Existing Psoriasis Drug May Treat Alzheimer’s
Researchers working in Switzerland and Germany have found evidence strengthening the concept that the immune system plays a role in the development of Alzheimer's
disease. The study was done on mice using the drug ustekinumab, which
is a biologic drug already approved by the Food & Drug
Administration for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, an auto-immune
disease. (Source: Minding Our Elders)
Source: Minding Our Elders - April 7, 2013 Category: Caregivers Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Tecfidera's Price
Let us take up the case of Tecfidera, the new Biogen/Idec drug for multiple sclerosis, known to us chemists as dimethyl fumarate. It joins the (not very long) list of industrial chemicals (the kind that can be purchased in railroad-car sizes) that are also approved pharmaceuticals for human use. The MS area has seen this before, interestingly.
A year's supply of Tecfidera will set you (or your insurance company) back $54,900. That's a bit higher than many analysts were anticipating, but that means "a bit higher over $50,000". The ceiling is about $60,000, which is what Novartis's Gilenya (fingolomod) goes for, and Biogen ...
Source: In the Pipeline - April 2, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Drug Prices Source Type: blogs
New (to MS) Drug Approved for Multiple Sclerosis: The Price of Recycling
Good news for multiple sclerosis patients this week as the 10th disease modifying medication for MS (and the 3rd oral drug) was approved by the FDA. It’s not a new drug as a form of the medication has been approved for treatment of some types of psoriasis for nearly two decades. For a while it wasn’t even a drug – it was used an anti-mold treatment for sofas and shoes before its use was discontinued due to skin irritations. This week, however, Tecfidera (the drug many of us have known as “BG-12” during the testing phases) was approved and its maker, Biogen, intends to release the drug “within days”.
First bl...
Source: Life with MS - March 29, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: admin Tags: MS treatment drug approval treatment cost Source Type: blogs
First multiple "Overselling the microbiome award": the Daily Mail article on Germs
At the recent "Future of Genomic Medicine" meeting, George Church gave me some grief over my "Overselling the microbiome award" because he thinks (rightly) that some people also undersell the microbiome.
So I set out today to find an example to give out such an award. And within seconds I bumped into this: Germs: There are bugs that cure infections, protect against stroke and even keep your skin clear | Mail Online in the Daily Mail.
Wow. And not in a good way. Oh well, so much for the underselling award. Just the title made me cringe. And so so so so many of the details are...
Source: The Tree of Life - March 25, 2013 Category: Medical Scientists Authors: Jonathan Eisen Source Type: blogs
What’s Not To Like? Facebook And The FDA
Last month, the FDA tagged a dietary supplement maker for a laundry list of infractions, but one item tucked away in a December 11 warning letter stands out. The agency complained to Amarc Enterprises that one of its products was ‘liked’ last year on its Facebook page. This was cited as one example of numerous testimonials that could be construed as claims that cause the Poly MVA supplement to be considered a drug.
Specifically, the March 10, 2011 ‘like’ said this: “PolyMVA has done wonders for me. I take it intravenously 2x a week and it has helped me tremendously. It enabled me to keep cancer at...
Source: Pharmalot - February 27, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Facebook FDA JJ Johnson & Johnson Psoriasis Social Media Twitter Source Type: blogs
The happy “coincidences” of wheatlessness
Wheat Belly Blog reader, Limor, posted this triumphant story of freedom from the health-destroying bonds of wheat:
You validated what I have felt for so many years!! I read you book and watched your lectures over and over again and was fascinated by your knowledge and findings.
I am a therapist in NYC specializing in Eating Disorders and I also recovered from Anorexia and Bulimia. I have been gluten-free for over a year and, after reading your book, I am working hard on being wheat-free.
Prior to being wheat-free, I suffered severe pains and cramps in my stomach. After several failed attempts to ask various doctors why I...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 26, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Eating disorderes Wheat-elimination success stories Source Type: blogs
Roger Goodell: Marlboro Man
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, earned over $29 million in salary and bonuses last year. The current TV contracts negotiated with NBC, ESPN, CBS, and FOX will guarantee the league's owners over $7 billion to be split amongst themselves.
