Content about IMS Health

August 17, 2012
Annual Disease State Report 2012

As the debate over healthcare reform in the United States rages — sometimes palpably so — a new report from healthcare market research firm IMS Health indicated that a major shift in drug-spending trends is under way between developed countries like the United States and developing countries.

As the debate over healthcare reform in the United States rages — sometimes palpably so — a new report from healthcare market research firm IMS Health indicated that a major shift in drug-spending trends is under way between developed countries like the United States and developing countries.

Click below to download the complete Annual Disease State Report.

May 9, 2013
Generic use reached 84% in 2012, study finds

Declining use overall of healthcare services drove down spending on medicines in the United States by 3.5% per capita last year, according to a new study.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Declining use overall of healthcare services drove down spending on medicines in the United States by 3.5% per capita last year, according to a new study.

May 9, 2013
OxyContin patent expires, fears of abuse return

The November 2011 expiration of Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol drug Lipitor and Ranbaxy Labs' release of the generic version received significant play in the media, particularly due to the theretofore status of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) as the drug with the highest sales in the country, $7.7 billion in the United States, according to healthcare analytics firm IMS Health.

The November 2011 expiration of Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol drug Lipitor and Ranbaxy Labs' release of the generic version received significant play in the media, particularly due to the theretofore status of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) as the drug with the highest sales in the country, $7.7 billion in the United States, according to healthcare analytics firm IMS Health.

May 3, 2013
IMS Health acquires Semantelli Corp.

Healthcare analytics firm IMS Health has acquired social media analytics company Semantelli Corp., saying the purchase would allow it to provide real-time monitoring and delivery of insights into consumer and physician behavior and sentiments.

DANBURY, Conn. — Healthcare analytics firm IMS Health has acquired social media analytics company Semantelli Corp., saying the purchase would allow it to provide real-time monitoring and delivery of insights into consumer and physician behavior and sentiments.

May 1, 2013
Teva introduces generic bronchospasm drug

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic inhaler used to treat bronchospasm, the company said.

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic inhaler used to treat bronchospasm, the company said.

Teva announced the introduction of levalbuterol inhalation solution. The product is a generic version of Sunovion's Xopenex and is available in the 0.31 mg, 0.63 mg and 1.25 mg strengths.

Various versions of the drug had sales of $438.8 million in 2012, according to IMS Health.

April 30, 2013
Aurobindo receives FDA approval for hypertension, antibiotic drugs

The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic drugs made by Aurobindo Pharma, the drug maker said.

HYDERABAD — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic drugs made by Aurobindo Pharma, the drug maker said.

The company announced Tuesday the approval of quinapril tablets in the 5-mg, 10-mg, 20-mg and 40-mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of Pfizer's Accupril and is used to treat high blood pressure. Various versions of the drug had sales of about $49 million during the 12-month period ending in September, according to IMS Health.

April 19, 2013
Obama budget provides a mixed bag for health care

President Barack Obama sent his $3.8 trillion budget proposal to Congress on April 10, and the plan includes a number of provisions designed to cut spending on health care and promote health and wellness.

Overall, the budget is something of a mixed bag for the healthcare industry. While it would provide incentives for expanding the use of generic drugs, for example, it would also cut spending on Medicaid that have drawn opposition from pharmacy retailers, and even generic drug makers disagree with some of its provisions for that industry.

President Barack Obama sent his $3.8 trillion budget proposal to Congress on April 10, and the plan includes a number of provisions designed to cut spending on health care and promote health and wellness.

Overall, the budget is something of a mixed bag for the healthcare industry. While it would provide incentives for expanding the use of generic drugs, for example, it would also cut spending on Medicaid that have drawn opposition from pharmacy retailers, and even generic drug makers disagree with some of its provisions for that industry.

April 16, 2013
Authorities worry about abuse potential as OxyContin patent expires

Purdue Pharma's patent for OxyContin expired Tuesday, opening up the opioid painkiller to generic competition, but authorities have raised concerns about what they call the potential for generic versions to be abused.

