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Eli Lilly to buy SGX Pharmaceuticals

Eli Lilly and Company and SGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the companies have signed a definitive merger agreement providing for the acquisition of SGX in an all-cash transaction. SGX, based in San Diego, California, is a biotechnology company focused on drug discovery and development in the area of oncology.

8 Jul 2008

Black box warning for epilepsy drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling for the strongest type of warning to be placed on drugs which are used to treat epilepsy.

8 Jul 2008

AMDL granted FDA clearance to market blood test for colorectal cancer

AMDL has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a letter of substantial equivalence to an existing predicate device and granted clearance to market the AMDL-ELISA DR-70(R) (FDP) as a safe and effective blood test for monitoring patients who have been previously diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC).

7 Jul 2008

California pharmacies expect disaster after Loss in lawsuit loss to stop 10% Medi-Cal provider cuts

Today, a state court denied eight retail pharmacies' motion to stop the ten percent Medi-Cal provider cuts. The pharmacies sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) from Sacramento Superior Court against the California Department of Health Care Services and its director Sandra Shewry to block the cuts from being implemented.

4 Jul 2008

Revised study maintains link between FDA approvals made soon before deadlines, safety risks

Harvard University professor Daniel Carpenter has made revisions to a study published in March that found prescription drugs hurried through the FDA approval process are more likely to later be linked to safety risks, but he maintains that the study's conclusions are still accurate, the Wall Street Journal reports.

4 Jul 2008

GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis found guilty of overcharging Alabama Medicaid Program

An Alabama state court jury on Tuesday found pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis guilty of defrauding the state Medicaid program by charging artificially high prices for medications and ordered the two companies to pay more than $114 million in restitution, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

4 Jul 2008

Back log of 900 whistle-blower lawsuits at Department of Justice

Whistle-blower lawsuits alleging that pharmaceutical companies and government contractors defrauded the federal government have created a backlog of more than 900 cases at the Department of Justice, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, more than 500 of the cases involve the health care and pharmaceutical industries, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.

3 Jul 2008

Pharmacy Practice Research Trust calls for UK wide strategy for pharmacy practice research

A UK wide research strategy to support the development of robust evidence to inform commissioning and clinical decision making is needed if pharmacy services are to be integrated into care pathways says the Pharmacy Practice Research Trust (the Trust) in a response to the UK Government's white paper on the future of pharmacy.

2 Jul 2008

Pharmaceutical companies say new approach by FDA has led to decrease approvals of new medications

An "intensifying focus on safety and a diminished tolerance for side effects" by FDA have "dramatically lowered" the chances that experimental medications will reach the market and have led to a recent decrease in approvals of new treatments, according to pharmaceutical companies, the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Jul 2008

SureScripts, RxHub merge, create single e-prescription network

Officials from SureScripts and RxHub, two electronic prescription networks, on Tuesday will announce their merger in an effort to promote greater adoption of electronic prescribing by physicians, the Washington Post reports (Goldfarb, Washington Post, 7/1).

2 Jul 2008

FDA approves generic Risperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Risperdal (risperidone) tablets. Risperdal is an antipsychotic drug used for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions.

1 Jul 2008

Watson Pharmaceuticals launches generic version of dronabinol

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that, under a supply agreement with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Watson has launched the authorized generic version of dronabinol in the 2.5, 5 and 10 mg once daily dosage strengths.

30 Jun 2008

Report finds 32% increase in drug industry lobbying spending in 2007

The pharmaceutical industry spent $168 million on lobbying in 2007, a 32% increase over the previous year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center for Public Integrity, the Wall Street Journal reports.

26 Jun 2008

Ranbaxy receives tentative approval to manufacture Valganciclovir hydrochloride tablets

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), announced today that the company has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Valganciclovir Hydrochloride Tablets, 450 mg. Total annual market sales for Valganciclovir HCl Tablets were $239 million (IMS - MAT: March 2008).

25 Jun 2008

Sanofi Pasteur inaugurates high-tech vaccine production facility in France

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today the inauguration of a high-tech vaccine production facility in France to respond to soaring demand worldwide.

25 Jun 2008

FDA advisory committee recommends approval of Tolvaptan for hyponatremia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee on Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs voted to recommend the approval of tolvaptan, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.'s (OPDC) investigational treatment for patients with hyponatremia.

25 Jun 2008

Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell says state could save $95 million annually by purchasing Medicaid drugs

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) says the state could save $95 million annually under a plan to centralize Medicaid prescription drug purchasing within the state Department of Public Welfare, but state Republicans say those savings would be offset by hidden expenses in the plan, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

25 Jun 2008

Controversial diet drug Rimonabant now available on the NHS in Britain

A controversial diet drug has been approved for use on the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain.

24 Jun 2008

Drug assistance programs help the medicine go down

A new study of state-subsidized pharmacy assistance programs showed that providing prescription drug coverage for low-income seniors reduces Medicaid and Medicare costs. Moreover, needy seniors enrolled in the programs were able to cut their dose skimping and nursing home admissions in half, according to the Brandeis University research.

24 Jun 2008

FDA approves Kinrix - combination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio diseases in one shot

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Kinrix [Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine], the first combination vaccine to offer protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio diseases in one shot.

24 Jun 2008

Pharmaceutical News

Eli Lilly to buy SGX Pharmaceuticals

Black box warning for epilepsy drugs

AMDL granted FDA clearance to market blood test for colorectal cancer

California pharmacies expect disaster after Loss in lawsuit loss to stop 10% Medi-Cal provider cuts

Revised study maintains link between FDA approvals made soon before deadlines, safety risks

GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis found guilty of overcharging Alabama Medicaid Program

Back log of 900 whistle-blower lawsuits at Department of Justice

Pharmacy Practice Research Trust calls for UK wide strategy for pharmacy practice research

Pharmaceutical companies say new approach by FDA has led to decrease approvals of new medications

SureScripts, RxHub merge, create single e-prescription network

FDA approves generic Risperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Watson Pharmaceuticals launches generic version of dronabinol

Report finds 32% increase in drug industry lobbying spending in 2007

Ranbaxy receives tentative approval to manufacture Valganciclovir hydrochloride tablets

Sanofi Pasteur inaugurates high-tech vaccine production facility in France

FDA advisory committee recommends approval of Tolvaptan for hyponatremia

Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell says state could save $95 million annually by purchasing Medicaid drugs

Controversial diet drug Rimonabant now available on the NHS in Britain

Drug assistance programs help the medicine go down

FDA approves Kinrix - combination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio diseases in one shot

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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