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Industry Headlines,
Health News,
BBC
Health News,
Research News,
Industry Headlines
November 2002 Dec
2002 - Jan 2003 Feb-March 2003
April-May 2003
11/22
EU Approves Levitra
European drug watchdog backs Bayer/GSK's Viagra rival...committee gave the
drug, also known as vardenafil, a positive opinion...US Food and Drug
Administration ... asked for additional clinical studies which Bayer says will
delay its US launch…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From Bloomberg
Back
to top
11/22 Organon May Do More Job Cuts
Akzo
weighing more coatings, pharma job cuts...may trim more jobs at its
pharmaceutical unit ...declined to say whether new cuts under consideration were
in Organon …[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/22 Glaxo 2nd Generation Protease Inhibitor (fosamprenavir)
Glaxo to file new
AIDS drug by end of year...planned to file a new concentrated HIV/AIDS drug
...second-generation protease inhibitor, known as 908…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
48-week results
for the SOLO trial comparing GW433908/R QD to nelfinavir BID
...68 percent of
HIV+ patients achieved undetectable viral load with 908/r compared to 65 percent
of patients taking NFV BID…[ GSK Press Release]
See Also>
Fosamprenavir monograph…[ AidsMeds.com]
See Also>
Medline Search For "Fosamprenavir"
See Also>
HIV Drug
Database ; PI's, Monographs, Price Comparisons
Back to top
11/22 Orange Card Restored; Refunds Coming To Pts Who Lost Out
GlaxoSmithKline
Restores Savings on the Orange
Card; Company to Offer Refunds to Eligible
Orange Card Enrollees...Checks will be sent to eligible cardholders in an amount
equal to the difference between the program's original savings level …[ GSK
Press Release]
Back to top
11/22 Small Players Have The Future Blockbusters
Strategy shifts on blockbuster drugs..Consultants say focus should be on
'targeted' therapies...In the not too distant future, the pharmaceutical
business will look an awful lot like the independent film industry…[ CBS
MaketWatch]
Back to top
11/22 Male Birth Control
Drug Cos. Develop Male Contraceptive...development was "long
overdue."...ready for the U.S. and Europe markets in five to seven years…[
AP/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/22 Rejection Drug Yields Radiation Synergy
Widely Used Drug Boosts Radiation for Brain Cancer...mice given only
radiotherapy, or only rapamycin, the tumors grew quickly to three times their
original volume...mice treated with the combination, regrowth was delayed by 19
days…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/22 Insurance Co's Sue BMS Over Buspar
Insurers
Sue Bristol-Myers...80 plaintiffs, including Horizon Health Care Services
Inc., dozens of Blue Cross ...claiming it paid another company $72.5 million to
keep its generic version of an antianxiety drug …[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/22 Misguided Uncle Sam Policy Raises Drug Prices
Legalized
Price-Fixing...The government calls it a drug price reduction
program...effect of the law has been to raise prices, reduce competition and
eliminate the power of large purchasers to bargain with drug manufacturers…[
Forbes]
Back to top
11/21 Lotronex Returns To US Market
Lotronex®
Tablets now available for women with severe diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel
syndrome...indication for
specific use in female patients with severe diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS), an extensive Risk Management Program requiring participation of
physicians, patients and pharmacists…[ GSK Press Release]
Back to top
11/20
Blood-Pressure Kidney-Disease
Relationship Questioned
Blood Pressure Dip Stops Kidney Disease - Study...modest drug-induced drop
in blood pressure... just as effective in curtailing kidney disease as is aiming
for a larger drop…[ Reuters]
Controlling Hypertension Doesn't Help Kidney Function...loss of kidney
function was no different in the patients in whom blood pressure was reduced to
128 over 78 as compared to those whose pressure was reduced to 141 over 85…[
HealthScout]
See Also>
Above Cited
JAMA Report (Abstract)
Back to top
11/20 Wyeth To Pull Plug On FluShield, Pnu-Immune
Wyeth Vaccine
Decision Could Mean More Focus on Prevnar...ceasing production of the
FluShield injectable flu vaccine and the Pnu-Immune injectable adult-pneumonia
vaccine…[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
See Also>
Wyeth Press Release
See Also>
Similar Report From The Street.com
See Also>
Similar Report From AP/Yahoo
Back to top
11/20 Another Setback For Experimental Erectile Dysfunction Drug
FDA Notifies Zonagen
That Additional Two-Year Animal Study is Required to Lift Clinical Hold On
VASOMAX…[ Zonagen Press Release]
Back to top
11/20 Metabolife's Not So Hot News Coverage
Co. Gives FDA Ephedra Complaints...three deaths, 20 heart attacks and 24
strokes...company stressed that the reports, unverified calls to a consumer hot
