Heartburn News and Research

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Heartburn, also know as acid reflux, is a painful and burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux).

U.S. District Court upholds validity of Nycomed's Protonix patent

Nycomed announced today that Judge Jose L. Linares of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has confirmed the jury verdict in favor of Nycomed and Pfizer Inc. The decision upholds the jury verdict issued on April 23, 2010, confirming that the patent is valid and rejecting allegations by the defendants that the patent was invalid as obvious and invalid for double patenting. Against KUDCo, the US generic drug business of the Schwarz Pharma Group, which did not at-risk launch, final Judgment was entered as a result of Judge Jose L. Linares' rulings.

19 Jul 2010

States worry they may not receive expected Medicaid money, prepare contigency plans

The Boston Globe: "Governor Deval Patrick signed a $27.6 billion spending plan yesterday for the budget year that begins today, slashing funding for services across state government, including public education, dental care for the poor, and developmental services for toddlers.

2 Jul 2010

Merck challenges New York jury decision in federal FOSAMAX retrial

Merck & Co., Inc. today said it is challenging the decision returned by a New York jury in the retrial of a federal FOSAMAX case, Boles v. Merck. This case was the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee's top choice to take to trial and involved a Florida woman who blamed her dental and jaw problems on FOSAMAX. The first case to reach a verdict, Maley v. Merck, resulted in a defense verdict for Merck on May 5, 2010.

28 Jun 2010

Drug makers face tightened regulations by FDA and less clout at medical meetings

The Washington Post: "The Food and Drug Administration this week began posting online the results of safety evaluations of recently approved drugs and vaccines. The action follows a law enacted in 2007 that requires the agency to provide more safety information to consumers and health professionals. The evaluations must be conducted 18 months after a new drug comes on the market.

18 Jun 2010

FDA accepts Eisai's NDA for rabeprazole sodium extended-release 50 mg

Eisai Inc. (Headquarters: Woodcliff Lake, NJ; Chairman and CEO: Hajime Shimizu), a U.S. subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo; President and CEO: Haruo Naito) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted Eisai's New Drug Application for rabeprazole sodium extended-release 50 mg for the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease, and for the treatment of symptomatic GERD.

3 Jun 2010

$FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use$

FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers and health care professionals about a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine with high doses or long-term use of a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors. The product labeling will be changed to describe this possible increased risk.

26 May 2010

Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

Children's prescription drug use rose "several times faster" than adult use last year, "due in part to swine flu drugs and Type 2 diabetes medications, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc," The Associated Press reports. The "pharmacy benefits manager said a 5 percent increase in prescription drug use for children contributed to a 10.8 percent spending increase last year. In contrast, overall prescription drug use rose 1.3 percent, and drug spending climbed 3.7 percent. Medco released its annual drug trend report Wednesday" (Murphy, 5/19).

21 May 2010

Drug trend for children increased 10.8% in 2009 across America

In growing numbers, children across America are adding a dose of medicine to their daily routine. In 2009, drug trend for children – a measure of prescription spending growth – increased 10.8 percent, driven by a 5 percent increase in drug utilization and higher medication costs, according to the Medco 2010 Drug Trend Report. The growth in prescription drug use among children was nearly four times higher than the rise seen in the overall population.

20 May 2010

High-fat ketogenic diet effective in treating infantile spasms

The high-fat ketogenic diet can dramatically reduce or completely eliminate debilitating seizures in most children with infantile spasms, whose seizures persist despite medication, according to a Johns Hopkins Children's Center study published online April 30 in the journal Epilepsia.

18 May 2010

Tips for cutting back on added sugar

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Gatorade, and other drinks now come in versions made with "real" sugar as opposed to the often vilified high-fructose corn syrup. A whole swath of sugar alternatives are now available to consumers including the new BioVittoria, an extract of the monk fruit, which is grown in Southern China. But a new special report from Consumer Reports on Health questions whether turning to alternatives is the solution to America's growing obesity epidemic.

15 May 2010

New York federal court jury favors Merck in Maley FOSAMAX case

Merck today said a unanimous federal court jury in New York found in its favor in the Maley v. Merck case, rejecting the claims of a plaintiff who blamed her dental and jaw-related problems on her FOSAMAX use.

6 May 2010

New pathology test may help doctors distinguish between two overlapping esophageal disorders: Study

A pathology test may help doctors distinguish between two separate but overlapping esophageal disorders that require different courses of treatment, according to a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

5 May 2010

ZEGERID OTC capsules offer more rapid acid reduction than Prevacid- 24HR delayed-release capsules

Merck Consumer Care today announced results of a head-to-head clinical study showing that ZEGERID OTC- offers greater and faster acid control than Prevacid- 24HR. While acid control is an industry standard measure for acid-reducing drugs, greater and faster acid control does not imply greater and faster heartburn symptom relief.

5 May 2010

Merck reports non-GAAP EPS of $0.83 for first-quarter 2010

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the first quarter of $0.83, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, merger-related expenses and restructuring costs, as well as a tax charge related to the recently enacted health care reform legislation. First-quarter GAAP EPS was $0.09.

4 May 2010

Weight loss through caloric restriction and increase in physical activity improve symptoms of GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a debilitating problem for sufferers -- heartburn, difficulty swallowing, chest pain and acid reflux. According to a Mayo Clinic study that will be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2010 in New Orleans May 1-5, even moderate weight gain can exacerbate those symptoms, DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researcher in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

3 May 2010

EGS announces presentation of TIF2 procedure clinical results at SAGES meeting

EndoGastric Solutions (EGS) today announced that new U.S. clinical results for their third generation Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF2) procedure were presented during the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) meeting April 14-17, in Washington, DC.

30 Apr 2010

New endoscopic scanning technique improves early detection of dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus

Cancer of the lower esophagus develops almost exclusively in patients with Barrett's esophagus, an otherwise benign complication of esophageal reflux that affects approximately 3 million Americans. Although the prognosis of patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer is poor, the chances of successful treatment increase significantly if the disease is detected at an early dysplastic stage.

13 Apr 2010

Newer treatments, closer monitoring of childhood cancer may improve longevity

Although more children today are surviving cancer than ever before, young patients successfully treated in the 1970s and 80s may live a decade less, on average, than the general population, according to a study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health.

7 Apr 2010

Beike Biotechnology awarded ISO9001 certification for implementation of comprehensive QMS

Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd., one of the world's leading biotechnology companies focusing on adult stem cell therapies, has been awarded ISO9001 certification by the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO"). This internationally recognized designation signifies Beike has established a Quality Management System (QMS) that complies with ISO9001 standards.

3 Apr 2010

MinuteClinic launches health condition monitoring services for diabetes, asthma and high cholesterol patients

MinuteClinic, the largest provider of retail-based medical clinics in the United States, has introduced a series of convenient health condition monitoring services to help patients previously diagnosed with diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol and high blood pressure overcome the challenges of living with their conditions. Health condition monitoring is available at MinuteClinic locations in CVS/pharmacy stores in 20 states and the District of Columbia. MinuteClinic is the retail health care division of CVS Caremark (CVS).

2 Apr 2010