The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "pharmacy" ...
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C-HIT: Pharma Perks
The Affordable Care Act requires pharmaceutical companies to publicly report all payments to physicians by September 2013. Some drug companies have already compiled, but few consumers know that the information is available or how to access it. What this story did is disclose for the first time for CT consumers: 1) how many doctors in Connecticut are high-prescribers of certain psychotropic and pain medications, (108) 2) the cost of written prescriptions (hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases) 3) how many of these doctors received payments from drug companies (at least 43) 4) and the amounts that the doctors received from the drug companies ($30,000 - $99,000) It also reported that only 3 doctors on the high-prescribing drug list have been disciplined by the state Medical Examining Board.
Tags: Affordable Care Act; pharmacy; physicians; prescriptions; drugs; Medical Examining Board
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Meningitis Outbreak
When an unprecedented outbreak of fungal meningitis began last fall in Tennessee, The Tennessean reacted with aggressive and highly interactive coverage that has led the nation. Before other media realized the significance of the outbreak, which has sickened more than 650 people in 19 states, The Tennessean was already analyzing the regulation of specialty pharmacies and digging into the contracts and connections of the New England Compounding Center, the Massachusetts firm suspected of shipping contaminated steroids responsible for the illnesses. As of today, the outbreak has killed 40 people nationwide, 14 of them in Tennessee. More than a hundred more are still sick. We quickly reported problems associated with New England Compounding Center, lag times on informing victims and regulation slip-ups in the drug compounding industry that allowed companies to operate outside of the law.
Tags: Health; meningitis; New England Compounding Center; steroids
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Prescription Drug
An investigation into the prescription drug epidemic on New York's Long Island. Newsday exposes the failure by the region's doctors to use a state database that identifies patients going to multiple doctors and pharmacies to get pills.
Tags: prescription; drug; pharmacy; doctors; pills; New York
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"Physicians on Pharma's Payroll: Educators or Marketers?"
This story focuses on doctors as industry speakers and their relationship with pharmaceutical companies. The pharmaceutical companies claim to choose speakers based on expertise, but further investigation shows that many of the hired physicians have "serious transgressions on their state records." They also tend to be "high prescribers" of the company's products.
Tags: pharmacy; prescriptions; Geodon; Pfizer; antipsychotic drugs; pharmaceutical companies; Department of Health; New York; Food and Drug Administration
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Bad Bargain
This article identifies several people who suffered consequences after switching from brand name drugs to generic ones. Furthermore, this article identifies loopholes that allow these generic drugs to reach the market. These generics, many of us believe are the same as the brand name ones, are actual substandard and un-equivalent.
Tags: Prescriptions; Drugs; Generic; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Insurance companies; Brand Name; Doctors; Pharmacy; Pharmaceuticals
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Rx For Errors
Potentially life-threatening errors in filling prescriptions stem from the corporate policies of major pharmacy chains.
Tags: pharmaceutical; medication; technician; Walgreens; CVS;
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Rx For Trouble: Inside the Steriod Sting
"The article exposes an illegal internet/rogue-doctor/compound pharmacy/anti-aging clinic/steroid distribution network that has provided human growth hormone and steroids to dozens of major athletes in a variety of sports and has made these drugs accessible to America's youth. Sports Illustrated exposes questionable activity of an NFL doctor who subsequently is forced to resign from his job."
Tags: steriods; drugs; athletes; human growth hormone
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Killer Prescription Drugs Part 1 and 2
Anderson Cooper 360 examined the FDA loopholes for prescription drugs. Since 1984, drug makers have been allowed to sell drug without approval as long as they "determine that the product was similar to others already approved and on the market." In some cases these similar, but unapproved, drugs have lead patients' deaths.
Tags: medicine; pharmacy; FDA; prescription; Phenobarbital; E-Ferol; chloral hydrate
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Prescriptions for Error
"The ABC Investigative Team filled 100 prescriptions at the country's top retail pharmacies in four states. Our undercover investigation found a shocking 22% error rate, 1 out of 5, of prescriptions filled at major retails pharmacies. In another shocking finding, the people behind the counter filling the prescriptions were often not trained pharmacists, but high schools students."
Tags: medicine; prescriptions; pharmacy; pharmacist; Florida; Walgreen's;
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Health-Care Goldmines
Workers are having to pay more for health insurance or having to drop covearage completely because of rising health care, which increases the numers of unisured people. The secret tactics of how the health insurers, pharmacy benfit managers, and others help to boost profits in isurance is exposed in this series.
Tags: compensation; health; medicare; medicaid; HMO; double bypass; pharmacy; prescription