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Kaiser Permanente study identifies barriers to prescribing potentially life-saving medication

A variety of factors including questions about risk and reluctance to offend patients limits clinician willingness to prescribe a potentially life-saving medication that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose, according to a Kaiser Permanente Colorado study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

10 Jun 2015

FDA accepts Tris Pharma's Dyanavel XR NDA for review

Tris Pharma, Inc. announced that U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review its New Drug Application ("NDA") for Dyanavel XR (amphetamine) CII, an Extended-Release Oral Suspension.

21 May 2015

MedVantx launches MedStart Formulary Connect program for health systems and ACOs

MedVantx, Inc., a leading provider of point-of-care medication access, adherence and direct-to-patient consumer engagement programs, today announced the Company's MedStart Formulary Connect program. This innovative program equips leading health systems and ACOs with new formulary management tools that are designed to build greater alignment and advance the traditional medication formulary program upstream in the value chain to the point of care.

19 May 2015

Twin Cities Orthopedics joins Deterra partnership program to reduce prescription drug abuse and misuse

Verde Technologies announced that Golden Valley-based Twin Cities Orthopedics, the largest orthopedic group in Minnesota, has become its most recent partner in the fight against prescription drug abuse and misuse.

19 May 2015

APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

The American Pain Society today honored the recipients of its annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers. Five multidisciplinary pain programs were recognized.

15 May 2015

APS announces recipients of prestigious achievement awards during annual scientific meeting

The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today announced the recipients of its prestigious achievement awards during the organization's annual scientific meeting.

14 May 2015

PCMA releases new ad campaign to highlight lower-cost preferred pharmacy plans in Medicare

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association today released a new ad campaign – "We Love our Preferred Pharmacy Plan" – highlighting the popularity and convenience of lower cost preferred pharmacy plans in Medicare.

12 May 2015

New study shows 'alarming rise' in costs of MS drugs over last 20 years

A new study shows an "alarming rise" over the last 20 years in the costs of drugs used to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis or reduce the frequency of attacks, according to a study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Oregon State University.

25 Apr 2015

Acacia Pharma begins APD421 Phase 3 study in combination with standard anti-emetics for PONV

Acacia Pharma Ltd, the supportive care company developing products for US and international markets, announces the initiation of a Phase 3 study investigating APD421 in combination with standard anti-emetics, in the prevention of post-operative nausea & vomiting (PONV) in high-risk patients. PONV remains a clinically significant problem in patients undergoing surgery, despite the availability of a range of anti-emetic medications.

21 Apr 2015

Oxycodone-related deaths drop 25% after implementation of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Oxycodone-related deaths dropped 25 percent after Florida implemented its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in late 2011 as part of its response to the state's prescription drug abuse epidemic, according to a team of UF Health researchers. The drop in fatalities could stem from the number of health care providers who used the program's database to monitor controlled substance prescriptions.

16 Apr 2015

Cantab Connect CTIS-Abuse Liability product exceeds $1.5m sales in first 9 months

Cambridge Cognition Holdings plc,the developer of cognitive assessment software, announces that sales of Cantab Connect CTIS-Abuse Liability have exceeded £1m in its first 9 months from launch.

15 Apr 2015

Catamaran acquires Healthcare Solutions for $405 million

Catamaran Corporation, a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services and technology solutions, announced today the completion, effective as of April 8, 2015, of its previously disclosed acquisition of Healthcare Solutions, for a purchase price of $405 million in cash, subject to certain customary post-closing adjustments. The purchase price was funded from Catamaran's existing cash balance.

9 Apr 2015

Amgen receives FDA priority review designation for Kyprolis to treat relapsed multiple myeloma

Amgen today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) of Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) for Injection for the treatment of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.

30 Mar 2015

Many teens still ignorant of significant physical danger posed by legal drugs

Legal drugs such as OxyContin now kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. While awareness of the dangers of illegal drugs has increased, many teens are still ignorant of the significant physical danger posed by legally prescribed drugs, according to a new study in Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

25 Mar 2015

Study explains why generic insulin remains out of reach for diabetes patients

A generic version of insulin, the lifesaving diabetes drug used by 6 million people in the United States, has never been available in this country because drug companies have made incremental improvements that kept insulin under patent from 1923 to 2014.

23 Mar 2015

Amgen seeks marketing approval of Repatha (evolocumab) in Japan for treatment of high cholesterol

Amgen today announced that an application seeking marketing approval of Repatha (evolocumab) for the treatment of high cholesterol has been submitted for review to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan.

21 Mar 2015

Selten Pharma's SPI-026 granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of PAH

Selten Pharma, Inc., a privatively held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of rare diseases, announced today that its lead compound tacrolimus (SPI-026) has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

18 Mar 2015

New hepatitis C drugs to place economic burden on health care system, predicts MD Anderson study

The cost of treating people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) with newly approved therapies will likely place a tremendous economic burden on the country's health care system. The prediction comes from a cost-effectiveness analysis led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

17 Mar 2015

Study finds that reformulated OxyContin forces some drug abusers to switch to heroin

A reformulation of OxyContin that makes it harder to abuse has curtailed the drug's illicit use. But some 25 percent of drug abusers entering rehab said they still abused the prescription painkiller despite package labeling that emphasizes its abuse-deterrent properties, new research indicates.

12 Mar 2015

Survey: Only 53% of primary care physicians use state's prescription drug monitoring programs

In a new survey, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that physicians report relatively high awareness of state databases that track drug prescriptions but more than one-fifth indicated they were not aware of their state's program at all.

3 Mar 2015