line, are not medical records …[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Attorneys in First
Ephedra Case To Reach Court Say Verdict Will Spur California Litigation Against
Metabolife...awarded more than $4 million to four people who suffered
strokes and cardiac injuries as a result of taking dietary supplements sold by
Metabolife…[ Hackard & Holt]
Back to top
11/20 Blue Stuff's Pays $3 Million For Unsubstantiated Claims
Feds Crack Down on 'Blue Stuff' Products...considered the case "particularly
egregious" because of the breadth of unsubstantiated claims made by the
company…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/20 Bitoech Guru Predicts Tough Times Ahead
UK biotech guru sees weak market well into 2003...slumped in value from $600
billion in 2000 to around $300 billion today, but past cycles suggested there
would not be an immediate recovery…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/20 Media Recycles Novartis/Roche Merger Gossip
Novartis still sees sense in Roche merger-paper...Novartis Chairman Daniel
Vasella would still like to merge with Swiss rival Roche Holding AG but Roche
continues to show him the cold shoulder…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/20 Sepracor Faces Suit Regarding Rejected Antihistamine
Sepracor says
class action suit filed against it...lawsuit has been brought against it
alleging the company misled investors over the prospects of its Soltara allergy
drug…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/20 Politicos Keep Vaccine Coverage Alive
Vaccine
liability protection stays in U.S. bill...Democrats failed in an effort to
strip the vaccine provision and other sections in a homeland security bill…[
Reuters]
Back to top
11/19 Plavix + Aspirin = Less Post-PCI Death, Stroke, Heart Attack
Study says Plavix/aspirin cut heart risk full year...helped prevent heart
attacks, strokes and death for a full year...27 percent reduction in combined
risks of death, heart attack or stroke…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From Dow Jones/Yahoo
See Also>
Similar Report From The Street.com
See Also>
Above Cited JAMA Report
Back to top
11/19 Abilify Hits Lay Media Radar Screen
Bristol's
Brightest Day, Blackest Night...Abilify, could represent a breakthrough for
the 2.4 million Americans suffering from schizophrenia...sticks to the receptor
but does not shut it off entirely…[ Forbes]
See Also>
Similar Report From HealthScout/Yahoo
Note: Abilify (aripiprazole) is available as 10mg, 15mg, 20mg
and 30 mg tablets; recommended starting dose is 10mg or 15mg daily without
regard to meals.
See Also:
PI |
Medline Search |
Google Search |
Dogpile Search
See Also: Abilify.com; Official
Website; PI, sign-up, links.
Back to top
11/19 Grandpa & Grandma Benefit from Statins
Older Patients Benefit from Statin Use-Study...Elderly patients who use
cholesterol-lowering drugs may enjoy the same benefits as their younger
counterparts…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From AP/Yahoo
Back to top
11/19 Cassandra Scenario: Dearth Of New Drugs
Decline in New Drugs Raises Concerns...FDA Approvals Are Lowest in a Decade
...number of industry applications for innovative new drugs is down
significantly, and the average time needed by the FDA to review applications is
moving up…[ Washiongton Post]
Back to top
11/19 Most Statin Takers (60%) Don't Reach LDL Goals
Despite Treatment, Many
Heart Disease Patients With Elevated Cholesterol Still Not Reaching Recommended
Cholesterol Goals…Among treated patients, approximately 6 out of 10 are not
at their LDL cholesterol goal as recommended by the NIH...[ Merck Press release]
Back
to top
11/19 Zetia Boosts Statin's LDL Reduction By 25%
ZETIA
Added to Ongoing Statin Treatment Provided 25 Percent Additional LDL Cholesterol
Reduction
vs. 4 Percent With Addition of Placebo, Study in American Journal
of Cardiology Showed…[ Schering Plough Press Release]
Back
to top
11/19 Nefazodone Safety Investigation
Dutch Board to Study Risks of Antidepressant Drug...investigating the
antidepressant drug nefazodone after receiving reports of serious side
effects...26 reports of serious liver failure and some deaths…[ Reuters/yahoo]
Back
to top
11/19 Andrx: Tentative OK For Generic Claritin Reditabs
Andrx gets FDA nod for generic Claritin Reditabs...tentative approval...Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals Inc WYE.N holds a six-month exclusivity period to market its
generic version of Claritin Reditabs…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Andrx
Press Release
Back to top
11/19 EVISTA Reduced Stroke Risk 62%
Drug Cuts Women's Stroke Risk-Study...Evista was linked with a 62% reduction
in the risk of all strokes--fatal and non-fatal--in post-menopausal women at
high risk…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From Dow Jones/Yahoo
Lilly plans on filing heart disease prevention labeling
for Evista; data is due some time in 2005.
