pharmaceutical companies

Merck Insomnia Drug Carries Risks of Drowsy Driving, Suicidal Thoughts

Posted on 05/20/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking. Related: ER Visits Soar for Older Adults Taking Ambien The Food and Drug Administration on Monday released its review of the company’s sleep aid, suvorexant, ahead of a public meeting on Wednesday. The pill works by temporarily blocking chemical messengers that keep people …

New Website to Post Payments to Doctors From Health Industry

Posted on 04/23/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsBy Ankita Rao, Kaiser Health News Blog For the first time, the government will make information about financial relationships between doctors, teaching hospitals and drug manufacturers publicly available. To comply with a provision in the Affordable Care Act, drug and device manufacturers, along with group purchasing organizations, will have to disclose all of their payments and other compensation to physicians and teaching hospitals. Those who don’t comply could be fined. The information will be gathered beginning in August and disclosed by Sept. 30, …

Supreme Court Weighs Drugmakers’ ‘Pay for Delay’ Deals

Posted on 03/25/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Jesse J. Holland and Linda A. Johnson of The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court struggled Monday with whether it should allow federal officials to challenge deals between pharmaceutical corporations and their generic drug competitors that the government says could keep cheaper forms of medicine off the American market for longer periods of time. Justices heard arguments from the Justice Department against what they call “pay-for-delay” deals or “reverse settlements.” Such deals arise when generic companies file …

Drugmakers, Interpol Ramp Up Fight Against Fakes

Posted on 03/12/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin TodayBy Linda A. Johnson, Business Writer, The Associated Press More than two dozen of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies have agreed to provide funding and other support to Interpol’s battle against counterfeit prescription drugs, the international police agency said Tuesday. Interpol’s newly created Pharmaceutical Crime Program aims to help health agencies, police and customs bureaus in countries around the globe stem the supply of bogus brand-name and generic medicines, as well as identify and dismantle the organized crime rings distributing …

Drugmaker Faces Civil, Criminal Fines over Megace

Posted on 03/6/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Linda A. Johnson and Samantha Henry of The Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey-based drugmaker agreed on Tuesday to pay $45 million to resolve charges that it improperly marketed its weight-gain drug to frail seniors particularly vulnerable to its side effects, federal officials said Tuesday. Officials from Woodcliff Lake-based Par Pharmaceutical Cos. pleaded guilty on behalf of the company to a charge of criminal misbranding. Par CEO Paul V. Campanelli admitted the company had improperly marketed …

Study: Doctors Give In to Patient Demands for Brand-Name Drugs

Posted on 01/8/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Alvin Tran of Kaiser Health News Doctors are more likely to prescribe brand-name drugs over lower-cost generics when patients request them and when physicians have contacts with drugmakers, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine Monday shows. The researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston analyzed data from a survey of 1,891 doctors in 2009 and found that 37 percent of  doctors admitted to sometimes prescribing a brand-name drug at a patient’s request even though a generic version of …

« Older Entries