A final, conclusive, incontrovertible answer
Since cultists are still required to believe in the magic power of hydroxychloroquine:No, it is completely ineffective against Covid-19.For the statistically unsophisticated, I ' ll give you the actual results and then the authors ' explanation:The report provides rate ratios for death over a 28-day period for each regimen as compared with standard care: remdesivir, 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81 to 1.11); hydroxychloroquine, 1.19 (95% CI, 0.89 to 1.59); lopinavir, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.79 to 1.25); and interferon beta-1a, 1.16 (95% CI, 0.96 to 1.39). The data show no evidence of a meaningful benefit on in-h...
Source: Stayin' Alive - February 11, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
After a Quiet Summer, Congress Starts Probe into MS Drugs
Congress has recently taken a few months off from constantly barraging the pharmaceutical industry with daily probes and negative news. However, on Thursday, August 17, 2017, Representatives Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont announced a probe into multiple sclerosis (MS) drug costs, focusing on pricing from seven different pharmaceutical companies, starting with letters to those companies.
Cummings and Welch are asking Bayer, Biogen, Serono (Merck KGaA), Novartis, Sanofi, Teva, and Roche for details about their pricing, focusing on the reasons behind price increases over the past several years. Teva l...
Source: Policy and Medicine - August 30, 2017 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 36-year-old woman with facial pain
A 36-year-old woman is evaluated for a 1-week history of recurrent episodes of facial pain that are 1 to 3 seconds in duration and occur spontaneously dozens of times throughout the day. The pain is sharp, severe, and located in the right infraorbital area. During this same period, she has developed worsening bilateral lower extremity weakness and urinary incontinence. The patient has an 18-year history of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with interferon beta-1a; she also takes baclofen to control spasticity. She has had no nausea, photophobia, phonophobia, nasal congestion, nasal drainage, or ocular/visual c...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 20, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions Neurology Source Type: blogs
Tackling Rising Pharmaceutical Prices: 50 Shades of Gray
By SUSAN DENTZER
Global New Active Substances (NAS) Available Since 1996
Here’s the problem with high and rising pharmaceutical prices: It’s not just one problem, but many. Addressing them will require a range of solutions – many of them difficult to execute, and possibly tough medicine to swallow.
These were key takeaways from the recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pharmaceutical Forum,which I moderated. A broad group of stakeholders participated, including patients, consumer groups, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefits managers, insurers and others. The key issues: Obtaining th...
Source: The Health Care Blog - December 9, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Simon Nath Tags: THCB Susan Dentzer Source Type: blogs
The Need For Publicly Funded Trials To Get Unbiased Comparative Effectiveness Data
Comparative effectiveness research was one of the hotly debated components of the Affordable Care Act. The pharmaceutical industry is marketing driven, with pharmaceutical companies spending more on marketing than they do on research and development. The need for a marketing edge can also drive drug development.
As illustrated by the discussion below of Gazyva and Nexium, drugs can be developed at higher doses than the drugs they are intended to replace. When the newer, higher-dose drugs are tested against the older, lower-dose drugs, the trials are intended to show that the newer, higher dose drugs are superior to the old...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - February 20, 2015 Category: Health Management Authors: Robert Bohrer Tags: All Categories Business of Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Innovation Pharma Policy Research Source Type: blogs
Font issues
Dear Biogen,Thank you for your Avonex demo pack.In a recent nonscientific survey, 8 out of 11 people thought the C and L were a little too close together, and read the box somewhat differently. (Source: Doctor Grumpy in the House)
Source: Doctor Grumpy in the House - February 3, 2014 Category: Neurologists Authors: Grumpy, M.D. Source Type: blogs
Biogen Plant That Makes Older MS Drugs Fails An FDA Inspection
Biogen Idec may impressing Wall Street with its new Tecfidera treatment for multiple sclerosis, but the drugmaker is not impressing regulators with some of its practices for manufacturing a pair of older treatments – Tysabri and Avonex.
A recent inspection report issued by the FDA, which examined a facility last summer, noted that the drugmaker did not always challenge the validity of all testing results provided in certificates of analysis as part of qualification procedures. In other words, Biogen (BIIB) did not always ensure that active pharmaceutical ingredients were sterile, as suppliers claimed.
In addition, Biogen...
Source: Pharmalot - December 9, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: esilverman Source Type: blogs
Social Media Suggests An MS Dogfight Between Biogen And Novartis
Over the past month, surveying the track record for the newly launched Tecfidera multiple sclerosis pill has become a closely watched exercise on Wall Street. Each week, analysts pore over prescription data to gauge the extent to which the drug, which is sold by Biogen Idec, is capturing market share and how many billions of dollars in sales may be generated this year (back story).
Last week, for instance Tecfidera prescriptions rose 27 percent, a substantial increase, although less than the 37 percent gain noticed during the previous week. Not surprisingly, some of this reflects patients who are switching from older MS ...
Source: Pharmalot - May 23, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: esilverman Source Type: blogs
Rebif Rebidose Interferon Injector for MS Cleared in US
Merck received FDA clearance for the Rebif Rebidose interferon beta-1a injector for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). With this approval, in addition to prefilled syringes and the Rebiject II injector, people with MS in the United States have access to all three forms of Rebif.Merck Serono, the U.S. division of the company promises to make the Rebidose injector available early this year.Read More (Source: Medgadget)
Source: Medgadget - January 4, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Medicine Source Type: blogs
