pharmaceutical industry

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Birth Control Called 'Deadly,' Still Sells Bigtime

NuvaRing known to cause scary blood clots

(Newser) - A potentially deadly contraceptive called NuvaRing is still on the US market—but why? That's what Marie Brenner aimed to find out in Vanity Fair . She learned that NuvaRing maker Merck made $623 million selling NuvaRing last year, despite users who developed terrifying blood clots and filed roughly 3,...

The New Guides on Statins Are Insane
 The New Guides 
 on Statins Are Insane 
OPINION
Nov 14, 2013 1:15 PM CST

The New Guides on Statins Are Insane

Giving cholesterol drugs to healthy Americans is not the answer, 2 experts argue

(Newser) - The American Heart Association and the College of Cardiology want millions more healthy Americans to take cholesterol-lowering statins , which might sound like a good idea "if statins actually offered meaningful protection from heart disease; if they helped people live longer or better; and if they had minimal adverse side...

US Asthma Sufferers Coughing Up More Cash

Costs for asthma sufferers have skyrocketed, resulting in preventable deaths

(Newser) - The New York Times continues its "US health care costs are way higher than the rest of the world" series (see previously here and here ) with a look at the most common chronic disease in America: asthma. According to the Times, it's becoming an increasingly pricey affliction...

How Big Pharma Keeps Meth Labs Cooking

 How Big Pharma Keeps 
 Meth Labs Cooking 
in case you missed it
Aug 17, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

How Big Pharma Keeps Meth Labs Cooking

Lobbyists are battling attempts to legislate cold and allergy medicines

(Newser) - It's pretty easy to make meth at home, and Big Pharma seems intent on keeping it that way, Mother Jones reports. The so-called "one pot" method of meth production relies on pseudoephedrine , a common ingredient in medicines like Sudafed and Claritin D. So two states—Oregon and Mississippi—...

FDA: Ameridose Is Rife With Contamination Issues

Bugs, leaks found inside drug firm linked to outbreak

(Newser) - The FDA's monthlong inspection of Ameridose, a firm with the same founders as the pharmacy linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak, has produced a long and troubling list of contamination issues, the AP reports. Inside the company's drug-making facility, federal inspectors found leaky, cracked walls and ceilings, insects...

Glaxo Buying Human Genome Sciences
Glaxo Buying
Human Genome Sciences
Jul 16, 2012 4:00 AM CDT

Glaxo Buying Human Genome Sciences

After big drug failure in 2011, Human Genome failed to find higher bid

(Newser) - British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline is poised to announce a $2.8 billion takeover of Human Genome Sciences, perhaps as early as today, reports Reuters . US-based Human Genome, which uses the human DNA sequence to develop drugs, balked at Glaxo's original $2.6 billion offer and said it would go...

America's New Jobless: Glut of Science PhDs

Science jobs declining as PhDs surging

(Newser) - President Obama, like a lot of politicians and pundits, likes to say that America's future lies with science, advocating for more young people to go into research. But the truth is that the supply of PhDs has been vastly outpacing the job market for years, resulting in a glut,...

FDA OKs First Diet Pill in 13 Years

Arena's Belviq is intended for the obese

(Newser) - For the first time in 13 years, the FDA has approved an anti-obesity pill. The medication, called Belviq, targets a section of the brain responsible for regulating hunger, reports Bloomberg . Sales could hit $2 billion in 2020, predicts an analyst. “Two-thirds of the people in this country are overweight...

Drug Company Employee: Don't Believe Our Studies

Anonymous author in medical journal warns of bogus research

(Newser) - Bear this in mind the next time a drug company touts a serious study proclaiming the wonders of its product: A former employee of a "major" pharmaceutical company has written an essay in the British Medical Journal warning that the industry's scientific-sounding studies are sometimes rigged. “We...

White House Made Deal With Big Pharma on Health Bill

Whether that's good or bad is open for debate

(Newser) - The White House cut a deal with the pharmaceutical industry to get health-care reform passed, a revelation getting renewed attention thanks to emails released by House Republicans, reports the New York Times . In one from 2009, Obama adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle tells a top industry lobbyist that the administration has agreed...

