Trending News Today: CVS Offers Pharmacists, Consumers Tool to Find Cheaper Drug Alternatives

CVS Health is rolling out a new tool to alert its 30,000 pharmacists to cheaper drug options when they fill patients’ prescriptions, the Washington Post reported. The tool, called CVS Pharmacy’s Rx Savings Finder program, will enable pharmacists and consumers to question doctor’s prescription choices to save patients money, according to the article. The article noted that pharmacists will be alerted if the software flags a less expensive therapeutic equivalent and the tool will also be made available through an app directly to CVS Caremark consumers.

Only a small portion of those at high risk for HIV infection know about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), NPR reported. According to the article, DC health officials estimate that it will need to more than quadruple the number of people in the District who are on PrEP to cut new infections in half by 2020. To spread awareness about PrEP, the department of health and community groups are focusing on campaigns that target those at high risk, according to NPR.

Traumatic brain injuries may be linked to increased risk of dementia later in life, with repeated injuries and severe ones posing the greatest danger, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, a study investigated 36 years of health records of 2.8 million people in Denmark. Overall, the researchers found that the risk of dementia was 24% higher for people with traumatic brain injury compared to those without one, according to the Associated Press.