President Biden has signed an executive order authorizing a review of the US supply chain, including semiconductors.
Veeva CEO: Reinvention Makes a Great Company
Veeva Systems offers pharmaceutical and other highly regulated chemical manufacturers a cloud-based solution to make their employees and companies be more efficient and in regulatory compliance.
$650 Million Settlement Reached in Pradaxa Lawsuit
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals this week agreed to a settlement in the multi-district litigation over the drug Pradaxa. The company has agreed to pay $650 million to settle the lawsuits. Much of that money will be used to compensate patients who…
Multiple Sclerosis Drug Delayed by FDA
Biogen Idec Inc. has stated that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the review process its multiple sclerosis drug called Plegridy by three months to evaluate the application, though the FDA didn’t request any further studies. Biogen had planned…
New Painkiller Zohydro: What Parents And Patients Need To Know
Painkiller junkies who’ve diligently done research are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a pill called Zohydro. Meanwhile, a well-meaning coalition of health professionals is also anticipating – the imminent demise of such existing abusers and legitimate patients alike. They are…
FDA Implements Pilot Program For Fast-Track Drug Importation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it has begun its two-year Secure Supply Chain Pilot Program. The program is meant to streamline some drug importation for select companies so that the FDA can focus its resources…
Depression Drug Vyvanse Sent Back To Drawing Board
The pharmaceutical group Shire has decided to stop developing the drug Vyvanse for use to treat depression. The Amphetamine-based Vyvanse is a popular ADHD drug, having made over $1.2 billion dollars for related therapy last year. However, Shire was hoping…
Johnson & Johnson to Pay $2.2 Billion Over Risperdal Claims
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that Janssen Pharmaceuticals has plead guilty over the misbranding of the drug Risperdal. Janssen and its company, Johnson & Johnson, will pay a total of…
Merck Job Cuts On the Rise, Cuts Could Prove Beneficial
For months, the struggling New Jersey- based pharmaceutical conglomerate has been struggling, and the numbers they’ve been producing have only made their financial woes more evident. But, yesterday the company set a new plan of action in motion. Merck &…
Cholesterol Drug Tredaptive Pulled Worldwide
Less than one month ago, Merck, a major U.S. pharmaceutical company, announced that its cholesterol drug Tredaptive failed a major clinical trial. The drug is meant to improve heart health by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol, but the trial found…
Diabetes Drug Approved by U.S. FDA Committee
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee this week approved the drug canagliflozin for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. The Endrocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA voted 10 to 5 to approve the…
Diabetes Drug Works Differently Than Was Previously Thought
For half a century one of the most popular and most-prescribed classes of diabetes drugs has been biguanides, which includes the drug metformin. Metformin helps to keep liver glucose output in check, which, in turn, keeps blood sugar down in…
Stroke Medication Approved by the U.S. FDA
A new anti-clotting drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Called apixaban and marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer as Eliquis, the drug has been approved to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots for…
Merck Drug Fails Major Clinical Trial
Merck, a major U.S. pharmaceutical company, announced this week that its drug “Tredaptive” has failed a clinical trial. The trial was meant to test the drug for its ability to improve patients’ heart health by increasing their levels of “good”…
Cholesterol Meds Most Effective With Exercise, Shows Study
A new study shows that cholesterol-lowering drugs have a more significant effect when combined with exercise. Though both the drugs and exercise lower the chances of premature death for people with high colesterol, their combined use staved off death better…
Grapefruit Warning For Medications Expanded
A review published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) warns that while the number of prescription drugs that have adverse effects from interactions with grapefruit are increasing, many doctors may be unaware of the effects. The review…
Diabetes Treatment Shown to Improve Memory For Alzheimer’s Patients
A new study shows that a drug used to treat insulin resistance in diabetics could improve cognitive performance in some people with Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, the drug rosiglitazone was used…
Asthma Drug Rejected by U.K.’s NICE
The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) this weekend issued a draft guidance stating that it does not recommend omalizumab, an asthma medication marketed as Xolair by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. NICE is a U.K. health authority that publishes…
Arthritis Drug Approved by the U.S. FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved Xeljanz (tofacitinib) for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults who have not responded to methotrexate. The twice-daily pill works by blocking molecules known as “Janus kinases.”…