How Big Pharma Drives Up Medicare Spending Without Improving Seniors’ Health By Sy Mukherjee
The Medicare Part D prescription drug program for seniors wasted $1.4 billion paying for brand name drugs that were no more effective than their cheaper, generic counterparts, according to a new study by the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. That excess spending was driven in large part by pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to delay generic drug patents and undermine competition that would lower health care costs.
Researchers compared drugs used by veterans who get VA benefits against those used by seniors on Medicare Part D. The results were unambiguous: Part D beneficiaries consistently used expensive bran...
Source: PharmaGossip - June 11, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
How Much? 'Evergreening' And Drug Costs In One Swiss Town
For several years, the practice of evergreening has been a contentious topic. The term refers to patent extensions that are based on minor changes in a drug and are often employed when a patent is about to expire and modifications are used to claim a newer version of a drug has been hatched. This can allow a drugmaker to seek extended patent protection and keep the cash register ringing.
The practice has prompted complaints that drugmakers exploit the strategy simply to charge higher prices for so-called follow-on drugs that offer little added benefit. South Africa, for instance, wants to change its patent laws to make the...
Source: Pharmalot - June 6, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: esilverman Source Type: blogs
May Diabetes-Related News Snippets
Conclusion: "Compared with pravastatin, treatment with higher potency statins, especially atorvastatin and simvastatin, might be associated with an increased risk of new onset diabetes."22% higher risk with Lipitor (atorvastatin) and 18 percent higher with Crestor (rosuvastatin).In mainstream press coverage, Drug company shills,, a.k.a. well known cardiologists, bend over backward to ignore this latest confirmation of a phenomenon that has been public knowledge for more than a year. The reason that statins cause diabetes may have to do with the fact that they impair the operation mitochondria--the part of the ce...
Source: Diabetes Update - June 3, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jenny Source Type: blogs
Statin May Reduce Benefits of Exercise
By Diane Fennell
The generic cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin, previously sold under the brand name Zocor, may diminish the positive effects of exercise in overweight and obese adults, according to a small new study from the University of Missouri. Statins are the most widely prescribed type of drugs in the world and are taken by 56% of people with Type 2 diabetes.
Statin use had been linked with muscle damage and reduced function of mitochondria (the energy centers of cells). Because these medicines are often prescribed along with lifestyle changes, including exercise, researchers sought to determine whether stati...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 24, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Small Study Suggests Statins May Blunt Benefits Of Exercise
A small study is raising big questions about whether statins may blunt the beneficial effects of exercise. The study has been published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and was the subject of a New York Times blog today. … The authors concluded: “Given the strong independent cardio-protective effects of increasing cardiorespiratory fitness or lowering LDL, the benefits and risks of each should be carefully considered when choosing treatment modalities.” … Click here to read the full story on Forbes. (Source: CardioBrief)
Source: CardioBrief - May 22, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Larry Husten Tags: Policy & Ethics Prevention, Epidemiology & Outcomes exercise exercise training Low-density lipoprotein metabolic syndrome obesity Simvastatin Source Type: blogs
Merck's Liptruzet: A Cause For Shame?
Vytorin's been discussed several times around here. The combination of Zetia (ezetimibe), the cholesterol absorption inhibitor discovered at Schering-Plough, with Merck's simvastatin looked as if it should be a very effective cholesterol-lowering medication, but the real-world data have been consistentlypuzzling. There's a big trial going on that people are hoping will clarify things, but so far it's had the opposite effect. It's no exaggeration to say that the entire absorption inhibitor/statin combination idea is in doubt, and we may well learn a lot about human lipidology as we figure out what's happened. It will have b...
Source: In the Pipeline - May 9, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Cardiovascular Disease Source Type: blogs
"Treasure" Ireland launches first "preferred drugs" list
Ireland has launched the country's first "preferred drugs" list, which identifies lansoprazole as the preferred proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and simvastatin as the preferred statin.
Products for the country's first-ever preferred drug initiative have been selected by Health Service Executive (HSE)'s recently-established Medicines Management Programme. The HSE says it is asking doctors to prescription lansoprazole (Takeda's Zoton FasTab) and simvastatin (Merck & Co's Zocor) in order to save money, both for patients who pay for their medications and to deliver savings of an estimated 15 million euros for the taxpayer.
PP...
