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A control dashboard for the pharmaceuticals industry

Research scientists at SINTEF have developed a control dashboard for the pharmaceuticals industry. This enables all pharmacies, wholesalers and manufacturers to check where products are in the supply chain, availability, what stocks the neighbouring pharmacy has and the future prognoses.

29 Sep 2008

Arana files U.S. IND for lead anti-Inflammatory

Biotechnology company Arana Therapeutics Limited today announced it has submitted an Investigational New Drug application (IND) to the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for the anti-inflammatory product ART621 in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) indication.

29 Sep 2008

Senate passes bill to aid low-income seniors pay Medicare premiums

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill (S 3560) that would authorize an additional $45 million to assist low-income seniors with Medicare premiums and increase incentives for certain drug manufactures to produce antibiotics, CQ Today reports.

29 Sep 2008

Average monthly premium for stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage will increase by 24% in 2009 to $37, according to report

The average monthly premium for stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage will increase by 24% to $37 next year, according to an analysis of the plans by Avalere Health, the Wall Street Journal reports.

29 Sep 2008

PEPFAR suspends funding for three Ranbaxy AIDS drugs banned by FDA

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program has suspended funding for three antiretroviral drugs manufactured by Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy that were included in an importation ban imposed by FDA on Sept. 16, Bloomberg reports.

29 Sep 2008

CytRx to present new data on molecular chaperone drug discovery technology

CytRx Corporation today announced that Bin Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Director of Biochemistry and Screening, will present at the monthly meeting of the San Diego "LEADS" discussion group, the premium San Diego consortium of screening researchers, to be held on October 1, 2008.

25 Sep 2008

House members send letter to Condoleezza Rice requesting information on antiretrovirals supplied to PEPFAR by Ranbaxy

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Friday sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice requesting information about alleged safety problems with antiretrovirals manufactured by the Indian generic pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy and distributed through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (AP/International Herald Tribune, 9/19).

22 Sep 2008

Pharmacy benefits managers promote low-cost generics, adherence to drug plans

Pharmacy benefits managers have begun offering tools to help consumers find low-cost generic drugs, adhere to drug regimens and increase consumer choice, all of which can help increase profit margins, the Wall Street Journal reports.

22 Sep 2008

Utah preferred prescription drug list savings less than projected

Utah's Medicaid preferred prescription drug list in its first year has reduced spending by nearly $546,000, but the savings fell about $2.75 million short of original estimates by the Utah Department of Health, according to Michael Hales, the director of the state Division of Health Care Financing, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

22 Sep 2008

Supreme Court prepares to hear pre-emption case that could give pharmaceutical companies protection against liability

The case of a Vermont women who won a $6 million award from Wyeth for failure to adequately warn her of the risk of one of its products is the "latest in a brisk parade of similar ones" in which the U.S. Supreme Court will examine the principle of pre-emption, which states that FDA approval of drugs or medical devices pre-empts the ability for individuals to sue manufacturers for liability in state courts, the New York Times reports.

22 Sep 2008

Advisers to Presidential candidates discuss positions on reimportation, generics, biotechnology medications

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) have begun "reviewing their support" for prescription drug reimportation in response to recent cases of contaminated medications and other products from other nations, advisers to the candidates said on Thursday during the annual conference of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association in Washington, D.C., Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

22 Sep 2008

Brazil to produce generic version of Merck's antiretroviral Efavirenz

Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao on Wednesday said Brazil will begin producing a generic version of Merck's antiretroviral efavirenz, the AP/USA Today reports.

22 Sep 2008

Review of drug delivery market

Combating losses due to patent expiries has become a high priority for pharmaceutical companies. Investing in new drug delivery technologies is becoming a critical strategy for them to maintain a strong presence in this cut-throat market as they offer the potential to enhance the life cycle of established drugs.

18 Sep 2008

GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort submit NDA for Solzira for restless legs syndrome

GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort, Inc. announced today that a New Drug Application (NDA) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting approval of Solzira (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

16 Sep 2008

Mylan receives FDA approval for generic version of Risperdal

Mylan Inc today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Risperidone Tablets USP, 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg and 4 mg.

16 Sep 2008

AIDS Healthcare Foundation says "shame on Abbott"

As part of its ongoing campaign to lower drug prices and improve access to lifesaving AIDS treatments globally, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which operates three free treatment clinics in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Tuxtla Gutierrez) today unveiled a new print advertisement criticizing Abbott Laboratories, Inc. for the steep price it charges for its key AIDS drug Kaletra in Mexico.

16 Sep 2008

FDA warns Ranbaxy Labs and issues import alert

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued two Warning Letters to Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., of the Republic of India, and an Import Alert for generic drugs produced by Ranbaxy's Dewas and Paonta Sahib plants in India.

16 Sep 2008

CMS to suspend competitive acquisition program for medications covered under Medicare Part B

A CMS official last week said that the agency on Jan. 1 will suspend the Competitive Acquisition Program, launched in 2006 to supply certain medications to physician offices, because of "contractual issues" related to proprietary data, CQ HealthBeat reports.

16 Sep 2008

FDA grants priority review status to Novartis' ACT Coartem

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis on Monday announced that FDA has granted priority review status for its malaria treatment Coartem, Dow Jones reports.

16 Sep 2008

FDA grants approval to Talecris Biotherapeutics for Gamunex for neurological disorder CIDP

Talecris Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Gamunex (Immune Globulin Intravenous [Human], 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified) as a treatment for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). CIDP is a debilitating neurological disorder that results in muscle weakness and fatigue, which can lead to severe impairment of motor skills.

15 Sep 2008