Content about Pharmacology

September 15, 2010

Generic drugs saved Medicare Part D beneficiaries and the program as a whole $33 billion...

WASHINGTON Generic drugs saved Medicare Part D beneficiaries and the program as a whole $33 billion in 2007, according to a new report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO expected another $14 billion in annual savings to accrue as many new generics enter the market through 2012.

 

The main lobby for pharmacy benefit managers said the report also showed the advantages of pharmacy benefit managers.

 

September 15, 2010

Drug maker Forest Pharmaceuticals will pay more than $300 million to the federal government as...

SILVER SPRING, Md. Drug maker Forest Pharmaceuticals will pay more than $300 million to the federal government as part of a plea agreement over alleged improper drug distribution and obstructing a Food and Drug Administration inspection.

September 13, 2010

The lobby for the generic drug industry is joining the fight against counterfeit drugs....

September 13, 2010

The Internal Revenue Service earlier this month issued guidance reflecting statutory changes regarding the use...

WASHINGTON The Internal Revenue Service earlier this month issued guidance reflecting statutory changes regarding the use of certain tax-favored arrangements, such as flexible spending arrangements, to pay for over-the-counter medicines and drugs.

September 13, 2010

Rexam is marketing a programmable pill timer that fits on its prescription vials that was...

PERRYSBURG, Ohio Rexam is marketing a programmable pill timer that fits on its prescription vials that was developed under a partnership with Med Time Technology.

 

The two companies announced Tuesday the introduction of the Pill Timer, which uses software that can be programmed with audio and visual alerts to help people properly take their prescription medications. The Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System is one of the first healthcare organizations to adopt the product.

 

 

September 12, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application for a flu vaccine...

SWIFTWATER, Pa. The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application for a flu vaccine administered in the skin.

 

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines arm of French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis, announced Monday that the FDA had accepted its application for Fluzone Intradermal (influenza virus vaccine). The company expects the FDA to take action on the vaccine in the first half of next year.

 

 

September 12, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration did not completely withdraw from the market a drug used...

PHILADELPHIA The Food and Drug Administration did not completely withdraw from the market a drug used to treat a dangerous low blood pressure condition, but merely proposed to do so as a “step in the regulatory process,” according to a document posted on the agency’s website Monday.

The agency said its proposal last month to withdraw approval for Shire’s drug ProAmatine (midodrine) did not represent the actual withdrawal of the drug from the market, while calling for more data on the drug to verify its clinical benefit.

 

September 9, 2010

The federal government got a kick in the face Thursday as an appeals court ruled...

NEW YORK The federal government got a kick in the face Thursday as an appeals court ruled in favor of patent litigation settlements between branded and generic drug companies.

September 9, 2010

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest on Thursday released the results of a...

September 9, 2010

It’s about time....

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT It’s about time.

(THE NEWS: NACDS, NCPA in joint statement praise CMS' move to withdraw provisions of AMP rule currently blocked by injunction. For the full story, click here)

September 8, 2010

Consumers are much more likely to adhere to their prescription medication therapy if given “a...

WOONSOCKET, R.I. Consumers are much more likely to adhere to their prescription medication therapy if given “a clear and active choice” in recorded telephone prompts from their pharmacy, new research into patient compliance from CVS Caremark demonstrated.

 

September 8, 2010

Hi-Tech Pharmacal had $40.4 million in sales during its fiscal first quarter ended July 31,...

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. Hi-Tech Pharmacal had $40.4 million in sales during its fiscal first quarter ended July 31, the generic drug maker said Thursday. The numbers amounted to a decrease of $3 million from the same period in 2009.

 

September 8, 2010

Residents in North Carolina prescribed controlled substances could receive some attention from more than their...

RALEIGH, N.C. Residents in North Carolina prescribed controlled substances could receive some attention from more than their physicians and pharmacists, according to published reports.

 

September 7, 2010

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association is slated to testify Wednesday before an Indiana legislative committee...

September 7, 2010

Swiss drug maker Lonza will help British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline manufacture five biotech drugs in...

