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ACP provides physician perspective on rising prescription drug prices

The American College of Physicians today provided physician perspective on the escalating cost of prescription drugs, the impact of the costs on internal medicine physicians and their patients, and support for the intent of the bipartisan Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2016 to reduce anti-competitive practices.

22 Jun 2016

Study finds nearly half of older Americans spend heavily on end-of-life care

Last-ditch, high-tech heroic treatments. Days in the hospital intensive care unit. You might think this is what makes dying in America so expensive - and that it's where we should focus efforts to spend the nation's healthcare dollars more wisely.

17 Jun 2016

Opioid use common among Medicare beneficiaries after hospital discharge

Nearly 15 percent of opioid-naïve patients hospitalized under Medicare are discharged with a new prescription for opioids, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

15 Jun 2016

FDA takes action against websites that illegally sell unapproved prescription drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, announced that it took action this week against 4,402 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs to U.S. consumers.

10 Jun 2016

Short-term use of opioids implicated in protracted pain, new study finds

Painkillers such as morphine, oxycodone and methadone could actually prolong and increase pain even after only a few days’ use, according to research conducted on rats by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US.

31 May 2016

UTHealth's Mobile Stroke Unit fights stroke through research, technology and patient care

About 800,000 strokes occur in America each year; that's about one every 40 seconds. Houston resident Joe Carrabba experienced one of them.

28 May 2016

Spexin harmone may play role in weight gain among teenagers

A Mayo Clinic-led study found that obese teenagers have lower levels of a hormone potentially tied to weight management than teens of normal weights. The study is published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

27 May 2016

Obese teenagers may have lower levels of spexin harmone

Obese teenagers already show signs of hormonal differences from normal-weight peers that may make them prone to weight gain, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

25 May 2016

Majority of patients who misuse drugs and alcohol have chronic pain

With opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse considered one of the biggest public health threats of our time in the U.S., many are asking why so many Americans are struggling with addiction to illegal drugs and prescription medications. New research suggests that chronic pain may be part of the answer.

10 May 2016

Scientists unveil reasons why NSAIDs, pain killers may increase heart disease risk

Researchers have known for more than a decade that the risk of heart disease and stroke increases when people take pain relievers like ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Now, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have uncovered some of the reasons why these drugs can harm heart tissue.

30 Apr 2016

Study shows overall drop in ER visits among patients served by prescription assistance program

A graduate student at Washington State University Spokane is the lead author on a research paper that shows an overall drop in emergency room visits and hospitalizations by patients who are served by the Spokane Prescription Assistance Network, which helps low income people get free and reduced-price medications.

7 Apr 2016

Investigational drug abaloparatide-SC may help increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

The investigational drug abaloparatide-SC (subcutaneous) may help increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and reduce their risk of fracture, new industry-sponsored research suggests. The results of the subgroup analysis within the ACTIVE clinical trial will be presented Friday, April 1, at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston.

4 Apr 2016

Opioids could be dangerous, deadly at high doses

Most people know that heroin is a dangerous drug, but its cousins, the legal, pharmaceutical opioids, such as codeine or hydrocodone, must be safe, right?Not so fast.Opioids—which include the illegal drug heroin as well as prescription medications, including hydrocodone (such as Vicodin), oxycodone (such as OxyContin and Percocet), morphine and codeine—can be dangerous, even deadly, at high doses.

31 Mar 2016

New report offers startling statistics about chronic kidney disease in the U.S.

A sweeping new report assessing chronic kidney disease in the United States offers startling statistics about a condition that affects almost 14 percent of the U.S. population and costs billions in Medicare spending each year.

30 Mar 2016

High out-of-pocket costs linked to lower use of specialty drugs

"Specialty drugs" have become important treatment options for many serious and chronic diseases, and in some conditions like cancer they represent the only chance for long-term survival.

29 Mar 2016

Incretin-based drugs do not increase risk of heart failure

Incretin-based drugs, a type of medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, do not increase the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure relative to commonly used combinations of oral anti-diabetic drugs, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Mar 2016

Study finds disparities in discontinuing diabetes drug rosiglitazone following FDA safety alert

Among older adults with diabetes, certain subgroups--including white patients and those with lower incomes--were slower to discontinue the diabetes drug rosiglitazone after a US Food and Drug Administration safety alert, reports a study in the April issue of Medical Care.

17 Mar 2016

Aralez resubmits NDA package for YOSPRALA to FDA

Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has resubmitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the New Drug Application ("NDA") for its investigational candidate, YOSPRALA (PA32540/PA8140) for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients at risk for aspirin-induced gastric ulcers.

15 Mar 2016

Teligent obtains FDA approval for Desoximetasone Ointment USP 0.25%

Teligent, Inc., a New Jersey-based specialty generic pharmaceutical company, today announced it has received approval of the Company's abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of Desoximetasone Ointment USP 0.25%, the generic equivalent of Topicort Ointment, 0.25%, of Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.

26 Feb 2016

Astellas, Medivation announce acceptance of XTANDI sNDA for review by FDA

Astellas Pharma Inc. and Medivation, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) that they have submitted for XTANDI (enzalutamide) capsules in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), which includes findings from the Phase 2 TERRAIN and STRIVE studies, to update the relevant clinical sections within the current indication.

22 Feb 2016