Back
to top
11/19 SSRI Off Label Use: May Help Certain Cardiac Conditions
Antidepressants May Help Heart Failure Patients, Research Finds
Depression medications such as Eli Lilly & Co.'s Prozac and Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft
may also help ward off dangerous blood clots, according to a new study…[
Bloomberg]
Back
to top
11/19 Fuzeon ( Formerly T-20); Production Of
Roche expects high demand for Fuzeon AIDS drug...large-scale manufacturing
of the drug...under way to try to meet high demand for the product when it is
approved, probably in the first quarter of next year…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back
to top
11/19 Doxycycline Reduced C-Reactive Protein
Study Shows
Sub-Antimicrobial Dose Doxycycline Lowers C-Reactive Protein
in Patients
Suffering from Acute Coronary Syndromes…[ Beth Israel Press Release]
Back
to top
11/19 Fuzeon; Efficacy Study
Second Pivotal Study Demonstrates Benefit of FUZEON(TM)
Across Range of
Treatment-Experienced HIV Patients…[ Hoffman LaRoche Press Release]
Back
to top
11/19 Allegra Versus Clarinex
New Study Demonstrates Allegra(R) (Fexofenadine HCL) Has Faster Onset Of Action
Than Claritin(R) (Loratadine) And Clarinex(R) (Desloratadine)…[ Aventis
Press Release]
Back to top
11/19 Pill Splitting Debate
The Divide
Over Pill-Splitting...Experts disagree on whether this cost-saving tactic is
a safe and effective practice…[ Newsday[
Note: Several thousand word report; mentions Viagra, Zestril,
others; opinions of various professional groups; recommended for PBM execs,
marketers with products not available as capsules.
Back
to top
Monday 11/18
11/18 Bextra Gets New Warning Regarding Allergic Reactions
U.S. FDA says new warnings on Pharmacia painkiller...rare but
life-threatening skin and allergic reactions...patients who are allergic to
sulfa-containing products should not take Bextra…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From WebMD
See Also>
Similar Report From Bloomberg
Related :
Arthritis Drug Database
: PI's, Cost Data, Literature Search
Back
to top
11/18 FDA Warning: Injectables From Urgent Care Pharmacy
FDA Warns on Company's Injectable Drugs...Urgent Care Pharmacy of
Spartanburg, South Carolina may not be sterile and should not be used...
One person has died …[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From AP/Yahoo
Back to top
11/18 Abilify Approved; No QT Effects, Less Weight Gain
Bristol, Otsuka get FDA nod for schizophrenia drug...approval to market a
new schizophrenia drug, Abilify...expect Abilify to reach U.S. drugstores within
two weeks…[ Reuters]
See Also>
BMS
Press Release
See Also>
Similar Report From Bloomberg
See Also>
Similar Report From AP/Yahoo
Abilify (aripiprazole) is available as 10mg, 15mg, 20mg
and 30 mg tablets; recommended starting dose is 10mg or 15mg daily without
regard to meals.
See Also:
PI |
Medline Search |
Google Search |
Dogpile Search
See Also:
Abilify.com; Official
Website; PI, sign-up, links.
Back
to top
11/18 Cialis Launch Delay
Lilly's EU Cialis launch delayed by factory switch...delaying until its
production comes on-stream at an unnamed European factory...previously said
Cialis would not be launched until the first half of 2003 …[ Reuters]
Published reports claim other manufacturing problems are delaying
launch of injectable Zyprexa, and new generation antidepressant Cymbalta.
