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Stories recently tagged with 'Pharmaceutical'
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submitted by
tictac
8 days, 12 hours ago news.yahoo.com — With the enrollment period for Medicare's Part D prescription drug coverage program for 2009 kicking off Nov. 15, experts are advising seniors to choose a plan carefully because premiums and covered medications can vary from plan to plan.
"As we enter the fourth year of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, we continue to see high satisfaction rates among beneficiaries and high participation among plans," Kerry Weems, acting administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a statement. read more...
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published 10 days, 7 hours ago, submitted by
zen
15 days, 22 hours ago news.yahoo.com — WASHINGTON – Federal agents Thursday seized quantities of a contaminated blood thinner made in China from a small manufacturer in Cincinnati, officials said.
The blood thinner heparin, given to patients undergoing heart surgery and kidney dialysis, was the focus of a major recall earlier this year after crude drug material from China was found to be contaminated. Hundreds of frail patients suffered severe allergic reactions. The government received reports of nearly 250 deaths.
The FDA had inspected the Cincinnati company, Celsus Laboratories, Inc., in April and at the time found contaminated heparin in two different kinds of products, officials said. A little over 2 pounds of the blood thinner was intended for use directly with patients, and another 31 pounds was to be utilized in diagnostic test kits and medical devices.
The FDA seized the heparin after informing the company that its efforts to notify customers of the contamination problem were unsatisfactory, the agency said in a statement. Drug seizures are a rare penalty for the FDA, since regulators prefer to negotiate with manufacturers to resolve disputes. read more...
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published 30 days, 7 hours ago, submitted by
maria
1 month ago health.yahoo.com — Pharmaceuticals in the European Union will be traceable from factory to pharmacy in a bid to crack down on the rise in counterfeit drugs, which are potentially lethal, the bloc's executive said on Wednesday.
EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said the 27-nation bloc used to be a transit area for counterfeit medicines being shipped to third countries but was now a target.
"It's a huge threat to public health and can cost people's lives in some cases," Verheugen told the European Parliament.
"The (European) Commission will come up with a legal act to tighten up the framework," Verheugen said.
The Commission has said Switzerland, home to some of the world's top pharmaceutical firms, surprisingly topped the table of origins of fake medicines, ahead of India. read more...
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published 28 days, 7 hours ago, submitted by
maria
1 month ago health.yahoo.com — A new drug store at a Virginia strip mall is putting its faith in an unconventional business plan: No candy. No sodas. And no birth control. Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy is among at least seven pharmacies across the nation that are refusing as a matter of faith to sell contraceptives of any kind, even if a person has a prescription.
States across the country have been wrestling with the issue of pharmacists who refuse on religious grounds to dispense birth control or morning-after pills, and some have enacted laws requiring drug stores to fill the prescriptions. read more...
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published 1 month, 14 days ago, submitted by
stef718
1 month, 16 days ago health.msn.com — Free prescription drug samples distributed to pediatric patients may be unsafe, research suggests.
The study, published in the October 2008 issue of Pediatrics, examined data on 10,295 children and adolescents from the 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
The researchers found that one in 20 American children received free drug samples in 2004. And among those who took at least one prescription drug that year, nearly one in 10 received free samples.
This in concerning, since the researchers also found that some of the most frequently distributed samples may be unsafe.
Four of the 15 most frequently distributed samples in 2004 were identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as having significant new safety concerns, including new black box warnings or significant revisions to existing warnings. read more...
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published 1 month, 20 days ago, submitted by
maria
1 month, 27 days ago news.yahoo.com — Federal health officials encouraged Medicare participants on Thursday to shop around for their prescription drug coverage next year because it could include significant price increases or changes regarding which drugs the plans will cover. Overall, the landscape for prescription drug coverage won't look dramatically different next year. The typical beneficiary will still have dozens upon dozens of plans to choose from, but most people will see an increase in their monthly premiums if they stay with the same insurer.
For those enrolled in the 10 most popular drug plans, the cost increases will range from 8 percent to as much as 64 percent, according to an analysis by Avalere Health, a consulting firm. read more...
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published 1 month, 24 days ago, submitted by
maria
1 month, 27 days ago news.yahoo.com — Seniors who switch between low-cost generic drugs and the original products based on who's footing the bill are likely driving up the cost of the government's Medicare drug plan, according to a new study. Figures released Thursday show seniors are more likely to ask their pharmacist for generic medications when they are paying, but choose the more expensive originals when the government is covering the costs.
The study was published by Medco Health Solutions Inc., a drug benefit manager that handles prescriptions for about 20 percent of Americans. Prescription benefit managers earn more money when patients choose cheaper medications. read more...
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published 2 months, 5 days ago, submitted by
tictac
2 months, 15 days ago news.yahoo.com — The government on Friday began posting a list of prescription drugs under investigation for potential safety problems in an effort to better inform doctors and patients. The first list is a bare-bones compilation naming 20 medications and the potential issue for each. It provides no indication of how widespread or serious the problems might be, leading some consumer advocates to question its usefulness, and prompting industry worries that skittish patients might stop taking a useful medication if they see it listed.
