Content about Maryland

January 3, 2011

Giant Food is helping customers stick to their New Year's resolutions by emphasizing its product labeling system.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food is helping customers stick to their New Year's resolutions by emphasizing its product labeling system.

Healthy Ideas, which initially launched in January 2009, identifies healthy options for customers as they shop the aisles, and includes both perishable and nonperishable items, as well as private-label and national brands.

December 20, 2010

Drugs for bacterial infections and cancer, and one that could help shape regulations for biosimilars, are featured in the Food and Drug Administration’s annual "Generic Drug Roundup."

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Drugs for bacterial infections and cancer, and one that could help shape regulations for biosimilars, are featured in the Food and Drug Administration’s annual "Generic Drug Roundup."

The roundup is an annual highlighting of what the agency considers the most significant generic drug approvals.

December 16, 2010

Just a few months after a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended limiting the use of a Genentech drug designed to treat breast cancer, the regulatory agency is looking to revoke the approval altogether.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Just a few months after a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended limiting the use of a Genentech drug designed to treat breast cancer, the regulatory agency is looking to revoke the approval altogether.

December 15, 2010

A prescription cough suppressant should be kept in childproof containers because of its candy-like appearance, the Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A prescription cough suppressant should be kept in childproof containers because of its candy-like appearance, the Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.

Tessalon (benzonatate) is made by Forest Labs and comes in the form of a round, liquid-filled gelatin capsule. The drug is used to relieve cough in patients older than 10 years of age.

December 14, 2010

A University of Maryland pharmacy professor won top honors last week for his work developing a means of measuring oxygen levels in the brain, the university said Monday.

BALTIMORE — A University of Maryland pharmacy professor won top honors last week for his work developing a means of measuring oxygen levels in the brain, the university said Monday.

The state chapter of the American Chemical Society named Gerald Rosen its Maryland Chemist of the Year. Rosen and colleagues are developing real-time electron paramagnetic resonance imaging, or EPRI, to measure critical oxygen levels in stroke and tumor patients and to improve drug development.

December 13, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned consumers not to use Man Up Now capsules, which are marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, because they contain a variation of an active drug ingredient found in Viagra that can dangerously lower blood pressure.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned consumers not to use Man Up Now capsules, which are marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, because they contain a variation of an active drug ingredient found in Viagra that can dangerously lower blood pressure.

December 8, 2010

Procter & Gamble's CoverGirl brand has announced that multiplatinum artist and four-time Grammy award-winning star Taylor Swift will be the face of the new CoverGirl NatureLuxe line launching in January.

HUNT VALLEY, Md. — Procter & Gamble's CoverGirl brand has announced that multiplatinum artist and four-time Grammy award-winning star Taylor Swift will be the face of the new CoverGirl NatureLuxe line launching in January.

December 7, 2010

As a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee convenes to decide whether or not to approve a new drug for treating obesity, two nonprofit groups centered on the epidemic said more means of addressing it are needed.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — As a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee convenes to decide whether or not to approve a new drug for treating obesity, two nonprofit groups centered on the epidemic said more means of addressing it are needed.

December 6, 2010

Two-and-a-half years after joining the company, Robin Michel is leaving as president of the Giant-Landover division of Ahold USA to pursue other opportunities, the company confirmed Monday.

LANDOVER, Md. — Two-and-a-half years after joining the company, Robin Michel is leaving as president of the Giant-Landover division of Ahold USA to pursue other opportunities, the company confirmed Monday.

Michel will depart at the end of the month, according to Ahold USA spokesperson Sara Neumann. She will be replaced on a temporary basis as operations chief by Don Sussman, EVP supply chain at Ahold, while the company conducts a search for a successor.

December 3, 2010

Nutramax Labs on Thursday announced the continuation of its partnership with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, spokesman of the Cosamin joint health supplements in national and regional marketing campaigns and events.

EDGEWOOD, Md. — Nutramax Labs on Thursday announced the continuation of its partnership with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, spokesman of the Cosamin joint health supplements in national and regional marketing campaigns and events.

December 3, 2010

Good results from an investigational diabetes drug made by Spherix may result from higher body mass indexes among U.S. patients, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial announced Thursday.

BETHESDA, Md. — Good results from an investigational diabetes drug made by Spherix may result from higher body mass indexes among U.S. patients, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial announced Thursday.