LONDON Swiss drug maker Lonza will help British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline manufacture five biotech drugs in early- and mid-stage clinical trials, the two companies said Wednesday.

 

Lonza will manufacture clinical trial batches of the drugs, all monoclonal antibodies in phase-1 and phase-2 testing, and provide additional access to manufacturing capacity so GSK can fulfill future demands. The two companies said other details of the agreement remain confidential.

 

 

September 6, 2010

Drug maker Somaxon Pharmaceuticals has made its treatment for insomnia available by prescription, the company...

SAN DIEGO Drug maker Somaxon Pharmaceuticals has made its treatment for insomnia available by prescription, the company said Tuesday.

 

Somaxon announced the availability of Silenor (doxepin), which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in March as a treatment for insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance.

 

 

September 2, 2010

National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson and National Community Pharmacists...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson and National Community Pharmacists Association acting EVP and CEO Douglas Hoey issued a statement praising the proposed rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would withdraw existing provisions of the Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement formula under the average manufacturer price model.

September 2, 2010

Pfizer is pulling out of a development deal for a potential brain cancer drug, saying...

NEEDHAM, Mass. Pfizer is pulling out of a development deal for a potential brain cancer drug, saying it is not a strategic priority, according to the drug's developer Celldex Therapeutics.

Celldex said it will regain full worldwide rights to develop and sell rindopepimut from Pfizer. The drug candidate also is called CDX-110. In May, the company reported positive results form a midstage study on the drug.

 

Celldex will regain rights to the drug candidate on Nov. 1.

 

September 1, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug made by Actavis for treating...

MORRISTOWN, N.J. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug made by Actavis for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Actavis said Wednesday.

 

The FDA approved the drug maker’s atomoxetine hydrochloride capsules in the 10-mg, 18-mg, 25-mg, 40-mg, 60-mg, 80-mg and 100-mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of Eli Lilly’s Strattera, which had $532 million in sales during the 12-month period ended in June, according to IMS Health.

 

 

September 1, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Reckitt Benckiser’s treatment for opioid addiction, Reckitt Benckiser...

RICHMOND, Va. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Reckitt Benckiser’s treatment for opioid addiction, Reckitt Benckiser said.

 

The drug maker announced the approval of Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone), a drug delivered through a fast-dissolving film placed under the tongue. The film is based on a technology known as PharmFilm, made by MonoSol Rx.

 

 

September 1, 2010

Walgreens is offering safety tips to East Coasters dealing with Hurricane Earl....

August 31, 2010

Improving medication adherence will require bringing multiple methods together in order to be successful, Pharmacy...

SAN DIEGO Improving medication adherence will require bringing multiple methods together in order to be successful, Pharmacy Quality Alliance senior director for research and performance measurement David Nau said Tuesday in an education session at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Pharmacy and Technology Conference in San Diego.

 

“You need to have a multifaceted strategy around adherence if you want to have an impact on adherence,” Nau said.

 

 

August 31, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration last week issued an information packet in preparation for a...

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration last week issued an information packet in preparation for a Sept. 14 advisory committee meeting that will address the potential abuse of dextromethorphan products and whether restrictions should be placed on the sale of those over-the-counter cough medicines.

 

Members of both the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and the FDA Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will be in attendance at the public meeting.

 

 

August 30, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration has pushed back its review date for a drug made...

LONDON The Food and Drug Administration has pushed back its review date for a drug made by GlaxoSmithKline and Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

The FDA has not yet completed the review of the new drug application for ezogabine, a drug designed to treat epileptic adults with partial onset seizures, after a formal risk evaluation and mitigation strategy was submitted to the agency from GSK and Valeant, per its request.

The FDA is expected to review the application by Nov. 30.

August 30, 2010

The U.S. drug market will present opportunities as well as uncertainties over the next decade,...

SAN DIEGO The U.S. drug market will present opportunities as well as uncertainties over the next decade, according to remarks made by IMS Health VP industry relations Doug Long at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ 2010 Pharmacy and Technology Conference held here on Monday.