Linda A. Johnson

• U.S. medicine spending shows rare dip in 2012

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  May 9, 2013

  Spending on prescription medicines in the U.S. fell for the first time in decades last year, slipping as cash-strapped consumers continued to cut back on use of health care services.

• CVS Caremark profits up on strong sales

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  November 6, 2012

  CVS Caremark Corp. said Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings climbed 16 percent. The drugstore operator and pharmacy benefits manager posted revenue increases in both businesses, benefiting from new customers won from rivals, and raised its full-year earnings outlook.

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  Generic drugs saved $193 billion in 2011

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  August 2, 2012

  Growing use of generic medicines has reduced U.S. health care spending by more than $1 trillion over the past decade, according to an industry-funded study released Thursday.

• Spending on drugs will slow until 2016

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  July 12, 2012

  Growth in global spending on medications will slow markedly over the next four years due to a slew of new low-cost generic drugs coming to pharmacies in the U.S. and other developed countries, along with slower increases in what those countries spend on brand-name drugs, according to a new forecast.

• Tips to pick the best nursing home for a loved one

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  May 23, 2012

  Finding the right nursing home for an elderly loved one is a daunting task. And it's one most of us will face, as two-thirds of people over 65 will need nursing home care, at least temporarily, according to AARP.

• Pfizer first-quarter profit falls 19 percent

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  May 1, 2012

  Pfizer Inc.'s first-quarter profit fell 19 percent, because of legal and other charges and new generic competition to blockbuster cholesterol pill Lipitor that cut the drugmaker's U.S. sales by 15 percent.

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  Merck posts big first-quarter profit jump

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  April 27, 2012

  Drugmaker Merck & Co. said Friday that its first-quarter profit jumped 67 percent despite lower-than-expected sales, due to lower spending on production, marketing and research as well as an arbitration charge a year ago.

• Lawmakers rail against fake pharmacy price gouging

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  March 21, 2012

  Members of Congress investigating shortages of crucial drugs are targeting fake pharmacies allegedly set up solely to buy and resell the drugs at huge markups.

• Pfizer CEO's pay triples in first year

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  March 16, 2012

  Pfizer Inc. nearly tripled CEO Ian Read's compensation in 2011, his first full year as top executive of the world's largest drug maker, which has been cutting costs and making other moves to compensate for generic competition hurting sales of top medicines.

• Pfizer 4Q net falls by half after generic Lipitor

  By Linda A. Johnson  |  January 31, 2012

  Pfizer Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit fell by half because it sold less Lipitor, the cholesterol fighter that's the biggest drug ever to go off patent, and took some one-time charges.