Back to top
11/18 Amgen Fights Draconian Reimbursement Slash
Amgen sues US over
Aranesp hospital payment issue...reimbursement for Aranesp will drop, as of
Jan. 1, 2003, to 59 percent of the wholesale price from the previous 95-percent
…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Amgen Press
Release
Back to top
11/18 Hepatitic C Marketing Battle: Roche Versus Schering-Plough
Roche And
Schering's Desperate Duel…combination of Roche's Pegasys and another drug
called Copegus could receive final FDA approval by year's end…[ Forbes]
Back to top
11/18 AIDS Activists Accuse Roche
AIDS Activists, Roche Cross Swords Over Drug Prices...accused Swiss
drug-maker Roche Holding AG ... of breaking its promise to cut the price of AIDS
drugs in poor countries…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/18 Global Pharmaceutical Sales Slow
Global Drug Sales Slow Further...reflecting tough times in the global drugs
industry......one percentage point down from a month earlier…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Reuters Report #2
...( adds chart; Growth Rate by market cost in local
currency of TRX 9/2001 versus 9/2002).
Back
to top
11/18 Medicare Drug Benefit Reappears On Radar Screen
Medicare Drug Plan Likely to Move...By Co-Opting Issue, GOP Commits to Aid
Seniors on Prescription Costs …[ Washington Post]
Back
to top
11/18 Barr Subpoenaed Regarding Cenestin
Barr Labs Is Served
With Government Subpoena... Regarding Cenestin Study...HHS asked for
information on the study of women who switched to Cenestin from other hormone-
replacement drugs…[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
Back
to top
11/18 Rumour Mill: Glaxo May Buy Bayer's Drug Biz
Bidders court Bayer for 10 bln euro pharma unit...Bayer AG is talking to
GlaxoSmithKline and others about selling its loss-making pharmaceuticals arm…[
Reuters/Yahoo]
Back
to top
11/18 Crestor: Huge Reactive C Protein Trial Planned
AstraZeneca to study Crestor drug for heart risk...see if its cholesterol
fighter Crestor can also reduce heart risk problems for patients with high
levels of a problem protein...15,000 patients with high levels of C-reactive
protein, or CRP…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
See Also>
Similar Report From Dow Jones
Back to top
11/15
HRT Market Imploded Last Month
Hormone Therapy Sales Off 52 Percent...IMS monthly data...Sales of Prempro...down
52 percent from a year ago. Sales of all estrogen-progestin pills are down 40
percent…[ AP/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/15 Voluntary Recall: Cartia XT 120mg
Andrx recalls some Diltia XT capsules amid date concerns...does not believe
the product poses a health hazard, and its 180 mg and 240 mg strength capsules
are not affected…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Andrx Press Release
Note: 120mg capsules only; voluntary recall; not believed to be
a health hazard.
Back to top
11/15 Cialis Approved In Europe
Europe OKs ICOS/Lilly Erectile Dysfunction Drug...European regulators have
approved marketing of Cialis…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From Dow Jones/Yahoo
See Also>
Lilly Press Release
Note: Cialis is available as 10mg and 20mg tablets; anticipated
US launch is some time during second half of 2003.
Back to top
11/15 Avonex Gets Label Change
FDA Approves Label
Change for Biogen's Key MS Drug, Avonex...lowering the rate of occurrence of
neutralizing antibodies to 5% from the original label rate of 24%…[ Dow
Jones/Yahoo]
See Also>
Biogen Press Release
Note: More than 300,00 Americans suffer from MS.
Back to top
11/15 Biovail/Reliant Cardiovascular Co-Promotion
Biovail
Expands Co-Promotion Arrangement With Reliant Pharmaceuticals for Cardizem XL...three-year
agreement with ... Reliant Pharmaceuticals, LLC to provide 250 sales
representatives beginning in January 2003 for the co-promotion of Biovail's new
Cardizem® XL product, Teveten®, Teveten® HCT…[ Biovail Press Release]
Back to top
11/15 Schering Plough
Schering-Plough
CEO's Exit Could Lead To Company Sale...may be on the cusp of a turnaround -
and some think the beleaguered drug maker may end up on the auction block…[ Dow
Jones/Yahoo]
Schering's Latest
Disclosure: Kogan's Out...That's where Kogan failed. He became embroiled in
discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over problems with
Schering's …[ Forbes]
Note: Play-by-play analysis of the rise and fall of embattled
Schering CEO.
