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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: drug companies

drug companies stories: 54 news summaries

41 - 54 of 54 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3

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Insurers
Quietly Hike
Rx Costs

Plans slip in soaring co-pays for most expensive drugs

Apr 14, 08 9:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pricey prescription drugs are getting pricier, and, the New York Times reports, insurance companies are asking patients to shoulder more of the burden. Insurers are quietly phasing out traditional drug plans, which charge a fixed co-pay of $20 or $30 to fill a prescription, in favor of so-called Tier 4... More »

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health care • insurance companies • drug companies • insurance • prescription drugs • co-pays

Doc: Merck Fudged Minutes of Meeting

Vytorin probe challeges firm's account of delay in trial results

Apr 12, 08 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Merck's "minutes" of a meeting of heart doctors discussing cholesterol drug Vytorin were created a month after the meeting and distorted the viewpoints of the experts, one panel member changes. The drug company submitted the document to congressional investigators probing its two-year delay in releasing a report saying the... More »

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Merck • pharmaceutical companies • drug companies • cholesterol lowering drug • clinical trials • Vytorin • Schering-Plough

Blood Test May Predict Dementia 6 Years Early

Some worry over boost in insurance costs; others want wider study

Apr 7, 08 1:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - A new blood test can warn of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases six years before symptoms appear, its makers say. The assessment, set to launch this summer, could allow patients to begin fighting the ailments early with through dietary changes, exercise and drugs, the Daily Mail reports. But some... More »

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health insurance • dementia • drug companies • Parkinson's disease • blood tests • Alzheimer's Disease

Firms Hid Bad News on
Heart Drugs 2 Years: Doc

Merck and Schering-Plough delayed trial results on Vytorin, Zetia

Apr 1, 08 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A scientist hired by two drug companies to conduct trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs accused the firms of deliberately delaying release of the results, the New York Times reports. The results for the Vytorin and Zetia trials—which showed the drugs don't work to reduce plaque in arteries—were not released... More »

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Merck • drug companies • cholesterol • cholesterol lowering drug • clinical trials • Vytorin • Zetia • Schering-Plough

Prices Jump for Top Drugs

Drug giants collect now against expected future losses

Feb 21, 08 4:45 AM CST
(Newser) - Drug companies have slapped a series of huge price hikes on some prescription drugs ahead of drug patent expirations, the Wall Street Journal reports. GlaxoSmithKline has raised the price of antidepressant Wellbutrin 44.5%, while Sanofi-Aventis hiked Ambien's price 70%. Wholesale prices for the top 50 drugs increased an average... More »

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Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John McCain • antidepressant • drug companies • GlaxoSmithKline • Pfizer • health insurance premiums • price increases • health care reform • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services • Lipitor • pharmaceutical industry • co-pays • Ambien • Wellbutrin • Adderall XR • Sanofi-Aventis • Shire • patent expiration

Deaths Spark FDA Review of Botox Safety

'Off-label' use under scrutiny after fatalities, severe reactions

Feb 8, 08 5:05 PM CST
(Newser) - The FDA is investigating the safety of Botox and a competing medication after learning that the drug might have caused death and breathing problems in children being treated for cerebral palsy, Reuters reports. That's not an approved use for the cosmetic drug; docs administer it because it can block nerve... More »

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FDA • drug companies • Botox • drug test • side effects

Quaids Sue Drug Firm Over OD

Actor alleges packaging led to infants' nearly fatal overdose

Dec 5, 07 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) - Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife filed a lawsuit against Baxter International, maker of the blood thinner Heparin, after their newborn twins nearly died of an overdose, the Chicago Tribune reports. The couple said Baxter was negligent because it packaged two different strengths of the drug, one a thousand times... More »

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medical errors • drug companies • celebrity • overdose • lawsuit • infants • Dennis Quaid • Kimberly Buffington • Heparin • Baxter International

Cancer Still Winning War ...on Cancer

Drugs extend life,
but can't stop deadly spread of disease

Dec 2, 07 5:35 PM CST
(Newser) - Nixon declared war on cancer in '71, but $69 billion in funding and claims of near victory are yet to slow it down, the Boston Globe reports. No one knows what makes it spread—and trigger 90% of cancer deaths—and a drop in deaths is due to lifestyle changes... More »

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cancer • drugs • Boston • drug companies • cancer research • medical treatment

FDA Advisers Reject Cold Meds for Kids

Popular remedies don't work and aren't safe for for children under 6

Oct 19, 07 5:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Over-the-counter cold medicines are dangerous for children under 6 and should not be used, a panel of health advisers reported to the FDA today. Many popular medicines, including Dimetapp, Triaminic, and Pediacare, have never been sufficiently tested on children under 12, the committee concluded. “The data that we have... More »

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FDA • drug companies • parents • cold medicine • pediatrics • common cold • pediatricians

Feds OK Alzheimer's
Skin Patch

New treatment gives patients, caregivers some peace of mind

Jul 9, 07 4:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - A patch to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease cleared its final federal hurdle today, offering new hope to patients with the memory-sapping disorder—and the caretakers who worry about whether they're taking their meds. Exelon, which treats mild to moderate dementia, enters the bloodstream directly, regulating dosage and reducing the... More »

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FDA • dementia • pharmaceutical companies • drug companies • Novartis • Alzheimer's Disease

Psych Drugs Drove Kid Crazy

Careless prescriptions turned shy chess nerd into into belligerent hulk

May 18, 07 9:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - The careless prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, often by psychiatrists who draw pay checks from the companies who make them, has drawn attention in the New York Times recently. Now Ann Bauer, writing in Salon, draws an intimate portrait of the effects of such carelessness on one autistic teenager, who turned... More »

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medicine • health • drugs • psychiatry • schizophrenia • pharmaceutical companies • drug companies • antipsychotic drugs • pharma • doctor

Use of Antipsychotics
For Kids Soars

Payments to psychiatrists from the drugs' makers soar at the same time

May 10, 07 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Times tackles the growing use of antipsychotic drugs in children, contentious because the drugs are risky and have no approved use for minors. But the trend is also questionable because it coincides with increasing payments to psychiatrists by the companies that market the drugs. In Minnesota, these payments rose... More »

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medicine • psychiatry • drug companies • antipsychotic drugs • children • safety

FDA Given New Muscle To Monitor Drugs

Senate bill requires continued scrutiny after approval

May 10, 07 5:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration would be given sweeping new powers to order drug recalls, regulate advertising and mandate changes in labels under a bill passed by the Senate yesterday. The bill signals a fundamental shift in the FDA's role, the New York Times reports, requiring the agency to track... More »

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FDA • drugs • drug companies • Vioxx • safety • recall

Doctors Paid Millions To Use Anemia Drugs

Among the world's top-selling medicines, the FDA now says they
may be unsafe

May 9, 07 8:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Doctors are paid millions of dollars by drug companies to give their patients anemia medicine which regulators now say may be dangerous. Spurred by competiton between several similar drugs, companies reward doctors with rebates, which allow them to make a significant profit, the New York Times reports. More »

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medicine • FDA • health • pharmaceutical companies • Medicare • Anemia • drug companies • safety • doctor • Johnson and Johnson • Amgen

41 - 54 of 54 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3


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