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.

Schizophrenia treatment with older, generic antipsychotics cheaper, as effective as treatment with newer drugs

Treating schizophrenia patients with older, less expensive antipsychotic drugs reduces overall treatment costs by up to 30% and produces no increase in side effects or decrease in effectiveness compared with newer, brand-name medications.

2 Dec 2006

Target to expand discounted generic drug program to all pharmacies

The Minneapolis-based company said all of its 1,287 pharmacies now will offer a 30-day supply of certain generic drugs for $4. The company previously offered the program only in states where Wal-Mart was offering generic drugs at the same price (Reuters/New York Times, 11/21).

23 Nov 2006

Wal-Mart generic drug discount program indicates markets can provide medications at affordable prices

The generic prescription drug discount program introduced earlier this year by Wal-Mart Stores indicates that "markets are, in fact, capable of providing medicines at affordable prices," Peter Pitts, director of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a former associate commissioner at FDA, writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece.

23 Nov 2006

Templated self-assembly of quantum dots from aqueous solution using protein scaffolds

Quantum dots are rapidly becoming biomedical researchers' tool of choice for adding a fluorescent label to a wide variety of biomolecules.

20 Nov 2006

Doha Declaration on life-saving drugs for poor countries not happening

Despite the fact that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) granted a special exemption five years ago, in order that poor countries could access life-saving drug, poor people in developing countries are still dying needlessly because global pharmaceutical giants continue to monopolise drugs for diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

15 Nov 2006

MSF, Oxfam call on wealthy nations to adhere to WTO guidelines to ensure drug access in developing countries

Medecins Sans Frontieres and Oxfam on Tuesday called on developed nations to adhere to the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to ensure universal access to antiretroviral drugs in developing countries, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (Higgins, AP/International Herald Tribune, 11/14).

14 Nov 2006

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

A new California law set to take effect in January 2007 "provides a glimpse of the type of government price controls the drug industry fears," the Boston Globe reports.

13 Nov 2006

Pfizer provides opinion on European Lipitor patent

Pfizer has said that the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued an opinion upholding, in its entirety, the company's calcium salt patent covering Lipitor.

30 Oct 2006

Wal-Mart expands generic prescription drug discount program

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday announced plans to expand a generic prescription drug discount program introduced last month to 12 additional states, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 10/26).

26 Oct 2006

Zimbabwean Government to Delay enrollment of additional HIV-positive people in drug treatment program

The Zimbabwean government has announced that it will postpone enrolling additional HIV-positive people to its antiretroviral treatment program following reports that its drug supply could run out by December, PlusNews reports.

22 Oct 2006

Washington, D.C., to offer caremark Rx discount cards to all residents

Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams on Wednesday announced a program called DC Rx that will provide prescription drug discount cards at no cost to residents, the Washington Post reports (Silverman, Washington Post, 10/19).

22 Oct 2006

FDA advisory panel recommends adding warning label to Tamoxifen

An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday recommended that a warning label be added to tamoxifen, an agency-approved drug for treating and preventing breast cancer, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Bridges, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

Wal-Mart expands prescription drug discount program

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday likely will announce the expansion of a generic prescription drug discount program introduced last month in Florida to additional states, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (May, Newark Star-Ledger, 10/19).

19 Oct 2006

Austrian patent office rules in Pfizer's Favor for Lipitor patent

Pfizer has announced that the Austrian Patent Office has ruled that a claim in the company's basic patent covering the use of atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor, would be infringed by generic manufacturer Ranbaxy.

19 Oct 2006

McClellan touts lower projected cost of Medicare prescription drug benefit

Mark McClellan, who left his position as CMS administrator this weekend, said he believes his greatest accomplishment during his tenure was improving quality of care in Medicare, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 10/13).

16 Oct 2006

One-fourth of U.S. adults would purchase generic medications

About one-fourth of U.S. adults would purchase generic medications, rather than brand-name treatments, in all cases, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll released on last week, the Wall Street Journal reports.

16 Oct 2006

Generic hypertension drug a suspect in 19 deaths in Panama

As a result of a mystery illness that has claimed the lives of 19 people, officials in Panama have withdrawn all stocks of a hypertension drug used by thousands to treat high blood pressure.

9 Oct 2006

New York Times examines efforts to obtain FDA approval for Abraxane to treat earlier-stage cancer

The New York Times has examined efforts by the pharmaceutical company Abraxis BioScience to obtain FDA approval for its late-stage breast cancer drug Abraxane as a treatment for earlier-stage breast cancer.

5 Oct 2006

Rhode Island plan to collect prescription drug copayments from some Medicaid beneficiaries requires change to State Law

Superior Court Judge Stephen Fortunato on Tuesday ruled that Rhode Island's plan to begin collecting prescription drug copayments from about 14,000 Medicaid beneficiaries requires a revision of state law, the Providence Journal reports (Freyer, Providence Journal, 10/4).

5 Oct 2006

2007 Medicare prescription drug plans

Private health insurers that market Medicare prescription drug plans in 2007 will offer more plans, several of which will have lower premiums and more of which will provide coverage during the so-called "doughnut hole," Bush administration officials said on Friday, the New York Times reports.

3 Oct 2006

Generic Drug News and Research

Further Reading

Schizophrenia treatment with older, generic antipsychotics cheaper, as effective as treatment with newer drugs

Target to expand discounted generic drug program to all pharmacies

Wal-Mart generic drug discount program indicates markets can provide medications at affordable prices

Templated self-assembly of quantum dots from aqueous solution using protein scaffolds

Doha Declaration on life-saving drugs for poor countries not happening

MSF, Oxfam call on wealthy nations to adhere to WTO guidelines to ensure drug access in developing countries

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

Pfizer provides opinion on European Lipitor patent

Wal-Mart expands generic prescription drug discount program

Zimbabwean Government to Delay enrollment of additional HIV-positive people in drug treatment program

Washington, D.C., to offer caremark Rx discount cards to all residents

FDA advisory panel recommends adding warning label to Tamoxifen

Wal-Mart expands prescription drug discount program

Austrian patent office rules in Pfizer's Favor for Lipitor patent

McClellan touts lower projected cost of Medicare prescription drug benefit

One-fourth of U.S. adults would purchase generic medications

Generic hypertension drug a suspect in 19 deaths in Panama

New York Times examines efforts to obtain FDA approval for Abraxane to treat earlier-stage cancer

Rhode Island plan to collect prescription drug copayments from some Medicaid beneficiaries requires change to State Law

2007 Medicare prescription drug plans

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