 officer fatalities.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Diactyl linked to lung ailment removed from microwave popcorn

Staff Writer — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:54:57 GMT

On Monday, December 17th, the nation's four largest makers of microwave popcorn stated that they have removed a flavoring chemical that has been linked to a lung ailment in popcorn plant workers from their products.

The Weaver Popcorn Company, ConAgra Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., and the American Pop Corn Co. have all promised to change their microwave popocorn recipes by January 2008. These companies sell Orville Redenbacher, Act II, Pop Secret and Jolly Time microwave popcorn.

The chemical diacetyl has been linked to cases of bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare life-threatening disease most often called popcorn lung.

The FDA has approved the use of diacetyl as a flavor ingredient and can be found naturally in butter, cheese and fruits.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has increased their inspections of microwave popcorn plants that use diacetyl. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill in the fall that would limit worker exposure to the chemical at microwave popcorn plants.

There have been more than 500 lawsuits against the companies that produce or use the butter flavoring with the chemical. $50 million has been awarded in verdicts and another 100 cases have been settled for around tens of millions of dollars.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer