Deaths linked to swine flu top 100 worldwide

Two New Yorkers became the 99th and 100th fatalities of the recent Swine Flu epidemic. Globally, over 12,000 people have been infected with the H1N1 virus. Mexico leads the count with 84 deaths followed by the US with 14, two in Canada and one in Costa Rica.

“We are comfortable that countries are doing the kinds of public health actions that they need to be taking right now,” Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organization’s flu chief said Tuesday during a press conference. Under the WHO’s pandemic criteria, the world is now at a phase 5 level. This means that a global outbreak is imminent. To reach phase 6, the highest level, requires a spread of the disease in a region beyond North America.

Fukuda said other countries would have to report big outbreaks similar to those seen in Mexico and the U.S. before WHO raises its pandemic alert. More than half of the swine flu cases are in the U.S.

As with other flu like illnesses, Swine flu is spread as follows:

Coughing
Sneezing
Kissing
Touching infected objects
Touching nose, mouth and/or eyes with infected hands

The best way to avoid contracting the Swine Flu is to:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue upon coughing and sneezing followed by proper disposal of the tissue.
Avoid contact with ill persons.
Avoid the urge to touch nose, mouth and eyes in general.
Stay home form work and/or school upon onset and for the duration of symptoms.
Assure adequate and thorough handwashing and use of alcohol based hand cleansers (in the absence of proper handwashing facilities).
Provide tissues in common areas of homes, common and public areas.
Encourage pursuit of medical evaluation at earliest onset of symptoms.
Follow your physician’s orders concerning your prescription medicine.
Use of masks to those who are exhibiting symptoms or who are ill.
Maintenance of a 3 to 6 foot perimeter around a coughing patient.

Most people in the United States have very little reason to fear the Swine Flu because of the high level of hygiene and cleanliness in this country.

Combination Drug Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Using a combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) rather than just one DMARD to treat early rheumatoid arthritis results in higher long-term remission rates, Finnish researchers report in the May issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

“The present follow-up study shows that in patients with clinically active early rheumatoid arthritis, initial therapy with a combination of traditional DMARDs as compared with a single DMARD translates into improved long-term outcomes in terms of clinical disease activity and remissions,” according to author Dr. Vappu Rantalaiho the lead researcher.

Dr. Rantalaiho, from Tampere University Hospital, and his co-researchers explain that the recent findings have suggested that early and aggressive therapy with DMARDs can actually modify the short-term disease course. It is not clear however, whether this approach has any impact on the long-term prognosis.

As far as adverse side effects are concerned, the researchers reported that even with long-term treatment, combinations of various DMARDs appear to be safe. “No unexpected adverse effects were found in either group after 2, 5, or 11 years of treatment. Also, the observed mortality rate was equal to that in the general population. This finding is consistent with those of some previous studies.”

The Cost Of Enbrel and Medicare Part D

Medicare Part D has been a blessing for many seniors that are on a fixed income and have a limited budget to spend on prescription medicine. However, for those patients that have a chronic condition, the Medicare Part D “donut hole” can be a real shock. At this time of year you hear a lot of talk about the donut hole or coverage gap. What is it, why is it there and how does it work?

The coverage gap (donut hole) was created to reduce the cost of Medicare’s Part D coverage. Each year, a yearly limit for Part D is determined. In 2007, the yearly limit was $2400. In 2008, the yearly limit was increased to $2510. In 2009 the limit is $2,700. The limit is calculated on the total costs of the drugs that you receive. This includes what the insurance company pays and your co-pays. For example, if a drug costs $550 and the insurance company pays $500 and the recipient pays $50, the amount that goes towards the yearly limit is the full $550.
While in the donut hole, you must pay for all of your prescription drugs out-of-pocket. There are several Medicare part D plans that offer coverage for generics when you are in the donut hole. This really isn’t that great of a benefit because these plans tend to cost more per month than most generics cost. For some people it might be worth it to have coverage for generics, everyone’s situation is different.

