The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 added prescription drug coverage to Medicare beginning in January 2006. The prescription drug coverage is voluntary, although beneficiaries face a significant penalty for delaying enrollment. The drug coverage is provided through private drug plans; beneficiaries have a choice of staying in the original Medicare program ...

Starting consumers off on the "path to purchase" by encouraging them to seek more information is a major goal of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription medications. But the authors found that a consumer's attitude toward DTC advertising can determine which of several paths he or she is likely to take. The attitudes of older adults are especially significant for pharmaceutical mar...

BACKGROUND Opioids are widely prescribed for their analgesic properties. Chronic opioid use is a persistent problem in the US. Nevertheless, little is known about its prescribing and utilization patterns and overall expenditures. OBJECTIVE This study examined secular trends in opioid prescription drug utilization and expenditures, along with factors associated with opioid prescription drug us...

This article provides an overview on prescription drug abuse and highlights a number of related legislative bills introduced during the 112th Congress in response to this growing epidemic. Prescription drug abuse has emerged as the nation's fastest growing drug problem. Although prescription drugs have been used effectively and appropriately for decades, deaths from prescription pain medicine i...

Prescription drug misuse among older adults includes inappropriate and harmful use of these drugs. In this study, prescription drug misuse in assisted living settings as reported by direct care workers (DCWs) was examined. Data came from DCWs in 45 assisted living settings located in Pennsylvania. A total of 944 DCWs completed a questionnaire on their opinions of prescription drug misuse. DCWs ...