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Insurance companies promote use of generic drugs in effort to cut costs

The Chicago Tribune on Sunday examined how some private insurers, in an attempt to reduce health care costs by encouraging the use of generic drugs, "are showering customers with free generic drug samples, waiving copayments and marketing directly to consumers in doctors' offices."

20 Sep 2006

FDA approves Noxafil (posaconazole) to prevent invasive fungal infections

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Noxafil (posaconazole) to prevent fungal infections caused by certain molds and yeast-like fungus called Aspergillus and Candida.

19 Sep 2006

Sen. DeMint pledges to hold Von Eschenbach's FDA Commissioner nomination unless steps taken to take Mifeprex off market

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) plans to place a hold on President Bush's nomination of acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to permanently head the agency unless "immediate steps" are taken to remove Danco Laboratories' medical abortion drug Mifeprex from the market, DeMint press secretary Wesley Denton said recently, the New York Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

House subcomittee hearing focuses on disciplinary measures for NIH scientists' ethnics violations

NIH officials have not adequately disciplined agency scientists found to have violated ethics rules, members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations said at a hearing last Wednesday.

18 Sep 2006

Oregon Prescription Drug Program would expand coverage to all uninsured residents

An initiative that will appear on the November ballot in Oregon would expand a state prescription drug program to cover all residents without drug coverage, the Oregonian reports.

18 Sep 2006

Zimbabwean antiretroviral drug manufacturers seeking WHO certification to receive U.N. funding

Zimbabwean antiretroviral drug manufacturers are seeking certification from the World Health Organization to receive U.N. and other multilateral agency funding to produce more affordable antiretroviral drugs.

18 Sep 2006

GSK to supply antiretroviral drugs to Russia at discounted price

GlaxoSmithKline has announced it would supply 90,000 packs of its antiretroviral drugs Combivir, Epivir and Ziagen to Russia at discounted prices by the end of 2006, the AFP/Yahoo! U.K and Ireland reports (AFP/Yahoo! U.K and Ireland, 9/15).

18 Sep 2006

More physicians now visit web sites to find information on brand-name prescription drugs

An increased number of physicians visited Web sites that promote brand-name prescription drugs during the first six months of 2006 to seek information about dosages and side effects, according to a recent Manhattan Research study, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

18 Sep 2006

Chile to distribute Plan B emergency contraceptive at no cost to girls over age 14

Chilean Health Minister Maria Soledad Barria earlier this month announced that the government will distribute Barr Laboratories' emergency contraceptive Plan B -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse -- in public clinics to girls ages 14 and older at no cost and without parental consent, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

14 Sep 2006

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medivira announce collaboration to commercialize HIV treatment

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medivir AB have announced a worldwide collaboration to develop and commercialize MIV-170, a preclinical non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, or NNRTI, intended for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults as part of an antiretroviral drug regimen.

13 Sep 2006

Accutane iPledge program requirements leading to illegal online sales

The strict regulations governing the prescription and use of the acne drug isotretinoin, sold by Roche under the brand name Accutane, are affecting the drug's sale and dispensation and raising concerns about sales of the medication over the Internet, the Wall Street Journal reports (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 9/12).

13 Sep 2006

Department of Justice joins Whistleblower lawsuit alleging overcharging by drug company Dey

The Department of Justice on Monday joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed against California-based Dey, a generic medication division of Germany-based Merck KGaA, over allegations that the company inflated prices reported to federal health insurance programs, the Boston Globe reports.

13 Sep 2006

GlaxoSmithKline settles dispute with IRS

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it has settled its transfer pricing tax dispute with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

12 Sep 2006

TV advertising of prescription drugs may increase visits to doctor not actual sales

TV advertising of prescription drugs may be prompting more people to visit their doctors rather than substantially increasing sales of advertised drugs, according to research led by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

12 Sep 2006

Drug ads and their influence on patients and doctors

Television ads for prescription drugs are everywhere, enticing people to ask their doctors for this drug or that one, but the effect this type of ad has on American healthcare may be more complicated than simply inducing patients to choose one brand or the other, according to a team of researchers.

12 Sep 2006

FDA approves Watson's generic version of Barr's contraceptive pill Seasonale

FDA on Thursday approved Watson Pharmaceuticals' marketing application for its generic version of Barr Laboratories' extended-cycle oral contraceptive Seasonale, Reuters reports.

11 Sep 2006

Federal Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit challenging Illinois rule requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception

U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott on Wednesday ruled against a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that aims to block an Illinois rule that requires pharmacies to dispense prescriptions for emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse -- saying the plaintiffs have a legitimate claim that the rule infringes on their religious rights.

11 Sep 2006

Johns Hopkins ACG team releases pharmacy-based predictive model

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed Johns Hopkins ACG Rx-PM - new predictive modeling software based on retail pharmacy claims information.

11 Sep 2006

New drug sorts out premature ejaculation

According the American Urological Association, premature ejaculation affects about 20% of males in the U.S. aged 18-59.

11 Sep 2006

Surveys show most pharmacists, doctors believe Medicare Drug Benefit helps patients, though most think it is too complicated

Most pharmacists and physicians believe that the Medicare prescription drug benefit has helped beneficiaries save money on their medications but also believe that the program is overly complex, according to two surveys released on Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

11 Sep 2006

Pharmaceutical News

Insurance companies promote use of generic drugs in effort to cut costs

FDA approves Noxafil (posaconazole) to prevent invasive fungal infections

Sen. DeMint pledges to hold Von Eschenbach's FDA Commissioner nomination unless steps taken to take Mifeprex off market

House subcomittee hearing focuses on disciplinary measures for NIH scientists' ethnics violations

Oregon Prescription Drug Program would expand coverage to all uninsured residents

Zimbabwean antiretroviral drug manufacturers seeking WHO certification to receive U.N. funding

GSK to supply antiretroviral drugs to Russia at discounted price

More physicians now visit web sites to find information on brand-name prescription drugs

Chile to distribute Plan B emergency contraceptive at no cost to girls over age 14

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medivira announce collaboration to commercialize HIV treatment

Accutane iPledge program requirements leading to illegal online sales

Department of Justice joins Whistleblower lawsuit alleging overcharging by drug company Dey

GlaxoSmithKline settles dispute with IRS

TV advertising of prescription drugs may increase visits to doctor not actual sales

Drug ads and their influence on patients and doctors

FDA approves Watson's generic version of Barr's contraceptive pill Seasonale

Federal Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit challenging Illinois rule requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception

Johns Hopkins ACG team releases pharmacy-based predictive model

New drug sorts out premature ejaculation

Surveys show most pharmacists, doctors believe Medicare Drug Benefit helps patients, though most think it is too complicated

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