Trending News Today: Former Pharma Executives Charged in Alleged Generic Drug Price Scheme

Despite the pending uncertainty regarding the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act suggested by President-elect Donald Trump, the number of individuals who have signed up for through marketplace health plans has increased compared with last year, The Washington Post reported. The federal government has pointed to this surge as a warning about the risks of repealing the health law. Thus far, more than 4 million individuals have signed up for a health plan through the marketplaces, with 25% of those being new customers, according to the report.

A recent study found that visiting a hospital with very low rankings could potentially mean a higher mortality risk. Patients who visited the “worst” hospitals were 3 times more likely to die, and 13 times more likely to experience a complication compared with those who visited one of the “best” hospitals, according to The New York Times. Most individuals assume that the care they receive will be similar among hospitals, but these findings could indicate that certain hospitals are associated with poor outcomes.

Former executives of Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc have been charged with conspiracy to fix generic drug prices, according to The Wall Street Journal. The charges allege that the company’s former CEO and president fixed prices for the antibiotic doxyclycline hyclcate and the diabetes drug glyburide. Heritage Pharmaceuticals has also filed a lawsuit against the individuals to seek justice for the alleged embezzlement scheme that affected access to medication for certain patients.