Dangerous Counterfeit Cancer Drug Found in US

Fake Avastin missing active ingredient

(Newser) - A fake version of best-selling anti-cancer drug Avastin has been found in the US. Swiss drugmaker Roche has warned doctors and hospitals to be on the lookout for the counterfeit medication, which lacks the intravenous drug's active ingredient, the Wall Street Journal reports. Samples of the fake drug are...

US to Big Pharma: Disclose What You Pay Docs

New rules aim to increase transparency

(Newser) - Studies have found that when doctors accept payments from drug companies, it can influence their treatment decisions—so the Obama administration will soon require drug companies to disclose those payments. The New York Times reports that around 25% of doctors receive cash from drug companies for consulting, speaking engagements, and...

Abuse Experts Tremble Over Powerful New Painkillers

Drugs with hydrocodone may cause more addiction

(Newser) - A more powerful version of America's second-most abused medicine is likely headed for a doctor's office near you, the AP reports. Four companies are in the patient-testing phase of painkillers that will be up to 10 times more effective than Vicodin thanks to a highly addictive ingredient called...

As Lipitor Patent Expires, Pfizer Fights to Keep Users

Cholesterol drug's price should be coming down soon

(Newser) - The biggest-selling drug of all time—Lipitor—is now available for production in generic form as Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol-lowering pill expired today, reports AFP . It's such a huge money-maker for Pfizer, however, that the company is rolling out all kinds of discounts and incentives to keep...

Merck Pays $950M to Settle Vioxx Charges

Feds accused company of illegal marketing

(Newser) - Drug maker Merck will pay $950 million to resolve investigations into its marketing of the painkiller Vioxx. The Justice Department said Merck will pay $321.6 million in criminal fines and $628.4 million as a civil settlement agreement. The company also will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge that...

Drug Deaths Soar Past Traffic Fatalities

 Drug Deaths Soar 
 Past Traffic Fatalities 
Dubious Firsts
Sep 18, 2011 6:07 AM CDT

Drug Deaths Soar Past Traffic Fatalities

Blame prescription drugs for drug-related deaths doubling over decade

(Newser) - For the first time since the government started tracking drug-related deaths in 1979, narcotics have topped traffic fatalities—37,485 for drugs vs. 36,284 for accidents in 2009 (the most recent year available), reports the LA Times . But the big culprit isn't street drugs: it's prescription pills...

Pfizer Hopes to Sell Lipitor Over the Counter

But FDA is leery about letting people use statins on their own

(Newser) - Pfizer hopes to sell an over-the-counter version of its popular cholesterol drug Lipitor, the Wall Street Journal reports. But first it will have to convince a skeptical FDA, which is wary about letting people use such statins without a doctor's supervision. Pfizer loses the patent on Lipitor in November,...

Global Patent Pool Scores 4 New AIDS Drugs

It's a major step to benefit poor nations battling disease

(Newser) - Gilead Sciences announced today that it will license four AIDS and hepatitis B drugs to an international patent pool, allowing cheap, generic versions to be produced for sale in low-income countries. The AIDS drugs, which include tenofovir and emtricitabine, represent a major upgrade on the treatments currently available in those...

Drug Labels List an Average 70 Side Effects

Pharmaceutical companies trying to protect themselves from litigation

(Newser) - Take a gander at your typical prescription drug label, and you’ll see a lot more side effects than even the fastest talker could rattle off at the end of a commercial. The average label warns of a staggering 70 side effects, according to a new study that reviewed 5,...

US Prescription Drugs Tested on World's Poor
US Prescription Drugs
Tested on World's Poor
INVESTIGATION
Dec 5, 2010 6:02 PM CST

US Prescription Drugs Tested on World's Poor

Drugs declared 'safe' on basis of unregulated trials abroad

(Newser) - Prescription drugs that are considered safe kill an estimated 200,000 Americans a year, and investigative reporters Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele have exposed a massive loophole that could help explain why. Some 6,485 clinical trials were conducted abroad in 2008—more than 20 times as many...

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