Remind me again why anyone would possibly doubt Mr Goodell's sincerity when he says that his primary concern is the safety and well being of NFL players? Remember his quote from the Bob Schieffer interview:
In fact, we’re all learning more about brain injuries, and the NFL has led the way,” he declared. “We started a concussion committee back in the mid-90s w...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - February 21, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD Source Type: blogs
Roger Goodell: Marlboro Man
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner,earned over $29 million in salary and bonuses last year. The current TV contracts negotiated with NBC, ESPN, CBS, and FOX will guarantee the league's owners over $7 billion to be split amongst themselves. Remind me again why anyone would possibly doubt Mr Goodell's sincerity when he says that his primary concern is the safety and well being of NFL players? Remember his quote from the Bob Schieffer interview:In fact, we ’re all learning more about brain injuries, and the NFL has led the way,” he declared. “We started aconcussion committee back in the mid-90s with th...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - February 20, 2013 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs
Amgen Settlement and Corporate Integrity Agreement
Adding to the long list of pharmaceutical settlements involving off-label promotion, Amgen Inc., the world’s largest biotechnology company, recently entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve criminal liability and false claim act allegations involving its improper promotion of certain drugs. Amgen, a biotechnology company, agreed to pay $762 million—the single largest criminal and civil False Claims Act settlement involving a biotechnology company in U.S. history, according to the announcement.
Amgen entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson of the...
Source: Policy and Medicine - February 19, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Existing Psoriasis Drug May Treat Alzheimer’s
Researchers working in Switzerland and Germany have found evidence strengthening the concept that the immune system plays a role in the development of Alzheimer's
disease. The study was done on mice using the drug ustekinumab, which
is a biologic drug already approved by the Food & Drug
Administration (Source: Minding Our Elders)
Source: Minding Our Elders - February 9, 2013 Category: Caregivers Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
5 Foods That Actually Make You Glow
We are what we eat, and that means that the foods we eat dictate our health. When people start to monitor their diet, they concern themselves with body fat and muscle building. But if you also spend some time focusing on the right foods to eat for healthy skin, then you can look younger and feel better.
Avocado
Image via Flickr by ollesvensson
Many people are familiar with the long list of health benefits that avocados offer, but not enough people are familiar with how good the avocado can be for your skin. This is a fruit loaded with vitamins C and E, both of which are universally recognized as being very good for your...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - February 6, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charli Radke Tags: health and fitness self improvement better health diet exercise pickthebrain superfoods Source Type: blogs
Study Reveals Inaccuracy of Smartphone Health Apps
Performance of smartphone applications in assessing melanoma risk is highly variable and 3 of 4 applications incorrectly classified 30 percent or more of melanomas as unconcerning, according to a study published in JAMA Dermatology ("Diagnostic Inaccuracy of Smartphone Applications for Melanoma Detection"; jamadermatol.2013.2382). The authors suggest that reliance on these applications, which are not subject to regulatory oversight, and not seeking medical consultation can delay the diagnosis of melanoma and potentially harm users. This is the first example I have seen of a study evaluating the accuracy of health apps, but...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - January 16, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Self-Regulation PhRMA Guidelines mobile medical app Legal/Regulatory Source Type: blogs
Amgen Whistleblower Fights To Unseal Documents
Despite a $762 million settlement between Amgen and the US Department of Justice for off-label marketing of various medicines (back story), the clash between the biotech and one of the whistleblowers is not over yet. A bitter dispute, in fact, continues to rage over an arbitration award – and the related proceedings – involving a former Amgen employee.
The long-running battle has pitted the biotech against Elena Ferrante, who once worked as a sales rep promoting the Enbrel rheumatoid arthritis treatment, but claimed Amgen sales managers encouraged reps to promote off-label and encouraged physicians to prescribe...
Source: Pharmalot - January 15, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Amgen Enbrel JAMS Off Label Marketing Whistleblower Source Type: blogs
Who Got The Most Buzz At The JP Morgan Show?
The partying in San Francisco is winding down now that the hordes of biopharma execs, Wall Street analysts, venture capitalists and other would-be investors have left the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. But who was able to cut through the noise and register the most social media buzz this year?
The companies that generated the largest amount of noise was not a big pharma, but a big biotech. As the chart indicates, Celgene (CELG) garnered the most attention after providing strong financial guidance and positive psoriasis results from trials involving its experimental drug apremilast, according to Semantelli, a healt...
Source: Pharmalot - January 10, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Arena Pharmaceuticals Celgene Diet Pills JP Morgan Psoriasis Sanofi Vivus Source Type: blogs
Genome Update: Highly variant immune regions retiled as single haplotype paths
Genes encoding for proteins that compose the immune system are constantly evolving in response to selective pressures from pathogens. This rapid host-pathogen co-evolution has led to large families of genes that are highly polymorphic and are often a result of gene duplication and diversification. In GRCh37, the current reference assembly, some chromosome regions encompassing such genes are comprised of components from several different genomic libraries. The lack of a single haplotype and excess allelic variation at such regions hinders haplotype inference using traditional linkage disequilibrium based methodology. In add...
Source: GenomeRef - January 9, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: blogs