NEW YORK — Purdue Pharma's patent for OxyContin expired Tuesday, opening up the opioid painkiller to generic competition, but authorities have raised concerns about what they call the potential for generic versions to be abused.

April 11, 2013
Study finds wide disparities in antibiotic prescribing rates between South, Midwest

Research has indicated that about half of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, raising concerns about the growth of bacteria resistant to them, but a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also finds that prescriptions are highest in several states in the South and Midwest.

NEW YORK — Research has indicated that about half of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, raising concerns about the growth of bacteria resistant to them, but a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also finds that prescriptions are highest in several states in the South and Midwest.

The study, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, was based on a database maintained by IMS Health that includes a sample of more than 70% of U.S. prescriptions.

April 8, 2013
Shift to Managed Medicaid shows some effects on patient care, but overall effect unclear, study finds

A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

March 20, 2013
HRG launches ranking system for top prescriptions by ZIP code

Hamacher Resource Group is offering pharmacists a new service that it said would allow them to get the top prescriptions dispensed in their two-digit ZIP code to ensure they are accurately and competitively pricing drugs.

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Hamacher Resource Group is offering pharmacists a new service that it said would allow them to get the top prescriptions dispensed in their two-digit ZIP code to ensure they are accurately and competitively pricing drugs.

HRG said the service, Rx Top Sellers, would provide data on the top 200, 500, 750 or 1,000 prescriptions and include cash median prices that are charged by food-drug retailers and independent pharmacies, as well as mass merchandise retailers.

February 28, 2013
Battle over 'pay for delay' intensifies

The battle over "pay for delay" continues to heat up, and its resolution likely won't come until the nation's highest court decides on the legality of the practice.

The battle over "pay for delay" continues to heat up, and its resolution likely won't come until the nation's highest court decides on the legality of the practice.

February 28, 2013
Generics stifling pioneer drug development?

Has the explosion in generic utilization curbed pioneer-drug research and development? That's one concern floated by some pharmaceutical industry watchers, who claim that the stunning market share gains made by generic drug makers could reduce incentives for branded drug companies to spend to develop new molecular entities, conduct lengthy clinical trials, gain FDA approval and bring those new drugs to market.

Has the explosion in generic utilization curbed pioneer-drug research and development? That's one concern floated by some pharmaceutical industry watchers, who claim that the stunning market share gains made by generic drug makers could reduce incentives for branded drug companies to spend to develop new molecular entities, conduct lengthy clinical trials, gain FDA approval and bring those new drugs to market.

February 28, 2013
Outlook for biosimilars remains cloudy

Biosimilar medicines have been approved and routinely prescribed in Europe for nearly seven years, and creation of a clear pathway for Food and Drug Administration review and approval of generic versions of bioengineered drugs was enshrined into law in the United States with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act nearly three years ago.

Biosimilar medicines have been approved and routinely prescribed in Europe for nearly seven years, and creation of a clear pathway for Food and Drug Administration review and approval of generic versions of bioengineered drugs was enshrined into law in the United States with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act nearly three years ago. But IMS Health and other industry experts agree it could still be years before biosimilars are available to pharmacies and patients in this country.

February 25, 2013
Generic tsunami eases, but leaves transformed Rx landscape in its wake

The generic drug tidal wave became a tsunami in 2012, with some of the world's top-selling pharmaceuticals swamped by generic competition, and health plan payers scrambling to reap billions of dollars in financial savings.

The generic drug tidal wave became a tsunami in 2012, with some of the world's top-selling pharmaceuticals swamped by generic competition, and health plan payers scrambling to reap billions of dollars in financial savings.

December 28, 2012
FDA approves Mylan's generic Dilantin chewable tablets

Mylan on Friday announced that its subsidiary, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its phenytoin chewable tablets USP in the 50 mg strength.

 PITTSBURGH — Mylan on Friday announced that its subsidiary, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its phenytoin chewable tablets USP in the 50 mg strength.

The product is a generic version of Pfizer's Dilantin Chewable Tablets, which are indicated for the control of generalized tonic-clonic (i.e., grand mal) and complex partial (i.e., psychomotor, temporal lobe) seizures, and prevention and treatment of seizures occurring during or following neurosurgery.

