Health Highlights: Nov. 24, 2008
Nov. 25 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Medicaid Paying for UnapprovedDrugs: Report
From 2004 to 2007, Medicaid paid nearly $198 million for prescriptions of more than 100 unapproved medications linked to dozens of deaths, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data.
There's no data available for 2008, but the unapproved drugs are stillbeing sold. Many of the drugs are used to treat common conditions such ascolds and pain and date back decades, before the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration implemented stricter drug review policies, the AP said.
Unapproved prescription drugs account for about two percent (72 million) of all prescriptions filled by pharmacies in the United States, according to the FDA. Private insurance plans also pay for these drugs, the AP reported.
The FDA is trying to remove these unapproved drugs from the market, but conflicting federal laws permit Medicaid to pay for the drugs. Medicaidofficials said they need help from Congress to resolve the problem, the news service said.
"I think this is something we ought to look at very hard, and we ought tofix it," Medicaid chief Herb Kuhn told the AP. "It raises a whole setof questions, not only in terms of safety, but in the efficiency of theprogram -- to make sure we are getting the right set of services forbeneficiaries."
Federal payments for questionable medications are a concern when health-care costs are rising and about 46 million Americans are uninsured. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has asked the Health and Human Services inspector general to investigate the situation, the AP said.
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Infrared Light May Hold Clue to 'Clarifying' Cochlear Implants
The cochlear implant, considered a miracle for its ability to give hearing to many deaf people, may be improved by the use of infrared light, according to a report in New Scientist magazine.
Northwestern University scientists discovered that shining infrared light directly on the neurons in the inner ears of deaf guinea pigs helped make the translators of sound -- called frequency maps -- as clear as those in animals with normal hearing.
