Generic Drug News and Research

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Generic Drugs are official nonbrand names by which medicines are known. Generic names usually refer to the chemical name of the drug.

Research raises questions about some generic epilepsy drugs

Generic anti-epilepsy drugs, pharmaceutical products similar to brand-name versions, save consumers billions of dollars each year, but some are different enough from branded formulations that they may not be effective, particularly if patients switch between two generic drugs, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. A report on the study, published online and in an upcoming issue of Annals of Neurology, raises questions about whether some generic products are safe and effective when a narrow dose range separates patients from help and harm.

30 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Calif.'s budget, Supreme Court drug rulings, the Avastin debate

The budget is not realistic, counting on fantastical revenue projections as well as a redevelopment gambit that's likely to be blocked in court. It makes deep cuts in state programs that will have unwelcome repercussions in years to come. And if the revenue projections prove to be as overly optimistic as they seem, there will be more damaging cuts to education, child care and health services. Nevertheless, it's a more earnest effort to clean up the state's budget mess than Sacramento has seen in a decade or more.

30 Jun 2011

HIV drug linked to accelerated and early aging

New research published this Sunday reveals that a class of generic AIDS drugs often used to treat HIV in Africa and other poor regions can cause premature aging and lead to age-related illnesses such as heart disease and dementia.

27 Jun 2011

Promising results from MGH's BCG Phase I trial on type I diabetes

Promising results of the Phase I clinical trial of the generic drug BCG to treat advanced type I diabetes were announced today at the American Diabetes Association scientific sessions in San Diego.

27 Jun 2011

Supreme Court sides with drug makers in two decisions

One would shield pharmaceutical companies from most lawsuits filed by people injured by taking generic drugs. The other strikes down a Vermont law that banned some commercial uses — "data mining" — of prescription data.

24 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 24, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that Republicans have quit the debt-ceiling negotiations and details about how the Supreme Court sided with drug makers in two decisions.

24 Jun 2011

U.S. Supreme Court ruling on generic drugs

According to the new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, people harmed by generic drugs may find it harder to get restitution. The court ruled on Thursday that generic drug makers cannot be sued for failing to warn consumers of their products' side effects if they copy the exact warnings on the drugs' brand-name equivalents.

23 Jun 2011

Supreme Court ruling would affect around 10,000 Reglan-metoclopramide lawsuits

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule shortly on whether generic drug companies must adequately warn doctors about new or revised risks to patients who have taken the drugs they make. (Pliva v Mensing No. 09-993, Actavis v Mensing No.08-3850 and Actavis v Demahy No. 09-1501) All three cases involve patients who took metoclopramide, the generic version of the brand-name drug Reglan.

20 Jun 2011

Menafrivac more effective, less expensive than older meningitis vaccines, studies say

The meningococcal vaccine MenAfriVac, which is made by the Indian generic drug company Serum Institute, is "dramatically better" at producing a protective effect among African children in three countries than "older so-called meningococcal polysaccaride vaccines, including Mencevax from GlaxoSmithKline," according to a paper describing two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports.

17 Jun 2011

Allscripts, Humana partner to deliver clinical-decision support technology for physicians

Humana Inc., in its continuing commitment to partnering with leading Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors, has formed an alliance with Allscripts - a national leader in EHR technology - to provide eligible physician practices with incentives for implementing EHR technology that enables delivery of advanced clinical-decision support at the point of care.

17 Jun 2011

Teva's lipegfilgrastim-pegfilgrastim comparative Phase III study in breast cancer meets primary endpoint

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that lipegfilgrastim achieved its primary endpoint of reducing the duration of severe neutropenia in a Phase III study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lipegfilgrastim (XM22) compared to pegfilgrastim (Amgen's Neulasta™).

7 Jun 2011

Teva completes patient enrollment in COPAXONE Phase III trial for treatment of multiple sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced completion of patient enrollment for the GALA (Glatiramer Acetate Low-frequency Administration) trial.

3 Jun 2011

Teva receives FDA approval to market Eisai's Alzheimer's treatment Aricept Tablets in the U.S.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application to market a generic version of Eisai's Alzheimer's treatment Aricept Tablets, 5 mg and 10 mg. Shipment of this product has commenced.

2 Jun 2011

China Nepstar Chain Drugstore first quarter revenue increases 9.0% to US$94.4 million

China Nepstar Chain Drugstore Ltd., the largest retail drugstore chain in China based on the number of directly operated stores, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011.

25 May 2011

Generic drugs to rule the market in the near future: Experts

According to the latest estimates for global drug sales, generic drug makers are going to be in for bumper profits. The growth in generics is expected to depress overall ‘pharma’ sales growth, as lower-priced copies replace top-dollar brand names. In fact, global sales growth could be reduced by half over the next five years, say experts.

19 May 2011

Preliminary topline results from Teva, CureTech's CT-011 Phase II trial in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and CureTech, a portfolio company of Teva and Clal Biotechnology Industries announced today preliminary topline results for CT-011, an investigational anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody.

17 May 2011

Teva signs definitive agreement to acquire Taiyo

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 57% of the shares in privately-held Taiyo Pharmaceutical Industry Co. Ltd. for $460 million in cash paid to private shareholders.

16 May 2011

Ipsen first quarter sales increase 6.1% to €285.8 million

Ipsen reported today its sales for the first quarter 2011.

3 May 2011

Teva signs definitive agreement to acquire Cephalon shares for $6.8 billion

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Cephalon, Inc. today announced that their Boards of Directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Teva will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Cephalon for $81.50 per share in cash, or a total enterprise value of approximately $6.8 billion. The transaction is not conditioned on financing and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2011.

2 May 2011

MSF letter criticizes Johnson & Johnson for not joining Medicines Patent Pool

Medecins Sans Frontieres recently sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson criticizing the pharmaceutical company for "refusing to make patents on three HIV drugs available to a program that would reduce the cost of the medicines in developing countries," the Star-Ledger reports.

27 Apr 2011