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An oft-cited 1998 report, recently repeated again by the surgeon general in the January/ February 2012 "Public Health Report," estimated that 125,000 U.S. citizens die each year due to complications related to adherence. Also worrisome is the statistic that one-third to one-half of all patients don't take medication as prescribed, and according to a 2011 study by Harvard, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS, up to one-quarter of these never fill prescriptions at all.

NEW YORK — One of the Food and Drug Administration's chief duties is ensuring the quality of food and drug products, and that was the focus of a keynote address delivered Friday morning by FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg at the Generic Pharmaceutical Association's annual meeting.

In the address, viewed via webcast, Hamburg addressed issues ranging from quality to drug shortages to follow-on biologics, praising the generics industry's role in contributing more than $1 trillion in savings to the healthcare system over the past decade.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck on Friday announced the Food and Drug Administration has approved the switch of Oxytrol for Women (oxybutynin transdermal system, 3.9 mg/day) from prescription-only to nonprescription, creating a new category — overactive bladder in women — in the OTC area. Most notable about this switch is the fact that the FDA approved Oxytrol for Women against the majority opinion of its Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee, which voted five in favor and six opposed to the switch in November. 

BOSTON — Topical pain relievers may be better suited for joint pain, according to a report published in the January 2013 issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch. 

"Topical pain relievers can be very helpful for the more superficial joints like the knees, ankles, feet, elbows and hands," stated Rosalyn Nguyen, a clinical instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. "In those areas, the medication can penetrate closer to the joint."

The vast majority of product launches, reorganizations, mergers and improvement initiatives either fail or grossly disappoint. In all, roughly 90% of major projects violate their own schedule, budget or quality standards.

Obviously these performance gaps are not part of the plan. Companies that work together to create very concise business plans, supported by a constant rhythm of team meetings, are more apt to stay on course and execute their plans with precision.

Seems obvious, so why do most initiatives breakdown?

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Watson Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday announced the sale of its Rugby over-the-counter business to the Harvard Drug Group — a distributor and provider of private-label OTCs and generic prescription products under the Major Pharmaceuticals brand — for approximately $117 million.  

"I am confident that Major, with its leadership position as a marketer of OTC products, will be more strategically positioned to maximize the value of the long-known and respected Rugby name," stated Paul Bisaro, president and CEO of Watson.

Warren Buffet once shared: “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you.”  Most people believe they operate with integrity and transparency, but the dirty little secret is that your customers may see you as biased or not as valuable as you think. 

BOSTON — Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are less likely to die from the disease than from such preventable conditions as heart disease, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health.

NEW YORK — Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor lung function in asthmatic children treated with inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study from researchers in Boston released Friday.

Recently during one of our Elevation Forum meetings, we asked the question: which competitors do you worry about the most?

Many of the leaders in the room listed either the largest or the fastest growing competitors they compete against. But one honest executive shared a provocative reflection. He said we are not as worried about who’s outside, but more focused on the enemy in the mirror. 

WASHINGTON — The New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday published an op-ed online that called for more rule-making to govern dietary supplements in an effort to rein in the criminal activity of illicit prescription drug manufacturers that openly disregard the laws currently in effect.

BOSTON — Nicotine replacement therapies designed to help people stop smoking, specifically nicotine patches and nicotine gum, do not appear to be effective in helping smokers quit long-term, even when combined with smoking-cessation counseling, according to a new survey by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Massachusetts Boston posted in an advance online edition of Tobacco Control Monday.