For Medicare patients with chronic health problems which often require expensive medication for treatment, the donut hole can be breached in a matter of months. In fact, at Rx HELP we have seen patients reach the donut hole as early as February. The reason for the donut hole was to encourage patients to use cheaper pharmaceutical products when possible. That is fine for those patients that have that option but it punishes those who must use expensive medications because nothing else works. For example, for patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose disease can only be successfully controlled by Enbrel, they can fall into the coverage gap within two or three months. Then, they must pay for their medications at full cost for several months until the catastrophic coverage portion of Part D kicks in, or suffer the potentially disabling consequences of stopping their medications. The cost of Enbrel is about $1,500 a month. There are a lot of seniors that are unable to pay for that.

Some patients will be able to qualify for patient assistance programs because of their income levels. For those patients that don’t meet the income guidelines for assistance programs, the only thing you can do is shop around. If you can afford to purchase your expensive medicine then Canada is where you will get the best value for your dollar.
The medication Enbrel as we mentioned is about $1,500 a month in the United States but in Canada it is about half of that. Enbrel is made by Amgen which is a U.S. based company in Thousand Oaks CA. Enbrel is manufactured at their plant in West Greenwich RI. From there it is shipped all over the world. It doesn’t matter where you buy it from; it was still manufactured in West Greenwich.

If you have a chronic condition that requires the use of expensive medication to control it, I urge you to contact us at Rx HELP. One of our patient advocates will assist you in determining the best and most affordable way to get the medicine that you need.

Living With Diabetes-New Drug For Type II Diabetes

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., today announced that the FDA has approved an extended release version of the combination medication ACTOplus met(R) and metformin HCl for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in addition to diet and exercise . ACTOplus met(R) XR is the first and only prescription oral anti-diabetic fixed-dose combination medication available with the extended release form of Metformin. This will be available in a convenient, once-daily dosing option. ACTOplus met XR is intended to be used by adults with type 2 diabetes.

ACTOplus met XR combines ACTOS and metformin, two widely used medications in a single tablet. ACTOS directly targets insulin resistance, a condition in which the body does not efficiently use the insulin it produces. Metformin acts by reducing the amount of glucose produced by the liver. Combined, these two medications work in combination to help patients with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. Takeda expects ACTOplus met XR to be available later this calendar year.

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Almost 24 million people currently live with diabetes and it is estimated that roughly 5.7 million more Americans are unaware that they even have it. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive and chronic condition and requires continued monitoring by a patient and their physician. In addition to diet and exercise, patients may need to take multiple medications to help maintain glucose control. In 2007, the world is estimated to have spent at least $232 billion to treat and prevent diabetes and its complications. By 2025, this estimate will exceed $302.5 billion. For Americans that do not have insurance coverage and meet certain income guidelines there is prescription drug help available through various assistance programs. Check with the individual drug company or contact Rx HELP to see if you might qualify.

Free Lipitor, Viagra, Celebrex, Lyrica And Other Drugs for Jobless Patients

Pfizer Inc. says it will provide prescription drug help for over 70 of its most widely prescribed prescription drugs, including Lipitor, Viagra, Celebrex and Lyrica for free to people who have lost their jobs and health insurance.

The world’s largest drugmaker will give away the medicines for up to a year to Americans who lost jobs since Jan. 1 and have been on the Pfizer drug for at least months.

The drugs covered in the program including several diabetes drugs, Lipitor, Celebrex, Lyrica and Viagra. Drugs from several other popular classes such as antibiotics, antidepressants, antifungal treatments, heart mediations, contraceptives and smoking cessation products also are included.

Please stay tuned for additional details as they become available or call your advocate at 866-960-9497. Just as an FYI, here is the list of drugs that Pfizer has available in the patient assistance program.

