Prescription Drug News and Research

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Electronic prescribing system may encourage physicians to prescribe lower-cost medications

Clinicians using an electronic prescribing system appear more likely to prescribe lower-cost medications, reducing drug spending, according to a report in the December 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

8 Dec 2008

Good advice to cut prescription drug costs

Just like saving money on groceries or finding the best deal on gas, smart consumers can cut their prescription drug costs with just a little bit of work, say pharmacists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

3 Dec 2008

Generics as good as brand-name drugs when treating heart diseases

Contrary to the perception of some patients and physicians, there is no evidence that brand-name drugs are clinically superior to their generic counterparts, according to an article in the December 3 issue of JAMA, which examined studies comparing the effectiveness of generic vs. brand-name drugs for treating cardiovascular diseases.

3 Dec 2008

FDA accepts Zevalin supplemental biologics license application

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing and review, and has granted priority review status for, the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for use of Zevalin ([90Y]-ibritumomab tiuxetan) as consolidation therapy for patients with follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who achieve a response to first-line therapy. Priority review is granted by the FDA for a treatment that addresses a significant unmet medical need.

1 Dec 2008

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy provides new hope for people with recurring depression

Research shows for the first time that a group-based psychological treatment, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), could be a viable alternative to prescription drugs for people suffering from long-term depression.

30 Nov 2008

FDA accepts Labopharm's NDA for formulation of trazodone

Labopharm Inc. has announced that its New Drug Application (NDA) for the Company's novel once-daily formulation of trazodone (DDS-04A), a serotonin antagonist reuptake inhibitor (SARI), for the treatment of major depressive disorder, has been accepted for review and filed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

24 Nov 2008

King Pharmaceuticals and Alpharma sign definitive merger agreement

King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alpharma Inc. have announced that the two companies have signed a definitive merger agreement under which King will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock of Alpharma for $37.00 per share in cash for a total equity value of approximately $1.6 billion.

24 Nov 2008

New plan to tackle off-label prescribing

Physicians and policy-makers know that drugs are frequently prescribed to treat certain diseases despite a lack of FDA approval - a practice known as off-label prescribing.

24 Nov 2008

FDA accepts filing and grants priority review for DX-88 for hereditary angioedema

Dyax Corp. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the Company's Biologics License Application (BLA) for DX-88 (ecallantide) for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) and has designated the application for Priority Review.

21 Nov 2008

Seniors happy with Medicare drug coverage just the way it is

Ninety-two percent of seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit in 2008 are satisfied with their coverage according to a national phone survey by RetireSafe, a nationwide education and advocacy group for older Americans.

18 Nov 2008

LegitScript shuts down 500 no-prescription-required online pharmacies

LegitScript, an online pharmacy certification program, announced today that it has succeeded in getting nearly 500 "rogue" Internet pharmacy websites shut down.

18 Nov 2008

Cost of health insurance rises 33% with state pricing rule

New research shows that the cost of health insurance for a typical family increases about $100 per month when state governments limit price adjustments based on factors like age, health or risky behaviors such as smoking.

17 Nov 2008

FDA warns public of extortion scam by FDA impersonators

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about a fraudulent scheme to extort money from consumers by callers who falsely identify themselves as "FDA special agents" or other FDA officials.

12 Nov 2008

Latest research on diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases

Researchers are presenting more than 450 abstracts on investigational findings in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 6-11. Following are highlights of some key studies on asthma.

11 Nov 2008

21 million Americans suffers arthritis pain

Approximately 21 million Americans - 9.5 percent of adults 18 and older - either visited or called a doctor for a prescription to reduce arthritis pain in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Nov 2008