Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Crystal clear blue skies and deliciously cool breezes are enveloping the Pharmalot campus today, making for a lovely start. Our official mascot is bounding about the grounds in search of critters and we are happily brewing a cup of stimulation — our choice is bourbon pecan. As always, please feel free to join us. Of course, we are busy foraging for items of interest and have selected a few to help you get started on your own mission at hand. On that note, we hope you have a successful and productive day. And do keep in touch. We appreciate the postcards and telegrams. …
Haleon believes it is not liable for any claims that may arise from U.S. litigation over the Zantac heartburn drug Zantac, Reuters reports. More than 2,000 legal cases related to Zantac have been filed in the U.S. over allegations that the compound contains a probable carcinogen. Haleon, spun out of GSK as an independent company in July as the world’s biggest standalone consumer health business, comprises consumer health assets once owned by GSK and Pfizer. Zantac, originally marketed by a forerunner of GSK, has been sold by several companies at different times, including Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Sanofi, as well as a plethora of generic drugmakers.
Centene, which is one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., agreed to pay $165 million to settle allegations that its pharmacy-benefits subsidiary overcharged the Texas state Medicaid program, Kaiser Health News reports. However, the company did not admit liability and maintained its business practices were lawful. This is the 12th — and largest — settlement that Centene has reached with a state government over the past year concerning inaccurate reporting of pharmacy-benefits services. Last year, the health insurer signaled these deals would be coming and set aside $1.25 billion to cover the cost of resolving an unspecified number of state investigations of its pharmacy-benefits business.
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