Accupril® (quinapril HCI)
Accuretic® (quinapril HCI/hydrochlorothiazide)
Aldactazide® (spironolactone and hydrochloralhiazide)
Aldactone® (spironolactone)
Antivert® (meclizine HCI)
Arthrotec® (diclofenac sodium and misoprostol)
Azulfidine EN-Tabs® (sulfasalazine, USP)
Azulfidine® (sulfasalazine, enteric coated)
Caduet® (amlodipine besylate/atorvastatin calcium)
Calan SR® (verapamil hydrochloride)
Calan® (verapamil hydrochloride)
CARDURA ® XL (doxazosin mesylate)
Cardura® (doxazosin mesylate)
Caverject® (alprostadil)
Celebrex® (celecoxib)
Celontin® (methsuximide)
Chantix™ (varenicline)
Cleocin HCL® (clindamycin hydrochloride)
Cleocin Pediatric® (clindamycin palmitate hydrochloride)
Cleocin Phosphate® (clindamycin phosphate)
Cleocin T® (clindamycin phosphate)
Cleocin® (clindamycin phosphate)
Colestid® (colestipol hydrochloride)
Colestid® Flavored Colestid® (colestipol hydrochloride)
Cortef ® (hydrocortisone)
Covera-HS® (verapamil hydrochloride extended-release)
Cytotec® (misoprostol)
Daypro® (oxaprozin)
Depo-Medrol® (sterile methylprednisolone acetate)
Depo-Provera® (medroxyprogesterone acetate)
Depo®-Estradiol (estradiol cypionate)
Detrol® (tolterodine tartrate)
Detrol® LA (tolterodine tartrate extended release)
Diflucan® (fluconazole)
Dilantin® (phenytoin)
Dilantin-125® (phenytoin)
Estring® (estradiol vaginal ring)
Feldene® (piroxicam)
Flagyl® (metronidazole)
Geodon® (ziprasidone HCI)
Glucotrol® (glipizide)
Glucotrol® XL (glipizide extended release)
Glynase®PresTab® (micronized glyburide)
Glyset® (miglitol)
Inspra™™ (eplerenone)
Lincocin® (lincomycin)
Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium)
Lopid® (gemfibrozil)
Lyrica® (pregabalin)
Medrol® (methylprednisolone)
Mycobutin® (rifabutin)
Nardil® (phenelzine sulfate)
Navane® (thiothixene)
Neurontin® (gabapentin)
Nicotrol® (nicotine)
Nitrostat® (nitroglycerin)
Norpace CR® (disopyramide)
Norpace® (disopyramide phosphate)
Norvasc® (amlodipine besylate)
Ogen® (estropipate)
Procardia XL® (nifedipine extended release)
Procardia® (nifedipine)
Provera® (medroxyprogesterone acetate)
Relpax® (eletriptan HBr)
Synarel® (nafarelin acetate solution)
Tikosyn® (dofetilide)
Toviaz™ (fesoterodine fumarate)
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate)
Vistaril® (hydroxyzine pamoate)
Xalatan® (latanoprost ophthalmic solution)
Zarontin® (ethosuximide)
Zithromax® (azithromycin)
Zoloft® (sertraline HCI)

Your Medicine Will Kill You – Financially!

The increasing cost of prescriptions, combined with a lack of drug coverage, is leaving patients without the medication they need. Fortunately, assistance is available. A national study has shown that 13% of the U.S. population lacked any type of health insurance whatsoever. Even more troubling, a staggering 22% did not have insurance covering prescriptions.

Those numbers are increasing as prescription drug prices continue to climb. The AFL-CIO Task Force on Prescription Drugs reports there are three factors that contribute to the quick increase in drug expenditures: a.) the increasing number of drugs per patient; b.) the availability of newer, more expensive prescription medicine that replace older, less expensive drugs; and c.) the price increases of existing drugs. In response, states have tried to control escalating costs by limiting the useage of medicine, asking drug companies for price breaks, and changing the Medicaid payment system. It is estimated that overall spending by and for Medicaid beneficiaries will more than triple over the next decade, from $71 billion in 2001 to $228 billion in 2011.

Treatments for various medical conditions and diseases can place a burden on both a patient’s bank account and mental well being. To compound the problem further, many of these people are low income, with little drug insurance coverage and very little “disposable” money which can be designated for healthcare. Even those with health insurance know the unpleasant truth: many have had to meet rising deductibles and have had medicine go partially paid for – or totally uncovered. There are several ways around every healthcare hurdle.
Lack of health insurance coverage is a prescription for disaster. While all drug costs are rapidly increasing, the cost of brand name drugs is increasing even more quickly. Are you eligible for the generic version of your drugs, or must you take the brand name? Ask your physician and pharmacist if your medicine can be filled with low cost generics. In some circumstances, this isn’t possible because the brand names are more effective than their generic counterparts. Many physicians will assist their patients by providing free samples of the prescription drugs. While samples are not a permanent solution they can help in time of need. Ask your healthcare provider.

