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Bristol-Myers Squibb fourth quarter 2013 revenues increase 6% to $4.4 billion

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2013. The fourth quarter was highlighted by the company's announcement to sell its diabetes business as part of the continued evolution of its successful BioPharma strategy to a specialty care model. The company achieved important regulatory milestones in the quarter for Eliquis in the U.S., daclatasvir/asunaprevir in Japan, daclatasvir in Europe and Farxiga in the U.S. In addition, the company provided financial guidance for 2014.

24 Jan 2014

Proper good night's sleep promotes both mental and physical health

Getting a good night's sleep means more than you probably think. "I would say the importance of sleep is definitely underestimated by the general public," said Dr. Sandhya Kumar, assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and medical director of its Sleep Center.

23 Jan 2014

Heritage announces availability of Prochlorperazine Edisylate Injection

Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the immediate availability of Prochlorperazine Edisylate Injection in the 5mg/mL strength.

16 Jan 2014

FAMPYRA now available in Ireland for symptomatic treatment of walking impairment in MS patients

Biogen Idec today announced that FAMPYRA (prolonged-release fampridine tablets) has been made available in Ireland for the symptomatic treatment of walking impairment in adults with Multiple Sclerosis. FAMPYRA is a prescription drug and is licensed for use in all types of the disease, including the progressive forms. FAMPYRA is available by way of retail pharmacy on a private payment basis.

15 Jan 2014

Aetna is helping to reverse abuse of prescription painkillers

Abuse of prescription painkillers, known as opioids, is a widespread and growing problem in the United States. The epidemic adds billions of dollars to health care, work place and criminal justice costs each year.

10 Jan 2014

T2HemoStat detection of novel clot behavior could direct therapeutic choices for stroke, heart attack victims

T2 Biosystems, a company developing direct detection products enabling superior diagnostics, announced that scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and T2 Biosystems have published a paper in Blood describing novel clot structure biology detected while testing T2 Bio's T2HemoStat-.

10 Jan 2014

Health industry insiders analyze, predict and prescribe

Kaiser Health News checks in with former HHS chief Michael Leavitt while CQ HealthBeat details insights from another insider, Robert Laszewski.

9 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 8, 2014

Today's headlines include news from Capitol Hill about how current events offer a window into the dynamics of the 2014 campaign season.

8 Jan 2014

FDA accepts NPS Pharmaceuticals' Natpara BLA for review

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company pioneering and delivering therapies that transform the lives of patients with rare diseases worldwide, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted and filed for review the company's Biologics License Application for Natpara (recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1-84, (rhPTH[1-84])) for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism.

7 Jan 2014

Medicare seeks to tighten drug program rules to fight fraud

Draft regulations issued Monday would overhaul the prescription drug program and could save up to $1.3 billion over five years.

7 Jan 2014

Aeterna Zentaris announces FDA acceptance for filing of macimorelin acetate NDA for AGHD

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the Company's New Drug Application for its ghrelin agonist, macimorelin acetate, in Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency. The acceptance for filing of the NDA indicates the FDA has determined that the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review.

7 Jan 2014

FDA grants orphan drug designation for DiaVacs' type 1 diabetes mellitus therapy

DiaVacs, Inc. announced today that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation for the company's type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) therapy.

6 Jan 2014

Medicare shapes what others pay for health care

Because of Medicare's huge scale, the prices it pays for procedures often shape what others pay for similar care, economist are finding. In the meantime, the program continues to look for ways to prevent inappropriate prescribing by its doctors.

2 Jan 2014

Most clinical trials of vitamin supplements have flawed methodology

Most large, clinical trials of vitamin supplements, including some that have concluded they are of no value or even harmful, have a flawed methodology that renders them largely useless in determining the real value of these micronutrients, a new analysis suggests.

31 Dec 2013

FDA accepts Cubist Pharmaceuticals' tedizolid phosphate NDA with Priority Review

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Company's New Drug Application for its investigational antibiotic tedizolid phosphate (TR-701) with Priority Review. The FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act action date of June 20, 2014. Cubist is seeking FDA approval of tedizolid for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections.

30 Dec 2013

Medicare drug program gets Senator's scrutiny after vulnerability report

A Senate committee chairman said he is concerned about the "serious vulnerabilities" detailed in a ProPublica report about scams that target Medicare's popular prescription drug program.

26 Dec 2013

FDA extends PDUFA Priority Review action date for UC indication of Takeda's vedolizumab

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., today announced that the United States Food & Drug Administration has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act Priority Review action date for the ulcerative colitis indication of Takeda's investigational biologic, vedolizumab.

24 Dec 2013

U.S. FDA grants Veloxis Orphan Drug status for Envarsus

Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S, today announced that Envarsus was granted Orphan Drug status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients receiving allogenic kidney transplants.

24 Dec 2013

Researchers compare prescription drug costs between the U.S. and the U.K

The 2009 costs of antibiotics covered by private insurance companies in the U.S. for children younger than 10 years old were estimated to be more than five times higher than the costs in the United Kingdom (U.K.), which are covered by a government universal health plan.

23 Dec 2013

Researchers receive 3 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute awards from PCORI

Research teams at Group Health Research Institute have been approved for funding awards by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study opioid therapy and asthma-and to help expand a health data network that will be part of PCORnet: the National Patient-Centered National Clinical Research Network.

20 Dec 2013