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Drug tip-offs

By Lisa Girion
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Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Here are some drugs that could render users ineligible for individual health insurance, according to underwriting guidelines of several health plans.

TOP SELLERS

Eight of the 20 top-selling prescription drugs, ranked by their 2005 U.S. sales:

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* Lipitor (cholesterol)
* Zocor (cholesterol)
* Nexium (heartburn, ulcers)
* Prevacid (heartburn, ulcers)
* Advair (asthma)
* Zoloft (depression)
* Singulair (asthma)
* Protonix (heartburn, ulcers)

ALSO ON THE LIST

* Accutane (acne)
* Allegra (allergies)
* Celebrex (arthritis)
* Celexa (depression)
* Concerta (attention deficit)
* Famvir (herpes)
* Imdur (angina)
* Imitrex (headaches, migraines)
* Lamisil (fungal infections)
* Parolodel (menstrual disorders)
* Prozac (depression)
* Ritalin (attention deficit)
* Tagamet (heartburn, ulcers)
* Tapazole (hyperthyroid)
* Topamax (epilepsy, migraines

Source: Health plans’ broker guidelines

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Lisa Girion

As an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times, Lisa Girion produced many high-impact stories, including an investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Myanmar, which was anthologized in “Global Muckraking” (The New Press, 2014). Her investigation into the health insurance practice of dropping sick patients, known as rescission, was cited in the Affordable Care Act. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She left The Times in 2015.

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