Prescription Drug News and Research

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Eight out of ten women take some form of therapeutic drugs during pregnancy

The advice from the British National Formulary (British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain) is that all drugs should be avoided if possible during the first three months – and only prescribed at all if the benefits to the mother outweigh the risk to the foetus.

6 Oct 2004

First U.S. program to allow citizens to purchase lower cost, safe prescription drugs from Europe and Canada

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) were joined in Chicago today by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle to launch the new I-SaveRx prescription drug importation program -- the first program in the nation to allow citizens to purchase lower cost, safe prescription drugs from Europe and Canada.

4 Oct 2004

New drug application to market ramelteon for insomnia

Takeda Global Research & Development Center announced today that it has submitted a new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market ramelteon (TAK-375), its investigational drug for insomnia.

26 Sep 2004

Drug companies and FDA crack down on Canadian drug importation to protect profits

With an election on the horizon, and Canadian pharmacies proving to be as safe as U.S. counterparts, the Food and Drug Administration and big pharma are increasing efforts to prevent Canadian drug importation.

26 Sep 2004

Palladone approved for pain relief

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Palladone (hydromorphone hydrochloride) capsules for the management of persistent moderate to severe pain in patients requiring continuous around-the-clock opioid pain relief for an extended period of time.

26 Sep 2004

Medicare drug card savings growing, new data show

Seniors are now saving more money with the new Medicare-approved drug discount cards, the nation’s top Medicare official announced today at a forum held by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

23 Sep 2004

So far only 4,000 of 50,000 slots have been filled in new demonstration prescription drug assistance program

The Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging is encouraging those on Medicare who have cancer and other serious diseases to consider signing up for a new demonstration prescription drug assistance program.

18 Sep 2004

Patients with asthma have a higher incidence of nasal polyposis, nasal congestion, and olfactory disturbances

Some 37 million Americans suffer from sinusitis; some of those patients are unfortunate enough to also have asthma, an inflammatory disease of the lungs characterized by reversible airway obstruction.

18 Sep 2004

Slimming agents could pose major health risk

Commonly used nutritional supplements and body-building agents for elite athletes could pose an increased risk of cancer according to a study undertaken at the University of Sydney.

16 Sep 2004

One-third to buy cheaper Canadian drugs, 100 million find insurance coverage cut or costlier

Faced with a double-barreled crisis of shrinking health care coverage and fast-rising medical costs, two out of three American adults (67 percent) now think health care coverage should be a “guarantee” as in Canada, Britain and other nations.

16 Sep 2004

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced new measures to help seniors get the lowest price possible for their medicines by allowing them -- for the first time -- to compare prices for similar drugs used to treat common diseases such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.

15 Sep 2004

Which provincial pharmacare system works best to protect Canadians against catastrophic drug costs?

Health-care economy researchers at the University of British Columbia have found there is wide variation in coverage for pharmaceuticals in Canada.

14 Sep 2004

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose at about five times the rate of inflation

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums increased an average of 11.2% in 2004 -- less than last year’s 13.9% increase, but still the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, according to the 2004 Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET).

12 Sep 2004

A third of chronically ill adults don't tell their clinicians that they underuse medications due to cost

About one-third of chronically ill adults who underuse medications because of the costs associated with buying the drugs, never tell their health care practitioners, according to an article in the September 13 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12 Sep 2004

Chickenpox (Varicella) vaccine has saved the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars since its introduction

A new University of Michigan study has found that the Chickenpox (Varicella) vaccine has saved the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars since its introduction in 1995 by preventing the kinds of severe cases that used to send children, teens and adults to the hospital.

7 Sep 2004

People should be aware of the risks of herbal remedies interacting with conventional medicines

A high percentage of the population could be endangering their health by taking herbal medicines without checking with a health professional first according to Peter Houghton, Professor in Pharmacognosy, King’s College London.

7 Sep 2004

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the Medicare premium amounts

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the Medicare premium, deductible and coinsurance amounts to be paid by Medicare beneficiaries in 2005.

4 Sep 2004

New drug application for exenatide has been accepted for review

Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly today announced that the New Drug Application for exenatide has been accepted for review by the Food and Drug Administration.

2 Sep 2004

U.S. FDA study shows Canadian drugs to be more expensive

If you think all drugs from Canada are cheaper than U.S. drugs, think again. In the United States, generic drugs - roughly half of all prescriptions - are often cheaper than both Canadian brand-name drugs and Canadian generic drugs, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration.

29 Aug 2004

U.S. to vigorously defend against Vermont's lawsuit on importing drugs from Canada

The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief based on FDA's denial of the State of Vermont's December 4, 2003, citizen petition requesting that the Vermont State Employee Medical Benefit Plan (VSEMBP) be allowed to establish a program for the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

25 Aug 2004

Prescription Drug News and Research

Eight out of ten women take some form of therapeutic drugs during pregnancy

First U.S. program to allow citizens to purchase lower cost, safe prescription drugs from Europe and Canada

New drug application to market ramelteon for insomnia

Drug companies and FDA crack down on Canadian drug importation to protect profits

Palladone approved for pain relief

Medicare drug card savings growing, new data show

So far only 4,000 of 50,000 slots have been filled in new demonstration prescription drug assistance program

Patients with asthma have a higher incidence of nasal polyposis, nasal congestion, and olfactory disturbances

Slimming agents could pose major health risk

One-third to buy cheaper Canadian drugs, 100 million find insurance coverage cut or costlier

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Which provincial pharmacare system works best to protect Canadians against catastrophic drug costs?

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose at about five times the rate of inflation

A third of chronically ill adults don't tell their clinicians that they underuse medications due to cost

Chickenpox (Varicella) vaccine has saved the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars since its introduction

People should be aware of the risks of herbal remedies interacting with conventional medicines

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the Medicare premium amounts

New drug application for exenatide has been accepted for review

U.S. FDA study shows Canadian drugs to be more expensive

U.S. to vigorously defend against Vermont's lawsuit on importing drugs from Canada

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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