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Should government negotiate drug prices?

The following is written by Dr. Gary A. Puckrein, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Minority Quality Forum, on the topic of drug prices and the emerging majority:

20 Apr 2007

Bill broadening prescribing rights to psychologists unsafe

Setting the stage for another legislative battle that puts mental health patients in the middle, a bill seeking to give licensed psychologists prescribing privileges for dangerous medications is scheduled to be heard on April 23, 2007 in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.

20 Apr 2007

AstraZeneca addresses lack of ethnically diverse patients in clinical trials

To address the lack of ethnically diverse patients in clinical trials across the U.S., AstraZeneca has announced, in collaboration with the National Medical Association (NMA) and the Interamerican College of Physicians and Surgeons (ICPS), new efforts to increase ethnically diverse physician investigator participation in clinical trials.

20 Apr 2007

Alpharma moves into China with Tongde Pharmaceutical acquisition

Alpharma Inc. has announced it has acquired the assets of Shenzhou Tongde Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd ("Tongde") in Shenzhou City, China.

20 Apr 2007

Access Pharmaceuticals and Somanta Pharmaceuticals sign merger agreement

Access Pharmaceuticals and Somanta Pharmaceuticals have announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement by which Access will acquire Somanta.

20 Apr 2007

Vasogen and Grupo Ferrer to commercialize Celacade in Europe

Vasogen has announced a collaboration with Grupo Ferrer Internacional, S.A. ("Ferrer"), to commercialize Vasogen's Celacade technology for the treatment of chronic heart failure in the European Union and in certain Latin American countries.

19 Apr 2007

Viragen announces European Multiferon licensing agreement

Viragen and its majority-owned subsidiary, Viragen International have announced that a licensing agreement has been completed with Swedish Orphan International AB, granting exclusive marketing rights to Multiferon (multi-subtype, human alpha interferon) for the European Union (excluding previously licensed member states).

19 Apr 2007

Lexicon-Genentech reveals potential therapeutic targets

Lexicon Genetics Incorporated has announced that data was presented highlighting potential therapeutic targets related to its collaboration with Genentech, Inc. at the Society for Biomolecular Sciences 13th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Montreal, Canada.

19 Apr 2007

Modafinil which improves intelligence under scrutiny by Health Department

The British government is examining the impact of a new generation of drugs that are claimed to make people more intelligent.

19 Apr 2007

FDA approves new Actonel dose

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new dose for Actonel (risedronate sodium tablets) that will give patients the option of taking one Actonel 75 mg tablet on two consecutive days, for a total of two tablets monthly, to treat and prevent their postmenopausal osteoporosis.

18 Apr 2007

Schering-Plough selects Pharmacopeia compund for development

Pharmacopeia has announced that a compound identified through the Company's collaboration with Schering-Plough has been selected by Schering- Plough for preclinical development.

18 Apr 2007

Indevus and Valera complete merger

Indevus Pharmaceuticals and Valera Pharmaceuticals have announced the completion of their previously announced merger, which became effective at 12:01 a.m., April 18, 2007.

18 Apr 2007

FDA approves new bird flu vaccine from sanofi pasteur

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the first approval in the United States of a vaccine for humans against the H5N1 influenza virus, commonly known as avian or bird flu.

18 Apr 2007

Cell Therapeutics settles law suit with Government

Cell Therapeutics has announced that it has settled all government claims arising out of a Department of Justice investigation into allegations regarding alleged overpayments by Medicare to doctors who prescribed the anti-cancer drug, TRISENOX.

18 Apr 2007

Pharma sales reps' productivity inhibited by unnecessary internal communication

According to a new study by pharmaceutical research and consulting firm Best Practices, LLC, pharma sales reps spend an average of 13.7 hours a week managing internal communication.

17 Apr 2007

AccessPharmacy helps meet demands of pharmacy education

In five years, nearly 300,000 practicing pharmacists will be needed nationwide to serve an aging population, a 30 percent increase compared with 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

17 Apr 2007

FDA accepts Satraplatin NDA for priority review

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for satraplatin has been accepted for priority review by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

17 Apr 2007

FDA accepts GPC Biotech's Satraplatin NDA

GPC Biotech AG has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for satraplatin in combination with prednisone for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) whose prior chemotherapy has failed.

17 Apr 2007

Cytochroma and Genzyme settle lawsuit

Cytochroma Inc. announced that the lawsuit filed in August 2006 by Genzyme Corporation in the United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin has been settled by the parties.

17 Apr 2007