Back to top
11/15 Unanimous Thumbs Up For Pegasys Combo
FDA panel backs Roche hepatitis drug combination...panel on Thursday
unanimously urged approval...Pegasys, a once-a-week injection, is a
longer-acting version of the antiviral protein interferon…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar
Report From TheStreet.com
See Also>
Roche Press Release
Back to top
11/15 Merck's Newest Lawsuit
West
Virginia sues Merck over high costs, rebates...and its Medco benefits unit,
alleging their management of the state's prescription plan jacked up costs for
employees…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
See Also>
Similar Report From AP/Yahoo
Back to top
11/15 Glaxo Exec: EU No Bed Of Roses
Glaxo Sees Tough European Drug Market...curbs on price, restrictions on
reimbursement, and by encouraging the use of generics or drugs imported from
cheaper European markets…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/15 US Politicians Want A1C Levels Below 7.0
Congressional
Diabetes Caucus Supports Initiative to Lower Diabetes Risk by Monitoring A1C
Levels...A1C level below 7% is the recommended medical target...more than
half of Americans with diabetes undergoing treatment have unacceptably high
blood sugar levels…[ Congressional Diabetes Caucus Communiqué]
Note: The is a bipartisan group of 290 congressmen and women. Visit:
Congressional Diabetes
Caucus Official website.
Back to top
11/15 Alzheimer's Vaccine Works But Caused Brain Hemorrhages
Study: Strokes Tied to Vaccine...clears the brain of toxic deposits also
tends to double the risk of stroke…[ AP/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/15 Eckerds: Hefty Discounts For Needy Seniors
Eckerd Corporation Leads Industry by Offering Exclusive Savings To Together Rx
Program Participants...pleased to lead the industry by offering this
exclusive savings of 30% on many of the generic prescription medications that
our eligible senior customers use…[ Eckerd Press Release]
Back to top
11/15 Pharmaceutical Free Speech Could Happen
The FDA's Big...Free-Speech Challenge?...The agency's rules severely
restrict what companies can say about their products. Those rules, however, may
be in for a major revision …[ BusinessWeek]
Back to top
11/15 Aciphex Gets 7-Day H. Pylori Eradication Nod
First
Seven-Day Treatment Of H. pylori Infection Approved By FDA...now approved by
the Food and Drug Administration as part of the first seven-day treatment for
Helicobacter pylori…[ JNJ Press Release]
Back to top
11/14 Feds Probe Pharma; Investors Spooked
Federal probes weigh on pharma...both Merck and Schering-Plough faced
concerns about ongoing federal probes…[ CBS Marketwatch]
Merck Again Notes Probe, Sector Falls...U.S. Department of Justice is
investigating its marketing practices as part of a larger probe into
pharmaceutical companies…[ Reuters]
Schering-Plough falls as U.S. issues subpoenas...two new grand jury
subpoenas ... related to its clinical trial, sales and marketing practices…[
Reuters/Yahoo]
See Also>
Schering Press Release
Back to top
11/14 Embattled SGP Chief To Retire This Spring
Schering-Plough CEO plans retirement by April...under fire for recent
private meetings with analysts and fund managers, will retire and resign…[
Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From CBS Market Watch
See Also>
SGP Press
Release
Back to top
11/14 BMS Accounting News
Bristol-Myers to Unveil Restatement...restatement will level out the sales
numbers and help give Wall Street a better measurement of the company's real
business over the past few years…[ AP/Yahoo]
See Also>
Similar Report From Dow Jones/Yahoo
Back to top
11/14 Pegasys Gets Push
Roche Pegasys Combination Effective - FDA Staff...Pegasys combination
treatment was more effective than an older dual-therapy in a hepatitis C
trial...[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/14 Crummy Compliance Common For Parkinsons Patients
Most with Parkinson's Don't Take Meds as Directed...only 4 of the 39
patients (10.3%) took their medications exactly as prescribed, with no missed,
extra or mistimed doses…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/14 PDI Losing Evista
PDI says Evista deal with Lilly ends, posts Q3 loss...Evista marketing
agreement ends on Dec. 31 and was "mutually"…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/14 Topical Erection Cream; FDA Halts Study Of
Nexmed says
FDA halts erectile dysfunction study...penetration enhancement agent used
with the cream was associated with an increase in benign dermal papillomas in
mice …[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/14 French Bust Alleged AIDS Meds Reimportation Conspirator
France: Man Questioned on Cut-Price AIDS Drugs...reached African airports
but were then immediately flown to Paris where a French transport company took
them on to Holland…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/14 Allergy Group Fear OTC Antihistamines
Allergists Fear Fallout From Over-the-Counter Claritin...force allergy
sufferers to either pay more out-of-pocket for the newer drugs or settle for
cheaper but older antihistamines that could make them drowsy …[ HealthScout/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/13 Barr Goes after Evista
Barr Files
to Market Generic Evista...believes Lilly's patents over Evista, aside from
the main chemical patent, are either invalid or would not be infringed …[
Rauters/Yahoo]
Also>
Barr Press Release
Editor's Note: Evista is Lilly's 3rd best selling product; Lilly's
position is that the Evista patent is good at least until 2012.