Food and Drug Administration officials said they are trying to walk a fine line in being more open to the public while avoiding needless scares. Congress, in a drug safety bill passed last year, ordered the agency to post quarterly listings of medications under investigation. read more...
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published 2 months, 17 days ago, submitted by
maria
2 months, 18 days ago nytimes.com — The pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, said Wednesday that it was acquiring the rights to a promising experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease from Medivation for as much as $725 million. Pfizer, which is seeking to bolster its pipeline of experimental drugs, will pay an initial $225 million for rights to the medicine, Dimebon, which is also being developed for Huntington’s disease, the companies said on Wednesday. read more...
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submitted by
tictac
3 months, 4 days ago nytimes.com — Suffering from excruciating spinal deterioration, Robby Garvin, 24, of South Carolina, tried many painkillers before his doctor prescribed methadone in June 2006, just before Mr. Garvin and his friend Joey Sutton set off for a weekend at an amusement park.
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The Methadone BoomGraphic
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F.D.A. Weighs Training to Dispense Narcotics (August 17, 2008)
Times Topics: Methadone
Stephen Morton for The New York Times
IN MEMORY Nancy Garvin with a photo of her son Robby at a garden she had made for him in Beaufort, S.C. Robby, who had severe back pain, died at 24.
On Saturday night Mr. Garvin called his mother to say, “Mama, this is the first time I have been pain free, this medicine just might really help me.” The next day, though, he felt bad. As directed, he took two more tablets and then he lay down for a nap. It was after 2 p.m. that Joey said he heard a strange sound that must have been Robby’s last breath. read more...
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published 3 months, 8 days ago, submitted by
zya
3 months, 8 days ago abc.net.au — The biggest drug recall in Australian history has today led to a massive payout by the Federal Government.
The former head of Pan Pharmaceuticals, Jim Selim, has won $50-million in damages and an extra $5-million for legal costs in his case against the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Five years ago his company collapsed when the TGA suspended its licence and ordered the immediate recall of 219 of its products. read more...
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submitted by
gregmax
3 months, 21 days ago edition.cnn.com — CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Deaths from medication mistakes at home, such as actor Heath Ledger's accidental overdose, rose dramatically during the past two decades, an analysis of U.S. death certificates finds.
The authors blame soaring home use of prescription painkillers and other potent drugs, which 25 years ago were given mainly inside hospitals.
"The amount of medical supervision is going down and the amount of responsibility put on the patient's shoulders is going up," said lead author David P. Phillips of the University of California, San Diego. read more...
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submitted by
gregmax
3 months, 21 days ago edition.cnn.com — NEW YORK (AP) -- Here's a couch potato's dream: What if a drug could help you gain some of the benefits of exercise without working up a sweat?
Scientists reported Thursday that there is such a drug -- if you happen to be a mouse.
Sedentary mice that took the drug for four weeks burned more calories and had less fat than untreated mice. And when tested on a treadmill, they could run about 44 percent farther and 23 percent longer than untreated mice.
Just how well those results might translate to people is an open question. But, researchers say, such a drug might help treat obesity, diabetes and people with medical conditions that keep them from exercising. read more...
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submitted by
zen
3 months, 24 days ago msnbc.msn.com — The number of Americans who died at home after ingesting toxic combinations of prescription medications, alcohol and street drugs such as marijuana exploded by more than 3,000 percent during the past two decades, new research shows.
The spike is a serious sign that many U.S. patients are having trouble coping with the shorter hospital stays, less clinical oversight and more powerful medications that have become hallmarks of medical care in recent years, said David P. Phillips, a sociologist at the University of California at San Diego. read more...
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submitted by
bugu
3 months, 25 days ago healthnews.com — You expect to hear about heroin overdoses and deaths from crack cocaine, but it is surprising to hear about a prescription drug being widely available on the street and being misused to the point of death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,013 Americans have died after overdosing on an illegal version of the powerful painkiller fentanyl. Published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, the report on fentanyl focused on the overdoses that were fatal between April 2005 and March 2007.
Fentanyl is a very powerful synthetic opiate analgesic that is similar to morphine but is more powerful. Fentanyl is usually used to treat patients that have severe or chronic pain, or to help with pain after surgery. It is also an alternative to opiates, making it an option for people who cannot tolerate or behelped by opiates. The prescription form of fentanyl is also known as Actiq, Duragesic, and Sublimaze. When a doctor prescribes it, it is also administered by transdermal patch, injection, or in the form of a lozenge. read more...
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submitted by
zya
3 months, 29 days ago msnbc.msn.com — WASHINGTON - AIDS patients should have a genetic test before treatment with GlaxoSmithKline Plc's drug Ziagen to see whether they face a higher risk of a potentially fatal reaction, U.S. regulators said on Thursday.
For patients who test positive for a specific gene variation, Ziagen treatment "is not recommended and should be considered only under exceptional circumstances when the potential benefit outweighs the risk," the Food and Drug Administration said in a notice on its Web site.
Studies found patients with one specific version of an immune system gene had a higher chance of a serious and at-times fatal reaction to Ziagen, the agency said. read more...
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