Going directly to the drug manufacturer can be most helpful in getting low or no cost prescriptions. Call the company and ask about their Prescription Assistance Program. Almost all drug companies offer these programs, which enable patients to receive medicine they need at a price they can afford (often for free). A lengthy application co-signed by your physician is typically necessary for entry into the program. Patient Assistance Programs run by pharmaceutical companies have been in existence for over 24 years. These programs are designed to assist eligible people who cannot afford their prescriptions due to low income or other financial hardships.

Pharmaceutical companies did not want their low income customers to be forced to make a choice between paying for life saving prescriptions or for paying for rent or groceries. As a result, patient assistance programs came into being as part of the company’s philanthropic efforts. Until relatively recently, very few people knew about these programs or could follow the complicated application process that was required for participation. Often times several applications had to be filed with several different drug manufacturers in order to gain access to prescription assistance programs.

The pharmaceutical companies seem to believe that providing information on their websites and toll-free numbers is essentially all that patients need to access PAPs. They don’t grasp the inability of many patients, particularly those on several prescription medicines from 2 or more doctors to follow through with the complicated application process. It also places an unfair burden on the physicians that are already swamped with paperwork.

Fortunately there are companies that will perform the task for people for a fee. These prescription assistance companies will generally coordinate the process from beginning to end. Of course the prescriptions are free and if patients can do it themselves they should, but for those people that just don’t have the capacity to do it themselves, the hiring of a company to do the job is a better option than not taking the drugs they need.

Universal Health Care

Take your average HMO, enlarge it to cover the entire country, turn it over to government bureaucrats to administer, wipe out the competition through legislation, eliminate any appeals process for denied or delayed care, forbid doctors and hospitals from accepting payment from anyone but the government and you’ve got the universal, single-payer health care system that the Obama administration is pushing. The same problems inherent in managed care are in a government-run system with a vengeance.

The current administration refuses to acknowledge that government involvement in healthcare is what got us to where we are today. 80% of all health care spending in the United States is paid for by the government. When you add up Medicare, Medicaid, federal and state spending for employees, retirees and VA, you will find out that government is the largest purchaser of health care in the United States by far.

If the Obama regime wants to “fix” our health care system, they first need to realize that they need to undo much of what the government has already done. Go back to the free market, not away from it. A free-market solution is never one, universal solution. It is the sum of millions of individual decisions. Obama and his fellow socialists have placed this country on a nationalization fast track. Banks, Wall Street, auto makers, insurers, housing. Is health care next? Do we really want a health care czar? If that is what we get, be prepared! There is a big ugly truth that the reformers refuse to talk about. It is the only true way to reduce the amount of health care spending, as opposed to just shifting the cost to someone else. This is the one solution you will never hear them discuss.

This one fact that the socialist don’t want to discuss is the “R” word- rationing. One doesn’t need a law degree from Harvard to know that the most effective method of reducing total cost of an item is to reduce the amount that you are consuming. Families do it all the time as do businesses. If you want to reduce the amount of spending on entertainment, you go to the movies less often. Want to reduce your spending on fuel? Drive less. If government wants to reduce the amount being spent on healthcare then they will need to reduce the amount of healthcare that is being consumed. This must be mandated because no American is going to voluntarily sacrifice on healthcare to save Washington money. Unless the government starts rationing health care, we will never be able to get costs under control; we will just continue playing the shell game of shifting it around. When the government does decide to cut cost and starts rationing health care, we will then have the true health care revolution that we need to free medicine.

Help With Diabetes

What is diabetes? Diabetes is a condition characterized by the inability of the pancreas to produce sufficient levels of insulin to prevent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). The 2 main types of diabetes that we are going to look at are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Both have similar signs, symptoms, and consequences but different causes.

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that starts when the pancreas stops making insulin. Insulin allows blood sugar, also called glucose, to enter your cells to be used for energy. Without insulin, the cells can’t get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood.
Over time, high blood sugar can cause damage to the eyes, heart, kidneys, blood vessels and nerves. Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age but usually starts as a child or young adult. It is also referred to as Juvenile Diabetes. There isn’t a cure for type 1 diabetes but with the proper medication and diet, patients can live a long and healthy life. Symptoms of diabetes are:

Being very thirsty.
Urinating a lot.
Losing weight without trying.
Being hungrier than usual (sometimes).