Spherix said results of the phase-3 trial conducted among American and Indian patients indicated that D-tagatose may be more effective in lowering HbA1c levels due to Americans having higher BMIs on average than Indians.

November 21, 2010

A drug maker will pull a common prescription painkiller from the market following the release...

SILVER SPRING, Md. A drug maker will pull a common prescription painkiller from the market following the release of clinical data that it could cause heart problems.

 

November 18, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment for preventing skeletal injuries in patients...

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment for preventing skeletal injuries in patients whose cancer has spread to the bone.

 

The FDA announced Friday the approval of Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based biotech company Amgen’s Xgeva (denosumab) for bone metastases.

 

 

November 18, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday reported that Vigor-25, a product inappropriately marketed as...

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday reported that Vigor-25, a product inappropriately marketed as a natural dietary supplement to enhance male sexual performance, should not be purchased or used because it contains sildenafil, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Viagra.

 

November 16, 2010

A class of alcoholic beverages that rapidly became popular among young people over the last...

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A class of alcoholic beverages that rapidly became popular among young people over the last few years is headed for the drain.

 

The Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to four manufacturers of beverages that combine high amounts of alcohol and caffeine, effectively issuing a federal ban on the beverages.

 

 

November 16, 2010

A decision by a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee could pave the way for...

ROCKVILLE, Md. A decision by a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee could pave the way for the first new drug to treat lupus in decades.

 

The FDA’s Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 13-2 Tuesday to recommend approval for Benlysta (belimumab), a drug for systemic lupus erythematosus made by British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and U.S.-based Human Genome Sciences, the two companies announced. Lupus is an inflammatory disorder that affects internal organs, joints and skin and, in its severest forms, can be fatal.

 

November 15, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control...

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other healthcare professionals, government, academic, international and industry partners to support Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, Nov. 15 to 21, as part of a joint effort to encourage the appropriate use of antibiotics.

 

November 14, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for breast cancer, the agency...

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for breast cancer, the agency said Monday.

The FDA approved Eisai’s Halaven (eribulin mesylate) for patients with breast cancer that has spread and who have received at least two chemotherapy regimens for the disease in its late stages. More than 200,000 women will be diagnosed this year with breast cancer, and nearly 40,000 will die from it, making it the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

November 14, 2010

A backlog of more than 2,000 drug entities and devices is awaiting approval. That’s the...

ROCKVILLE, Md. — A backlog of more than 2,000 drug entities and devices is awaiting approval. That’s the situation facing the Food and Drug Administration and the generic pharmaceutical industry—and it’s the chief impetus behind the FDA’s push to impose user fees on generic drug makers seeking the agency’s review and approval for their brand-equivalent medicines.

November 10, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for treating excess fat development in...

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for treating excess fat development in patients with HIV, the agency said Thursday.

 

The FDA approved Egrifta (tesamorelin) for treating HIV patients with lipodystrophy, a condition in which excess fat develops in different areas of the body, such as the abdominal organs. The condition is often a side effect of the retroviral drugs used to treat the disease.

 

 

November 2, 2010

The main lobbies for the biotechnology and generic drug industries, and a leading manufacturer of...

SILVER SPRING, Md. The main lobbies for the biotechnology and generic drug industries, and a leading manufacturer of generic drugs, testified Wednesday at a hearing sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration to collect public and industry input on the implementation of the regulatory approval pathway for follow-on biologics included in the healthcare-reform bill.

 

November 2, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic treatment made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals for...

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic treatment made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals for allergies, according to FDA records.

 

The drug is a generic version of Schering-Plough’s Clarinex.

 

 

Clarinex has annual sales of around $229 million, according to IMS Health data reported by several media in India, where Lupin is based.

 

October 31, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a cancer drug for treating tumors associated with...

October 29, 2010

SILVER SPRING , Md. (Oct. 29) The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating schizophrenia, the agency said Thursday.

The FDA announced the approval of Latuda (lurasidone hydrochloride), made by Fort Lee, N.J.-based Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. The drug is approved to treat adults with the disease, a mental illness that causes hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and disordered thinking and behavior.

October 28, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating schizophrenia, the agency...

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating schizophrenia, the agency said Thursday.

The FDA announced the approval of Latuda (lurasidone hydrochloride), made by Fort Lee, N.J.-based Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. The drug is approved to treat adults with the disease, a mental illness that causes hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and disordered thinking and behavior.