Generic Drug News and Research

RSS

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

US District Court upholds validity and enforceability of CRESTOR patent

AstraZeneca announced today that Judge Joseph Farnan, Jr., US District Court, District of Delaware, has found that the substance patent protecting CRESTOR (RE37,314 – the '314 patent) is valid and enforceable. In its ruling, the court found that no inequitable conduct was committed by any Shionogi employee. The court also held the '314 patent to be non-obvious and properly reissued.

30 Jun 2010

MGH, Iacocca Foundation complete Phase I BCG clinical trial in type 1 diabetes

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Iacocca Foundation announce today the completion of the Phase I BCG clinical trial in type 1 diabetes, as well as the submission of all safety reports to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the MGH data safety monitoring boards. Plans for the Phase II clinical study, which will continue the investigation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination as a treatment for people with existing type 1 diabetes, are actively underway.

29 Jun 2010

Prescription Solutions introduces Clinical Vantage to improve health and well-being of members

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefit management organization and a UnitedHealth Group company, has launched Clinical Vantage, a suite of clinical programs that enables clients to create specialized solutions to meet their particular needs to improve the health and well-being of members.

25 Jun 2010

Walgreen third-quarter sales up 6.1% to record $17.2 billion

Walgreens today announced earnings and sales results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010.

22 Jun 2010

Also in Global Health News: WHO scraps drug development group; Access to medication in Philippines; Yellow fever vaccine shortage; HIV-positive employee protection

Lancet World Report examines how "[d]isappointment over a long-awaited report on improving drug research and development for neglected diseases" led the WHO to form a new Consultative Expert Working Group (CEWG) to strategize around drug research and development. The formation of the new group comes after the report from the previous working group (EWG) was questioned due to "what some perceived to be a missed opportunity, unclear methods, a lack of transparency and signs of industry interference" and after "suspicions of impropriety" surfaced.

21 Jun 2010

European drug companies' lead in making medicines available to developing countries shrinking: Report

European pharmaceutical companies outcompete their U.S. counterparts in making medicines available to people in developing countries, but their lead is shrinking, according to the second Access to Medicine Index, released today.

21 Jun 2010

Fraudulent Tamiflu sold over Internet, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers about a potentially harmful product represented as "Generic Tamiflu" sold over the Internet. FDA tests revealed that the fraudulent product does not contain Tamiflu's active ingredient, oseltamivir, but cloxacillin, an ingredient in the same class of antibiotics as penicillin.

18 Jun 2010

McKesson reaffirms earnings guidance for fiscal 2011

McKesson Corporation today reaffirmed its earnings guidance for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011 and the underlying key assumptions provided in its press release of May 3, 2010. As previously stated, McKesson expects to earn between $4.72 and $4.92 per diluted share for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.

17 Jun 2010

Cheap drug that prevents bleeding may save 100,000 lives each year: Study

Researchers have shown that a cheap and easy to use drug that stops bleeding may save up to 100,000 lives each year from injuries associated with road accidents and violence. The study was published this Tuesday in the acclaimed international journal The Lancet and was conducted by doctors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

14 Jun 2010

Arcadia fourth-quarter net loss decreases to $19.4 million

Arcadia Resources, Inc., a leading provider of innovative consumer health care services under the Arcadia HealthCare brand, today announced fourth quarter revenues of $25.5 million and a net loss of $19.2 million, or $0.11 per share, which compares to revenue of $25.9 million and a net loss of $36.7 million, or $0.27 per share for the same period in the fiscal 2009.

11 Jun 2010

Ontario Pharmacists' Association disappointed with government's regulatory changes

The Ontario Pharmacists' Association today expressed concerns and disappointment with the Ontario government's announcement that it is moving ahead with regulatory changes that will significantly reduce support to Ontario pharmacists and their patients.

10 Jun 2010

Ontario's Community Pharmacies Coalition reacts to new regulations and vows to fight for patient care

Ontario's Community Pharmacies Coalition are extremely disappointed by yesterday's announcement by Health Minister Deb Matthews and the posting of amendments to regulations under the OBDA and DIDFA as it all but assures that Ontario patients will be less able to freely access the front-line community healthcare they have come to rely on.

9 Jun 2010

Study confirms Azilect as a selective MAO-B inhibitor

Teva Neuroscience Inc. today announced the publication of a study demonstrating the selectivity of Azilect® (rasagiline tablets) for inhibition of MAO-B (monoamine oxidase-B) at the maximum approved dose of 1 mg/day. The data was published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology OnlineFirst on May 5, 2010.

4 Jun 2010

AARP: Cost of brand name drugs rose 9.7% last year

"The AARP says that manufacturer prices for brand-name prescription drugs commonly used by people on Medicare rose 9.7% for the year ending in March — the biggest annual jump since the group started tracking prices in 2002," The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports.

19 May 2010

Intellipharmaceutics announces dismissal of patent litigation settlement on Focalin XR drug

Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Intellipharmaceutics Corp. today announced that it and its licensee and development partner Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. ("Par") have received confirmation that the previously announced stays of the patent litigation concerning a generic version of Novartis' Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder drug, Focalin XR®, (dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride), have expired without regulatory intervention, and that the parties have stipulated to a dismissal of the litigation.

15 May 2010

New MDC tool provides alternative choices to user's current prescription drugs

Healthcare reform legislation has enacted changes that will significantly affect the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The most immediate impact of the reform aims to close the "donut hole", a component of the benefit design in which seniors must pay the full cost for their drugs themselves.

29 Apr 2010

Expensive generic drugs cost Australia billions

Consumers and the Australian Government are paying up to 10 times more for generic cholesterol-lowering drugs compared to the United Kingdom, according to research carried out by health economists at the University of Sydney.

27 Apr 2010

FDA grants tentative approval for Sagent Pharmaceuticals' adenosine injection

Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted tentative approval of adenosine injection, USP, the generic equivalent of Astellas Pharmaceuticals' Adenoscan®, in 60 mg per 20 mL and 90 mg per 30 mL vials. IMS data indicate that the 2009 U.S. innovator market for these adenosine presentations approximated $124 million. The Company plans to launch the product upon expiry of applicable innovator patents.

23 Apr 2010

Simcere's diosmectite API in generic drug Biqi passes EU-GMP inspection

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, a leading pharmaceutical company specializing in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of branded generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals in China, today announced that its diosmectite, the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) in Simcere's branded generic drug Biqi, has passed EU-GMP inspection. This enables Simcere to market diosmectite in the European Union countries.

22 Apr 2010

Access to NAbs testing important for MS therapy management

Teva Neuroscience today announced results at the 62nd American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting which demonstrated that eliminating barriers to neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) testing significantly impacted multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment choices in patients receiving interferon beta (IFNβ) therapies.

17 Apr 2010