Source: PharmaGossip - April 23, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
Pulmonary Edema, Hypertension, and ST Elevation 2 Days After Stenting for Inferior STEMI
A male in his 40's who had been discharged 6 hours prior after stenting of an inferoposterior STEMI had sudden severe SOB at home 2 hours prior to calling 911. He had no chest pain. Medications were aspirin, clopidogrel, metoprolol, and simvastatin. He was in acute distress from pulmonary edema, with a BP of 180/110, pulse 110. Here is his prehosptial ECG:There are inferior Q-waves with ST elevation T-wave inversion. There is reciprocal ST depression in aVL and I. There is ST depression in V2 and V3, with biphasic T-waves (down-up). The computer read is: *****Acute MI*****The...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - April 12, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
March Diabetes News Snippet Post
Here are all the news items posted in March: Jennysaid... People taking Byetta, Victoza, Januvia, and Onglyza had less heart failure than those not on these drugs. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130310164109.htmHowever, it is likely this is because Avandia and Actos CAUSE heart failure, rather than that these other drugs prevent it. People are rarely put on both families of drugs at once. It may also be because these GLP-1 related drugs are mostly prescribed to affluent, younger people with diabetes and good health insurance, while poorer people are put on the cheap sulfonylurea drugs which are now known to ...
Source: Diabetes Update - March 11, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jenny Source Type: blogs
A “No portion control, no calorie counting” success!
Read Jim’s wonderful story of health and weight transformed, minus wheat:
I am a 61-year old male, retired (but still working part time) early childhood educator. I am 5′ 7″ and medium-framed. Picked up your book in August via Amazon after a Google search for “diet to lose abdominal fat.” My wife, an RN, had been concerned that the 25 lbs I had gained since my retirement in 2007 had gone straight to my gut.
For years I had been a recreational runner and had held a weight of about 185 lbs. Slowed down a bit in the 1990′s due to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Weight began to climb and, by r...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - March 7, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat-elimination success stories Source Type: blogs
Merck Finally Settles Over Vytorin
You may remember that Merck and Schering-Plough took a lot of fire for the way that they released the clinical data for one of the key Vytorin trials (ENHANCE). The numbers were delayed for months, and when they were finally released, they were. . .problematic for the drug. And for the companies' stocks.
The institutional shareholders did not take that one well; and a number of them filed suit. This week it was announced that Merck has settled for $688 million, while admitting no wrongdoing. This settles the suit, but it isn't going to settle anyone's nerves, as Matthew Herper rightly observes:
Merck admitted no liabilit...
Source: In the Pipeline - February 15, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Cardiovascular Disease Source Type: blogs
Merck Pays $688M To Settle Suits Over Enhance Trial
On the eve of a widely anticipated courtroom battle, Merck has agreed to settle shareholder lawsuits over the highly controversial Enhance clinical trial for the Vytorin cholesterol pill. The latest deal actually resolves two separate lawsuits in which the drugmaker has agreed to make a total payment of $688 million, which was described as one of the 25 largest securities class action settlements ever by the lawyers who represented Merck shareholders.
For those who may not recall, the Enhance clinical trial was designed to boost sales of Vytorin, which combines Zetia and Zocor, but ended in failure. And a ruckus erupted w...
Source: Pharmalot - February 14, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Carrie Cox Fred Hassan Merck Schering Plough Vytorin Zetia Zocor Source Type: blogs
More on Merck
Merck settles lawsuits over cholesterol drug for $688 million
Merck & Co. has agreed to pay $688 million to settle two long-running lawsuits brought by investors who alleged the drugmaker delayed releasing bad news on its blockbuster cholesterol drugs to prevent a drop in sales.
Merck, the world’s third biggest drugmaker by revenue, said yesterday that it agreed to the settlement because it’s in the best interest of the company and current shareholders. It is taking a charge of nearly a half-billion dollars against 2012 earnings.
The delay in releasing results of a study that was meant to bolster sales of pricey chol...
Source: PharmaGossip - February 14, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
Not Working Out So Well at Merck?
Here's a rather grim analysis from the AP of Merck's current status. The company's stock was recently downgraded by two analysts after last Friday's earnings call didn't go very well (links added by me below):
Future sales of Vytorin, a controversial combination drug on sale since 2004 that includes Zocor, and prospects for a crucial experimental osteoporosis drug called odanacatib were thrown into question Friday as Merck announced its fourth-quarter results. Company executives made some cryptic comments, suggesting significant problems with both drugs. . .
Merck said Friday that it won't apply for approval of odanacati...
Source: In the Pipeline - February 5, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Business and Markets Source Type: blogs
Baby Boomers Living Longer, But Less Healthy Lives!
I just read some surprising results of a study published in Arch Intern Med. (2013;173(2):1-2) regarding the overall health status of aging baby boomers compared with the previous generation. The authors analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including NHANES III (1988-1994) (for previous generation) and the NHANES for 2007 to 2010 (for baby boomers), focusing on respondents who were aged 46 to 64 years during either period. "The 2 cohorts were compared with regard to health status, functional and work disability, healthy lifestyle characteristics, and presence of chronic disease....
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - February 4, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: statins Cholesterol baby boomers diabetes Life Expectancy Source Type: blogs
