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Health care fraud a hot topic on Capitol Hill

Hearings in the House and Senate Wednesday examined public and private efforts to address health care fraud. And the Government Accountability Office issued a new report on fraudulent or improper billing to Medicare.

3 Mar 2011

Clinical trials in Australia take too long– need uniform standards: Report

A government report says that clinical trials for new medicines are taking too long and should be sped up so patients can access urgently needed treatment. The states and territories have been urged to adopt uniform rules on approving trials so the scientific experiments can be conducted more efficiently and effectively.

3 Mar 2011

Infinity commences IPI-926 Phase 2 clinical trial in rare, life-threatening bone cancer

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of a randomized, double-blind Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IPI-926 compared to placebo in patients with metastatic or locally advanced, inoperable chondrosarcoma. The trial is expected to enroll over 100 patients worldwide.

3 Mar 2011

New drug approved for COPD by the FDA

The U.S. FDA has approved a new treatment for people with worsening symptoms of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects smokers and the elderly and leads to severe difficulty in breathing, chronic cough and excessive mucus production. An exacerbation can last up to several weeks and result in a decline in lung function and increased risk of death, and it may be associated with severe anxiety, the FDA says.

1 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Judge Kessler's decision; Utah is role model; Malpractice system flaws

The Republican strategy is to split the vast middle and working classes -- pitting unionized workers against nonunionized, public-sector workers against nonpublic, older workers within sight of Medicare and Social Security against younger workers who don't believe these programs will be there for them and the poor against the working middle class.

28 Feb 2011

Celgene's ISTODAX sNDA granted FDA Priority Review classification for progressive/relapsed PTCL

Celgene Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Priority Review classification to its Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) regarding ISTODAX (romidepsin) for injection for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior therapy.

28 Feb 2011

Acasti receives conditional approval for listing of class A shares on TSX-Venture

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. and Acasti Pharma, a Neptune subsidiary, announces that Acasti has received conditional approval for the listing of its class A common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol APO.

28 Feb 2011

AARP commends lawmakers for their opposition to health care nullification bill

Averting a potentially disastrous piece of legislation, a majority of Idaho Senators on the State Affairs Committee took a bold stand and voted down a measure to "nullify" the federal health care law in Idaho.

28 Feb 2011

UBC study shows Canadians and Americans receive different drug information online

Americans and Canadians are getting vastly different search results when they look up prescription drug information online, says a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

24 Feb 2011

Regeneron submits VEGF Trap-Eye BLA to FDA for treatment of wet AMD

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the company submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VEGF Trap-Eye for the treatment of the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the goal for a standard review time from submission to FDA action is ten months.

22 Feb 2011

NCPA, NACDS explain importance of pharmacies in Medicaid program

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association have sent a joint letter to every Governor and State Medicaid Director, explaining the importance of pharmacies in Medicaid, offering recommendations, and expressing a desire to work together to cut costs without endangering Medicaid beneficiaries' access to pharmacy prescription drug services.

21 Feb 2011

QRxPharma granted FDA pre-NDA meeting, further phase II data released

QRxPharma Limited (ASX: QRX and OTCQX: QRXPY) announced today the granting of a pre-New Drug Application (NDA) meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and successful completion of its third pivotal Phase 3 registration trial (study 009) for immediate-release MoxDuo.

20 Feb 2011

Protalix: New data from taliglucerase alfa, oral GCD trials to be presented at Lysosomal Disease Network Symposium

Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., announced today that new clinical data from the switchover trial of taliglucerase alfa in Gaucher disease patients and preclinical data on oral enzyme glucocerebrosidase (oral GCD) will be presented today at the 7th Annual Meeting of the Lysosomal Disease Network: WORLD Symposium 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

19 Feb 2011

PBMI awards CVS Caremark and ArcelorMittal the 2011 Rx Benefit Innovation Award

CVS Caremark announced today that the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) awarded the company and its PBM client ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, the 2011 Rx Benefit Innovation Award. The award recognizes the Pharmacy Advisor program, which was developed by CVS Caremark to manage costs, improve medication adherence and close gaps in care for members with diabetes.

19 Feb 2011

Healthspring fourth quarter revenues increase 29.4% to $50.9 million

HealthSpring, Inc. today announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010. HealthSpring's 2010 results include one month's contribution from the operations of Bravo Health, Inc., which was acquired by HealthSpring on November 30, 2010, and transaction expenses related to the acquisition.

18 Feb 2011

Apricus Bio in discussions with FDA for PrevOnco SPA Phase III protocol

Apricus Biosciences, Inc., announced today that it is currently in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") relating to the PrevOnco™ Special Protocol Assessment ("SPA") Phase III protocol submitted by the Company in December 2010.

18 Feb 2011

Medicaid should stop paying more than Medicare for pharmacy benefits

To help reduce state Medicaid spending, the New York State Health Department yesterday proposed that the program's prescription drug benefits be managed more like those in Medicare and commercial plans. The Department's "Proposal to Redesign Medicaid" says this move would save state taxpayers $350 million though 2015.

17 Feb 2011

Fibrocell Science sells $7.8 million Series D convertible preferred stock

Fibrocell Science, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of autologous cell therapies for aesthetic, medical and scientific applications, announced today that between December 8, 2010 and February 9, 2011 it entered into agreements with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company sold to the purchasers in the aggregate approximately $7.8 million of the Company's Series D convertible preferred stock, which is convertible into shares of common stock at a conversion price of $0.50 per share.

16 Feb 2011

2007 financial crisis linked to increase in patients seeking treatment for prescription drug and painkiller addiction

The 2007 onset of the financial crisis that upended the U.S. economy and impacted global markets correlated closely with unprecedented numbers of patients seeking treatment for prescription drug addiction and painkiller abuse, according to leading rehabilitation center Cliffside Malibu. The Cliffside Index, the percentage of patients admitted for treatment related to those medications, rose over 60 percent between 2007 and 2008, and has continued to increase each year.

15 Feb 2011

AP: Crooks find Medicare Part D an easy target

Crooks are taking advantage of lax oversight in Medicare's Part D prescription drug program to obtain highly addictive drugs including oxycodone, Ritalin, and methadone, according to results of a federal probe.

14 Feb 2011