See Also:
Osteoporosis/Pagets Drug Database ( PI's, Prices, Etc.)
Back to top
11/13 NY Times Sunday Magazine Features Autism Theory
The
Not-So-Crackpot Autism Theory...Like all medical interventions, vaccines
sometimes cause adverse reactions. But unlike pills, vaccines come packaged with
high expectations, which make them particularly vulnerable to public criticism…[
NY Times]
Note: 3,100 word report; timeline, analysis of theory that
vaccines are somehow linked to mental disability; must read for all vaccine
marketers.
Back to top
11/13 Bayer Shifts Strategy - 2nd Fiddle Is Now OK
Bayer dumps key
demand for drugs partnership...no longer insisted on holding a majority in
any partnership involving its drugs unit...probability has now increased that
Bayer may be able to announce a partnership …[ Reuters/Yahoo]
See Also>
Similar Report From Forbes
See Also>
Similar Report From Dow Jones/Yahoo
See Also>
Similar Report From CBS MarketWatch
Back to top
11/13 Enzon/Schering Merger Spec
Enzon rises
on Schering-Plough merger speculation...Wall Street observers doubted a deal
in the works…[ Reuteres/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/13 Glaxo Chief Speaks
INTERVIEW-Glaxo CEO confident on Augmentin, Levitra...extra-strength
Augmentin ES and the extended-release Augmentin XR, "are doing well,"
…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/13 Roche Exec Confident FDA Will Yes Pegasys Application
Roche
upbeat before crucial FDA review of Pegasys...confident its Pegasys drug for
treating hepatitis C will win crucial U.S. approval in combination with standard
therapy…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/13 Brits Warn Docs Regarding Tamoxifen
Britain Updates Safety Advice on Tamoxifen... Britain's Medicines Control
Agency (MCA) has advised doctors to investigate the potential risk of venous
thromboembolism (VTE)…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/13 Quintiles Blows Off $1.3 Billion Buyout Offer
Quintiles Special
Committee Rejects Buyout Offer From Founder Gillings...not in the best
interests of Quintiles and its shareholders…[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/12 Amnesteem - Mylan Gets OK For Generic Accutane
Generic form of Accutane acne drug heads to stores...Mylan Laboratories Inc
and Genpharm Inc... available to patients within days…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
Mylan Laboratories Inc.
Announces First ANDA Approval for Isotretinoin...Mylan's branded subsidiary Bertek Pharmaceuticals Inc. will market isotretinoin under the trade name
Amnesteem(TM) in 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg strengths…[ Mylan Press Release]
Back to top
11/12 Generic Prilosec Final Approval
IMPAX gets FDA
okay for Prilosec generic...final approval was for its 10- and
20-miligram...tentative approval was for the company's stronger 40-miligram …[
Reuters/Yahoo]
See Also> Impax
Press Release
Back to top
11/12 Rebif Versus Avonex
A battle for wallets and minds...''Rebif will get some market share, but I
can tell you they're going to have to fight for every point…[ Boston Globe]
Note: 2,300 word analysis of marketing battle between Biogen and
Serono/Pfizer; sales force head-count, strategy, etc.