There are many types of insulin that are available for the treatment of diabetes, including rapid-acting insulin, long-acting insulin and intermediate options. Examples include regular insulin (Humulin R, Novolin R, others), insulin isophane (Humulin N, Novolin N), insulin lispro (Humalog), insulin aspart (NovoLog) and insulin glargine (Lantus).

What is Type 2 diabetes?
Like type 1 diabetes, type 2 is a life long disease but it can be preventable. More and more adults and children are getting type 2 diabetes. This is largely because of bad eating habits and a lack of physical activity. It is important to know if you or your children are at risk for type 2 diabetes and to know what you can do to help prevent the disease.

If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes or if you have prediabetes, you may be able to prevent diabetes by getting regular exercise and paying attention to what and how much you eat. If you are overweight, losing a little weight (10 to 20 pounds) can go a long way toward preventing or delaying the disease. The key to treating type 2 diabetes is controlling blood sugar levels. All of the following help to lower blood sugar:

Eating healthy foods
Losing weight, if you are overweight
Getting regular exercise
In some cases, taking medicines

Prescription drugs help help fight the battle against diabetes but an overall healthy lifestyle goes a long way to improving your quality and length of life.

Interesting Facts

At Rx Help, we assist low income, uninsured patients obtain their brand name prescription medicine for free through Patient Assistance Programs. Looking through our database here are some interesting facts.

Average age of patient:
53

Average number of physicians:
1.8

Average number of brand name medicine we help them with:
5.44

Average cost of that medicine before they joined our program:
$597.00 per month.

Top 5 medical conditions:
Cardio
Diabetes
Respiratory
Behavioral Health
Arthritis

Top 25 Brand name prescription medicine, with the drug maker, that we help people with:

1.) Lipitor-Pfizer
2.) Advair-GlaxoSmithKline
3.)Plavix-Briston-Myers
4.) Nexium-AstraZeneca
5.) Norvasc-Pfizer
6.) Remicade-Centocor
7.) Enbrel-Amgen/Wyeth
8.) Zyprexa-Lilly
9.) Diovan-Novartis
10). Risperdal-Johnson & Johnson
11.) Aranesp-Amgen
12.) Rituxan-Genentech
13.) Effexor-Wyeth
14.) Protonix-Wyeth
15.) Singulair-Merck
16.) Seroquel-AstraZeneca
17.) Prevacid-TAP Pharmaceuticals
18.) Procrit-Ortho Biotech
19.) Cozaar-Merck
20.) Flomax-Boehringer
21.) Lovenox-Aventis
22.) Avandia-GlaxoSmithKline
23.) Actos-Takeda
24.) Copaxone-Teva
25.) Lexapro-Forest

As you can see, there is tremendous value in participating in these programs. There are over 22 million Americans that don’t have health insurance and have a household income of less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. This income level is the general guideline that most of the drug companies use to determine eligibility for assistance. If you or someone you know needs prescription drug help, I encourage you to contact the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, talk to your doctor or check with us to see if we can help you.

Swine Flu Symptoms

There is tremendous concern amongst some regarding the swine flu. In reality, here in the United States it really shouldn’t be much of cause for alarm. Our country is a very advanced nation with high standards of medical care and hygiene relative to the rest of the world. The pandemic outbreak that you might see will be in the third world countries where medical care and hygiene are very low.

According to the World Health Organization flu chief Keiji Fukuda “If we do move into a pandemic, then our expectation is that we will see a large number of people infected worldwide,” Fukuda said. “If you look at past pandemics, it would be a reasonable estimate to say perhaps a third of the world’s population would get infected with this virus.” With the current total population of more than 6 billion, that would mean an infection total of 2 billion, he said.

This particular strain of swine flu appears to have a very long incubation period, up to a week before the patient notices symptoms, according to Dr. Marc-Alain Widdowson, a medical epidemiologist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now tracking the flu in Mexico City.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and prevention says this about the swine flu symptoms:
What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.
How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

The CDC recommends routine precautions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases: wash your hands often, cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick, stay at home and limit contact with others.
Prescription drugs help some patients that have the flu but for the vast majority of the US population our normally good hygiene is enough to combat the Swine Flu.