November 15, 2012
Branded generics transform the old into the new

In the classic Arabian Nights tale “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,” the sorcerer who sold Aladdin the lamp containing the genie attempts to get it back by walking through the town where Aladdin and his wife live disguised as a merchant, trading “new lamps 
for old.” 


In the classic Arabian Nights tale “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,” the sorcerer who sold Aladdin the lamp containing the genie attempts to get it back by walking through the town where Aladdin and his wife live disguised as a merchant, trading “new lamps 
for old.” 


Rubbing pill bottles isn’t likely to bring forth any genies ready to grant three wishes, but the idea of inputting something old and outputting something shiny and new is sort of the gist behind 
branded generics.


November 15, 2012
Generic drugs compete in game of differentiation

The year 2012 is coming to an end, and it’s been a big year for 
generic drugs.


The year 2012 is coming to an end, and it’s been a big year for 
generic drugs.


November 15, 2012
Generics target specialty pharmacy with biosimilars

Perhaps the iconic scene at the end of Ridley Scott’s 1991 movie “Thelma & Louise” — with Gina Davis’ and Susan Sarandon’s characters hurdling into the Grand Canyon in a green convertible — is a good metaphor for what’s happening in the generic drug industry these days.


Perhaps the iconic scene at the end of Ridley Scott’s 1991 movie “Thelma & Louise” — with Gina Davis’ and Susan Sarandon’s characters hurdling into the Grand Canyon in a green convertible — is a good metaphor for what’s happening in the generic drug industry these days.


November 15, 2012
NewsBytes — Chain Pharmacy, 11/19/12

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for leukemia made by a subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Cos.


FDA approves Par leukemia drug
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for leukemia made by a subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Cos.


Par said Oct. 25 that the FDA had approved Anchen Pharmaceuticals’ tretinoin capsules in the 10-mg strength.


The drug is a generic version of Roche’s Vesanoid, various versions of which have annual sales of about $29 million, according to IMS Health.



 

November 5, 2012
NewsBytes — Chain Pharmacy, 11/5/12

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for treating blood pressure and chest pain.

FDA approves cardiovascular drug

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for treating blood pressure and chest pain. Actavis announced the approval of diltiazem hydrochloride extended-release capsules.
The drug is a generic version of Valeant’s Tiazac. The branded drug and its generic equivalents had sales of about $76.3 million in 2011, according to IMS Health.



October 25, 2012
FDA approves Par leukemia drug

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for leukemia made by a subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Cos.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for leukemia made by a subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Cos.

Par said Thursday that the FDA had approved Anchen Pharmaceuticals' tretinoin capsules in the 10-mg strength.

The drug is a generic version of Roche's Vesanoid, various versions of which have annual sales of about $29 million, according to IMS Health.

October 15, 2012
Watson gains two generic approvals

Watson Pharmaceuticals announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, has received Food and Drug Administration approval on its abbreviated new drug application for irbesartan tablets — the generic equivalent to Sanofi's Avapro — in the 75-mg, 150-mg and 300-mg strengths.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Watson Pharmaceuticals announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, has received Food and Drug Administration approval on its abbreviated new drug application for irbesartan tablets — the generic equivalent to Sanofi's Avapro — in the 75-mg, 150-mg and 300-mg strengths.

October 10, 2012
FDA approves generic cardiovascular drug

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for treating blood pressure and chest pain.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for treating blood pressure and chest pain.

Actavis announced Wednesday the approval of diltiazem hydrochloride extended-release capsules.

The drug is a generic version of Valeant's Tiazac. The branded drug and its generic equivalents had sales of about $76.3 million in 2011, according to IMS Health.

October 9, 2012
NewsBytes — Chain Pharmacy, 10/15/12

Drug maker Dr. Reddy’s Labs has launched a generic antibiotic drug, the company said. The India-based company announced the launch of amoxicillin tablets, capsules and oral suspension.

Dr. Reddy's launches antibiotics