Back to top
11/12 Lercanidipine Versus Amlodipine
Forest Labs
Says Its Hypertension Drug Better...lercanidipine, an investigational drug
for the treatment of hypertension, was "significantly better tolerated" than
amlodipine…[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/12 Time Magazine To Feature Birth Control Patch
Time Magazine Names Birth Control Patch
One of the Year's Coolest
Inventions...one of this year's coolest inventions. The "Coolest Inventions of
2002" is featured in the November 18th issue of TIME…[ Time Press Release]
Back to top
11/12 Doctors Ignore Adult Vaccine Guidelines
Study: MDs Not Vaccinating Adults...Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine
...not following guidelines recommending flu and pneumonia vaccinations for
hospitalized adults…[ AP/Yahoo]
Back to top
11/12 Canada Moves Away From Heroin Zero Tolerance
Canada to Give Drug Users Safe Injection Sites-Paper...following a pattern
set in countries like Switzerland, Britain and the Netherlands…[ Reuters]
Back to top
11/12 Rodent Study: Flaxseed For Prostate
Flaxseed Helps Against Prostate Cancer in Mice...rich source of omega-3
fatty acids, fiber and compounds known as lignans…[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From WebMD
Back to top
11/12 Med Errors Common Heart Attack Etiology
Medical Errors May Cause Significant Number of Heart Attacks...tomorrow's
issue of Circulation...one in seven, resulted from a doctor's action.
Medication errors were to blame 44 percent of the time…[ HealthScout/Yahoo]
Note: Circulation is published by the Amercian Heart
Association]
Back to top
11/12 Alzheimer's, Dementia; Elderly Perspectives Of
More Than
Death, Many Elderly Fear Dementia...One day, she left her home in her
bathrobe and walked seven miles and could not say where she lived…[ NY Times]
Note: 3 pages; explores dementia, Alzheimer's from patient's
perspective; If you market an Alzheimer/dementia product you need to read this
article.
Back to top
11/12 Biotech Ain't Easy
Growing Drugs Is a Tricky Business...Manufacturing Story from
Hell...sophistication in areas the research scientists don't normally think
about…[ Fortune]
Editor's Note: 3-page article on difficulty surrounding the manufacture
of therapeutic proteins; epic tale of how Bayer overcame obstacles involved
regarding Kogenate manufacturing.
Back to top
11/11 Retrospective Analysis:
Older Schizophrenia Drugs Linked To Heart Risk
Schizophrenia Medication Linked to Heart Risk...haloperidol (Haldol) and
thioridazine (Mellaril)--were between 1.7 and 3.2 times as likely as
non-schizophrenics to experience cardiac …[ Reuters]
See Also>
Similar Report From AP/Yahoo
See Also>
Similar Report From WebMD
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11/11 Rounding With Clinical Pharmacists Reduces Med Errors
Getting the Dosage Right...Medication errors decrease by 51 percent when a
clinical pharmacist is included on daily patient rounds…[ HealthScout/Yahoo]
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11/11 German Merck Gets OK For Generic Accutane
FDA OKs Generic Rival to Roche's Accutane...Genpharm is a Canadian unit of
Merck KGaA …[ Reuters]
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11/11 Prilosec Legal Battle
AstraZeneca Files Prilosec Appeal…reversible errors in determining key facts
and applying the law...[AP/Yahoo]
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11/11 Lilly Ready For Comeback
Lilly CEO Confident
About Approval Of Three Drugs...manufacturing woes won't affect the approval
of three potentially top-selling drugs, Chairman and Chief Executive Sidney
Taurel said Friday…[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
Eli Lilly Maps Out
New Drugs, Other Plans...foresees regulatory approval next year to sell new
drugs to treat osteoporosis, impotence and attention deficit hyperactivity…[
Reuters/Yahoo]
Eli Lilly
Manufacturing Issues Now At Just 2 Buildings...confined to two buildings in
Indianapolis - its parent facility called Building 105, and Building 100, a dry
products facility…[ Dow Jones/Yahoo]
See Also>
Lilly Press Release
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11/11 Downside Of Prostate Cancer Meds
Prostate Cancer Drugs May Spur Tumors...suppresses the androgen, but also
activates a molecule known as MAP kinase that has been linked to tumor
growth."…[ HealthScout/Yahoo]
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11/11 Express Off Hook In Lipitor Investigation
Express
Scripts Freed from Govt. Subpoena...no longer has to respond to a Defense
Department subpoena…[ Reuters/Yahoo]
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11/11 HRT Paradigm Shift; Review Of; NY Times
Menopause Without Pills: Rethinking Hot Flashes...prevailing view of
menopause has undergone a momentous shift...sales of Evista, made by Eli Lilly &
Company, rose by 24 percent in September…[ NY Times]
Editor's Note: 4 page article examines massive paradigm shift in HRT
market; mentions osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, vaginal dryness, etc.
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