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FDA approves Amitiza for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Amitiza (lubiprostone) for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C) in adult women aged 18 and over.

29 Apr 2008

Scientists to test if chocolate cuts diabetes heart disease risk in women

Scientists in Britain are calling for volunteers to test whether chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease in women with diabetes.

29 Apr 2008

Newark Star-Ledger examines effect of Wal-Mart generic drug discount program on pharmaceutical industry

The Newark Star-Ledger on Tuesday examined how analysts say the "overall impact" of Wal-Mart Stores' generic prescription drug program on the pharmaceutical industry "has been relatively small" (Cohen/Fitzgerald, Newark Star-Ledger, 4/22).

24 Apr 2008

Medicare prescription drug benefit improved access to medications for most seniors, but sickest seniors continued skipping pills because of cost issues, study finds

The percentage of seniors who said they skipped taking medications because of costs declined after the Medicare prescription drug benefit took effect in January 2006, but the sickest beneficiaries still skip prescriptions because they cannot afford to pay for them, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Reuters reports.

23 Apr 2008

Sickest patients still struggle under new Medicare Part D benefit

A recent study finds that the advantages of the new Medicare Part D drug benefit-a program that for the first time offers Medicare recipients prescription drug coverage-are mixed.

22 Apr 2008

Still lack of knowledge regarding Medicare's Part D prescription drug program

There still appears to be some lack of knowledge regarding Medicare's Part D prescription drug program, although there is evidence that cost-related medication nonadherence may have improved overall, according to two studies in the April 23/30 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

22 Apr 2008

Health care debate to produce sharp differences between parties in Presidential election

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday examined how health care will produce "some of the sharpest differences" between Democrats and Republicans in the presidential election as the candidates "respond to increasing economic anxiety about many issues."

21 Apr 2008

New York Times examines increasing prices of specialty drugs distributed exclusively by pharmacy benefit managers

The New York Times on Saturday examined how pharmacy benefit managers in recent years "have built lucrative side businesses ... acting as exclusive or semi-exclusive distributors of expensive specialty drugs."

21 Apr 2008

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association response to New York Times article on biotech medicine costs

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued the following statement today regarding a story to be published in tomorrow's New York Times.

18 Apr 2008

Drug company coalition to push for looser rules on off-label marketing

Representatives of health care marketing firms, patient advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies this week are in Washington, D.C., to express support for loosening rules regarding drug companies' ability to market medications for off-label uses, the Wall Street Journal reports (Mundy, Wall Street Journal, 4/18).

18 Apr 2008

Unbiased, comprehensive analysis of drug research from new web site

Physicians and consumers who want fair and balanced information about the most appropriate uses for prescription medications can now find it using a Web-based resource that provides easily accessible, science-based research about drug uses free from pharmaceutical industry influence.

17 Apr 2008

Study details cost-effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis treatments for Medicare recipients

For elderly and disabled rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers, the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) brought the promise of better disease management with "biologic" drugs.

15 Apr 2008

Statins may modestly reduce blood pressure

The medications known as statins, typically prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels, may also modestly reduce blood pressure, according to a report in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Apr 2008

Diabetes drug may hold potential as treatment for epilepsy, using same mechanism as ketogenic diet

Two years ago, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists reported they had suppressed epileptic seizures in rats by giving them a glycolytic-inhibitor, inhibiting the brain's ability to turn sugar into excess energy and blocking the expression of seizure-related genes.

9 Apr 2008

Electronic health records help monitor medications and avoiding usage problems in seniors

Use of medications that are linked to increased risk of falls in the elderly can be reduced through careful review of patient files in the Electronic Health Record, new Geisinger research shows.

8 Apr 2008

Proteolix's Carfilzomib granted orphan drug designation

Proteolix, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to carfilzomib, a selective blocker of proteasome activity for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

3 Apr 2008

Americans living longer, enjoying greater health and prosperity, but important disparities remain

Average life expectancy continues to increase, and today's older Americans enjoy better health and financial security than any previous generation.

31 Mar 2008

FDA deadlines may compromise drug safety by rushing approval

Many medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the brink of congressionally mandated deadlines, and those drugs are more likely to face later regulatory intervention than those approved with greater deliberation, researchers at Harvard University have found.

28 Mar 2008

Price of medicine may affect its efficacy

You are offered two painkillers, one selling at full price for $2.50 per pill and the other discounted to 10 cents each.

20 Mar 2008

Reasonable Rx: Solving the drug price crisis

The mounting U.S. drug price crisis can be contained and eventually reversed by separating drug discovery from drug marketing and by establishing a non-profit company to oversee funding for new medicines, according to two MIT experts on the pharmaceutical industry.

18 Mar 2008