Content about Pharmacology

NEW YORK — The U.S. healthcare system could get at least $70 billion in savings over the next four years thanks to loss of patent protection for branded drugs, according to published reports.


IMS Health SVP Murray Aitken said at the Reuters Health Summit that generics also would increase their dominance in terms of prescriptions dispensed, increasing from 77% during the first half of this year to perhaps 85% by 2014, Reuters reported.


NEW YORK — Fears about the likelihood of medication errors have officials in Pennsylvania mulling the possibility of restrictions on patients transferring prescriptions from one pharmacy to another, according to published reports.

CNBC reported Sunday that a rule recently put in place by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy that allows only one transfer per year had inspired Pennsylvania officials to consider a similar rule for their own state.

WILMINGTON, Del. — Nearly half a million people participated in AstraZeneca's prescription savings programs.

The drug maker reported that it provided $947 million in savings last year to the more than 545,000 patients in the United States who participated. Participation in the AZ&Me prescription savings programs has increased steadily over the past three years, up 7% over 2009 and 19% over 2008, AstraZeneca said.

PITTSBURGH — Generic drug maker Mylan has entered settlements with Pfizer concerning two drugs for treating cholesterol.

Mylan announced Tuesday that it had settled patent litigation suits with Pfizer concerning Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) and Caduet (atorvastatin calcium and amlodipine besylate).

Under the Caduet agreement, the lawsuit will be dismissed, and Mylan can launch its generic version on Nov. 30. Terms of the Lipitor agreement remain confidential.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — An investigational schizophrenia drug appears effective in reducing agitation in patients with the disease, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Alexza Pharmaceuticals announced results of a phase-3 trial of the inhaled drug AZ-004 (loxapine), which showed statistically significant improvement in symptoms of agitation in patients compared with the placebo.

NEW YORK — A drug for major depressive disorder worked better than placebo, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial announced Thursday.

U.S. drug maker Forest Labs and French drug maker Pierre Fabre Medicament said that while the overall difference between patients treated with levomilnacipran and those treated with the placebo was not statistically significant, the drug consistently demonstrated improvement relative to the placebo over the course of the phase-3 trial.

NEW YORK — Generic drug maker Watson Pharmaceuticals expects sales of $4.2 billion for 2011, the company said Friday.

The company expected the forecasted sales for the year to include between $2.8 billion and $3 billion in global generics sales, compared with around $2.35 billion in 2010. Total sales for 2010 were around $3.5 billion, according to preliminary financial results released last week.

NEW YORK — Healthcare market research firm IMS Health will buy privately held market research firm SDI Health, IMS said.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the deal would bring together two of the leading healthcare analytics companies. In terms of drug industry analytics, IMS focuses on drug sales and dispensed prescriptions, while SDI provides data on prescriptions written by physicians and other prescribers.

POINT RICHMOND, Calif. — Transcept Pharmaceuticals has resubmitted its regulatory application for a drug to treat insomnia to the Food and Drug Administration, following a previous denial of approval by the agency, the drug maker said Tuesday.

Transcept sent in its application for Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate), a pill placed under the tongue for treating patients who awake in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling asleep again.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The battle for the prescription status of methamphetamine precursor/popular cough-cold ingredient pseudoephedrine now is heating up in Kentucky, just a few days following a Nevada news report that suggested the state will be considering PSE prescription-only requirements just as soon as a bill is introduced by Nevada Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno.

LAS VEGAS — Nevada Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, is working with Carson City district attorney Neil Rombardo on introducing a bill to require a prescription for pseudoephedrine as a tool to cut down on illicit methamphetamine production, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Wednesday evening.