Are Drugs for Ultra-Rare Diseases the Future of Biotech? Francois Nader of NPS Weighs In
Over the last ten years, the global pharmaceutical industry has undergone dramatic changes. In the 1990s, big drug companies made hundreds of billions of dollars selling slightly improved versions of their competitors’ drugs; think of the epic battle between cholesterol-lowering drugs Lipitor and Zocor. Since then, however, an entirely new business model has emerged: developing drugs for rare, or “orphan” diseases, which are far easier to get through the FDA, and for which companies can charge significantly higher prices. The latest entry into the field is NPS Pharmaceuticals’ Gattex, which was approved last Decemb...
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - February 5, 2013 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Avik Roy Source Type: news
MHRA Drug Safety Update: TredaptiveT (niacin-laropiprant) no longer recommended for prescribing
Source: MHRA
Area: News
The January issue of the MHRA's Drug Safety Update has featured new data from a long-term study (HPS2-THRIVE) involving over 25 000 patients which indicated that adding TredaptiveT (fixed dose niacin-laropiprant) to simvastatin did not provide significant additional benefit in reducing the risk of major vascular events compared with statin therapy alone. In addition, a higher frequency of bleeding (intracranial and gastro-intestinal), myopathy, infections and new-onset diabetes was seen in patients taking Tredaptive with simvastatin, compared with patients taking simvastatin alone.
In l...
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - January 30, 2013 Category: Cardiology Source Type: news
New Zocor Labeling Update on Increased Diabetes Risk: Now, AttorneyOne...
On January 24th, 2013 Health Canada informed that a new warning about the increased blood sugar levels and the risk of diabetes has been added to the drug labels for six statins, including Zocor. In...(PRWeb January 28, 2013)Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10365250.htm (Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals)
Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals - January 28, 2013 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Revisiting Statins in Multiple SclerosisRevisiting Statins in Multiple Sclerosis
Dr. Jeremy Chataway discusses a new study assessing the efficacy of simvastatin in slowing multiple sclerosis disease progression. Medscape Neurology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - January 10, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery Expert Interview Source Type: news
AWMSG publishes updated national prescribing indicators for 2013-2014
Source: All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG)
Area: News
The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) has endorsed revised National Prescribing Indicators for 2013-4, as set out in the document at the link below.
The indicators cover the following:
. Lipid-modifying drugs (items of low acquisition cost statins as a percentage of all statin, ezetimibe and simvastatin/ezetimibe combination prescribing)
. Hypnotics and anxiolytics (average daily quantity [ADQ] per 1,000 STAR-PUs)
. Dosulepin (defined daily dosage [DDD] per 1,000 PUs)
. Antidepressants (ADQ per 1,000 S...
Source: NeLM - News - January 7, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news
Merck's Combination Of Ezetimibe And Atorvastatin Back On NDA Path
A combination tablet containing the cholesterol-lowering drugs ezetimibe and atorvastatin is back on the path to possible FDA approval, according to Merck, which already markets Zetia (ezetimibe) and Vytorin, the combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin. Merck has repeatedly stumbled in its efforts to gain FDA approval of the proposed new drug, which has been dubbed "Son of Vytorin." The new drug application (NDA) submission was first rejected by the FDA in 2009 and, again, last year. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - January 3, 2013 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Larry Husten Source Type: news
