Prescription Drug News and Research

RSS

FDA grants orphan drug designation for Chiasma's Octreolin

Chiasma, Inc., a privately held biopharma company, announced that the Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation for Chiasma's investigational new drug, Octreolin, an oral form of octreotide acetate that uses the Company's proprietary Transient Permeability Enhancer technology for the oral treatment of acromegaly, a hormonal disorder that results from an excess of growth hormone.

28 Jun 2010

Kansas doctor and wife found guilty of prescribing painkillers, causing deaths

"A federal jury Thursday found a Kansas doctor and his wife guilty of conspiring to profit from illegally prescribing painkillers to dozens of patients who later died, in a case highlighting medical treatment of chronic pain sufferers and prescription drug abuse."

28 Jun 2010

Prescription Solutions introduces Clinical Vantage to improve health and well-being of members

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefit management organization and a UnitedHealth Group company, has launched Clinical Vantage, a suite of clinical programs that enables clients to create specialized solutions to meet their particular needs to improve the health and well-being of members.

25 Jun 2010

HHS Secretary to speak about benefits of Affordable Care Act for women

Today, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will speak to the National Partnership for Women and Families about how the Affordable Care Act will benefit women.

25 Jun 2010

PMPRB report: Brand-name drug companies in Canada spent only 7.5% of revenues on R&D in 2009

Research and development spending in Canada by brand-name drug companies has dropped to its lowest level in 20 years, according to the latest annual report of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board.

25 Jun 2010

JZP-6 to be reviewed at joint meeting for treatment of fibromyalgia

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Arthritis Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee will review JZP-6 (sodium oxybate) for the treatment of fibromyalgia at a joint meeting on August 20, 2010.

25 Jun 2010

Conn. AG launches probe of CVS prescription plan termination threat

Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut attorney general and a candidate for the U.S. Senate, announced an investigation of CVS Caremark after the corporation threatened to terminate a discount prescription drug program, Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal reports.

25 Jun 2010

New poll illustrates difficult situations cancer patients face in affording needed health care

A new poll illustrates the difficulty that cancer patients, survivors and their families face in affording needed health care and paying for other basic necessities such as food and heat, underscoring the need to strongly implement the Affordable Care Act so that it works for people with cancer.

24 Jun 2010

FDA schedules Advisory Committee meeting to review Orexigen's Contrave NDA

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tentatively scheduled a Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products Advisory Committee meeting on December 7, 2010 to review the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for Contrave® (naltrexone sustained release (SR)/bupropion SR) for the treatment of obesity.

24 Jun 2010

Rite Aid first-quarter revenues decrease 2.1% to $6.4 billion

Rite Aid Corporation today reported financial results for the first quarter ended May 29, 2010.

23 Jun 2010

Extenders bill in limbo, placing COBRA subsidy and Medicaid enhanced funding in even deeper jeopardy

Efforts to renew the COBRA subsidy extension to help workers who have been recently laid off afford to keep their former employer's health insurance remains in limbo as lawmakers work at a measured pace to extend unemployment benefits and a tax package.

22 Jun 2010

Health reform implementation: Risk pool nears enrollment date; Seniors anxious about Medicare changes; Benefits reportable

As high-risk insurance pools are preparing to enroll the chronically ill July 1, officials should heed the Florida experience. "Plagued by exorbitant medical costs and skimpy revenue, the Florida Comprehensive Health Association, by order of the Legislature, stopped accepting new enrollees in 1991, eight years after it was created." The pool once covered about 7,000 Florida residents; now only a few hundred remain as premiums are double the standard rate.

22 Jun 2010

Cadence Pharmaceuticals to acquire Incline Therapeutics

Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on in-licensing, developing and commercializing proprietary product candidates principally for use in the hospital setting, announced today that it has signed an agreement providing Cadence with an exclusive option to acquire Incline Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company.

22 Jun 2010

Consumers can now access high quality health and medical information on Internet using Medgateway.com

With the vast amount of medical information on the Internet, consumers can spend long hours looking for health and medical information. Consumers can access reliable, high quality health and medical information on the Internet using Medgateway.com. Medgateway provides links to numerous health and medical web sites.

21 Jun 2010

Montana Governor visits Cannabis Science's latest acquisition

Cannabis Science, Inc., a pioneering U.S. biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, is pleased to report that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer visited its latest acquisition, Montana Pain Management in Missoula, yesterday. Governor Schweitzer observed, "You are doing it right."

19 Jun 2010

Research roundup: Medical homes working in poor areas, designing insurance exchanges, health law's effects

Moving Forward On Health Reform - This edition explores the issues relating to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, including the impact of the law on health insurance as well as state and federal governments, large employers and public opinion and opportunities for small physician practices to pool resources in order support medical homes, among others (June 2010).

19 Jun 2010

HBSS reaches $103M settlement with Astra Zeneca

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (HBSS) today announced it has reached a proposed $103 million settlement with Astra Zeneca (AZ) on behalf of consumers and third party purchasers. The class-action lawsuit claimed Astra Zeneca inflated the Average Wholesale Price (AWP), which is used as a benchmark for almost all prescription drug sales in the United States.

19 Jun 2010

Walgreens reaches agreement with CVS Caremark on participation in PBM national retail network

CVS Caremark Corporation and Walgreens today announced that the companies have reached an agreement on terms under which Walgreens will continue participating in the CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) national retail network for existing, new or renewal plans. The companies are not disclosing the financial terms of the new contract.

18 Jun 2010

Alkermes receives tentative schedule notification for FDA advisory committee meeting on VIVITROL sNDA

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company of the tentative scheduling of a Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on September 16, 2010, for the review of the company's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for opioid dependence.

18 Jun 2010

FDA assigns PDUFA action date for Orexigen's Contrave NDA review

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of January 31, 2011 for the review of the Contrave® (naltrexone sustained release (SR)/bupropion SR) New Drug Application (NDA).

17 Jun 2010

Prescription Drug News and Research

FDA grants orphan drug designation for Chiasma's Octreolin

Kansas doctor and wife found guilty of prescribing painkillers, causing deaths

Prescription Solutions introduces Clinical Vantage to improve health and well-being of members

HHS Secretary to speak about benefits of Affordable Care Act for women

PMPRB report: Brand-name drug companies in Canada spent only 7.5% of revenues on R&D in 2009

JZP-6 to be reviewed at joint meeting for treatment of fibromyalgia

Conn. AG launches probe of CVS prescription plan termination threat

New poll illustrates difficult situations cancer patients face in affording needed health care

FDA schedules Advisory Committee meeting to review Orexigen's Contrave NDA

Rite Aid first-quarter revenues decrease 2.1% to $6.4 billion

Extenders bill in limbo, placing COBRA subsidy and Medicaid enhanced funding in even deeper jeopardy

Health reform implementation: Risk pool nears enrollment date; Seniors anxious about Medicare changes; Benefits reportable

Cadence Pharmaceuticals to acquire Incline Therapeutics

Consumers can now access high quality health and medical information on Internet using Medgateway.com

Montana Governor visits Cannabis Science's latest acquisition

Research roundup: Medical homes working in poor areas, designing insurance exchanges, health law's effects

HBSS reaches $103M settlement with Astra Zeneca

Walgreens reaches agreement with CVS Caremark on participation in PBM national retail network

Alkermes receives tentative schedule notification for FDA advisory committee meeting on VIVITROL sNDA

FDA assigns PDUFA action date for Orexigen's Contrave NDA review

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News