Health :: Drugs & Medications

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  Drug firm ended link between opioid sales and employee pay in 2012, report says

  At a time when highly addictive painkillers were pouring into West Virginia, drug distributor McKesson Corp. factored opioid sales into compensation for its sales representatives, but the company never put profits over compliance with the law, according to an investigation by McKesson’s independent board members. The report concluded that McKesson’s board members and top managers “acted in good faith” and “exercised appropriate oversight” in addressing allegations that the company distributed an excessive number of prescription opioids and failed to report suspect orders from pharmacies   Read More ...

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  Opioid prescriptions fell 10 percent last year, study says

  Prescriptions for opioids fell sharply last year, the steepest drop in the amount of painkillers dispensed to patients in 25 years, according to a report from IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, the research arm of a health-care data firm. The number of prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies dropped 10 percent in 2017, according to the report. The volume of prescription opioids given out by pharmacists has been decreasing since 2011, but this was the most dramatic drop yet, as measured by the equivalent morphine dose of all the opioids prescribed in a given year   Read More ...

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  Science hinted that cancer patients could take less of a $148,000-a-year drug. Its maker tripled the price of a pill.

  A group of cancer doctors focused on bringing down the cost of treatments by testing whether lower — and cheaper — doses are effective thought they had found a prime candidate in a blood cancer drug called Imbruvica that typically costs $148,000 a year. The science behind Imbruvica suggested that it could work at lower doses, and early clinical evidence indicated that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia might do just as well on one or two pills a day after completing an initial round of treatment at three pills per day   Read More ...

• Patients, doctors concerned about new Indiana opioid limits

  NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) - Some patients and doctors in Indiana are worried that increased restrictions imposed in response to the national opioid epidemic may reduce access to necessary medication. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed three bills into law last month. One of the new laws requires doctors to check the state's drug monitoring database before prescribing opioids or benzodiazepines. Dr. James Murphy is a pain specialist practicing in New Albany   Read More ...

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  Drug firm CEOs to testify before Congress amid WV opioid investigation

  Top executives from five of the nation’s largest prescription drug distributors have agreed to appear next month before a congressional subcommittee that’s investigating the opioid crisis in West Virginia. McKesson Corp. CEO John Hammergren, Cardinal Health board Chairman George Barrett and AmerisourceBergen CEO Steven Collis are scheduled to testify at a May 8 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation   Read More ...

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  Drug executives to testify before Congress about their role in U.S. opioid crisis

  Current and former executives with the pharmaceutical companies that are accused of flooding communities with powerful prescription painkillers have been summoned to testify before Congress about their role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. The hearing, scheduled for May 8 before a House Energy and Commerce Committee oversight panel, has the potential to be a defining moment for the pharmaceutical industry, much like when tobacco executives were called to testify before Congress in 1994   Read More ...

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  Drug companies get tax windfall, but they're not reducing prescription prices

  Drug company tax windfalls offer a chance to help Donald Trump keep his campaign promises to reduce prescription prices. But so far shareholders are getting the money. Drug prices are a top pocketbook issue for Americans. President Trump understood that and campaigned on promises to bring down the cost of prescriptions. You’d think the massive tax cut he signed into law in December would be the perfect opportunity for drug companies to take some of their windfall and bring down those prices   Read More ...

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  Drug firm seeks to shield CEO in WV pill-dumping lawsuit

  The nation’s largest prescription drug distributor is seeking to shield its CEO from having to answer questions about its painkiller shipments to West Virginia. McKesson Corp. has asked a Boone County judge to stop state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s effort to question McKesson CEO John Hammergren under oath in the state’s lawsuit that accuses the company of fueling the opioid epidemic by shipping an excessive number of highly addictive pain pills to West Virginia   Read More ...

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  A new class of antibiotics to combat drug resistance

  Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Nosopharm, a biotechnology company based in Lyon, France, are part of an international team reporting on the discovery of a new class of antibiotics. The antibiotic, first identified by Nosopharm, is unique and promising on two fronts: its unconventional source and its distinct way of killing bacteria, both of which suggest the compound may be effective at treating drug-resistant or hard-to-treat bacterial infections   Read More ...

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  UNM School of Medicine makes national list of best medical schools

  The University of New Mexico School of Medicine is getting some national attention for its primary care curriculum.   Read More ...

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  Babies Who Are Given Antacids Are More Likely to Develop Allergies

  Infants who are given antacids like Zantac or Pepcid are more likely to develop childhood allergies, perhaps because these drugs may alter their gut bacteria, a new large study suggests. Early use of antibiotics also raised the chances of allergies in the study of nearly 800,000 children. Researchers combed the health records of kids born between 2001 and 2013 and covered by Tricare, an insurance program for active duty and retired military personnel and their families   Read More ...

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  Questions and answers about needle exchange programs

  Charleston Mayor Danny Jones and other city officials have called for an end to the needle exchange program at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. Health officials argue it’s an important tool in preventing the spread of disease and can provide an avenue to treatment for those with drug addictions. Here are answers to some common questions about the issue: Q: Why give needles to people who are addicted to drugs? Isn’t that enabling them? Needle exchange programs offer clean needles to intravenous drug users to prevent the spread of disease   Read More ...

• Drug touted as painkiller alternative found in city deaths

  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A drug that has been touted as a safe alternative to opioid painkillers was found in nearly one-fourth of all overdose deaths in a Kentucky city last year. The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported Tuesday that an analysis of coroner data discovered gabapentin was found in 93 of Jefferson County's 407 fatal overdoses. The prescription drug is used to treat nerve pain   Read More ...

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  Drug firm CEO not expected to answer questions about WV opioid probe

  MADISON — Drug giant McKesson Corp.’s top executive doesn’t plan to answer questions about a congressional investigation into the company’s alleged role in West Virginia’s opioid epidemic, a lawyer for the firm told a Boone County judge Thursday. The House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter last month to McKesson CEO John Hammergren, asking him about the drug distributor’s large shipments of prescription opioids to small-town pharmacies in Southern West Virginia   Read More ...

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  Everyone wants to kill generic drug loophole — except drug makers and some GOP leaders

  WASHINGTON — It’s so unpopular that lawmakers from both parties and President Trump’s top drug regulator want to kill it. But the pharmaceutical industry, flexing its powerful lobbying muscles, is successfully fighting back efforts to end a loophole that costs taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars a year. In recent years brand-name drug makers realized they could block generic competition by refusing to sell samples of their products to companies that wanted to make the lower-cost copies   Read More ...

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  As Trump calls for prescription drug monitoring, N.H. stuck in ‘initial phase of maturity’

  Tucked within President Donald Trump’s latest proposal to address the opioid epidemic – unveiled Monday in Manchester – is support for a somewhat obscure initiative: prescription drug monitoring programs. The programs, administered by states, collect prescription information for patients. Pharmacists and doctors are required to participate; the resulting database allows physicians and administrators to screen for patients abusing prescriptions, “doctor shoppers” and complicit doctors   Read More ...

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  Group launches campaign to educate youth about dangers of prescription drugs

  A prescription drug awareness group has launched a campaign to educate Wyoming’s young adults about the risks of abusing painkillers. The group — the Wyoming Rx Abuse Stakeholders — launched the “They Didn’t Know” campaign earlier this month. It’s intent is to educate 12- to 25-year-olds about prescription drug abuse, said Laura Griffith, the executive director of Recover Wyoming. “I think the message really is that you can’t know even with one use, that this is a deadly game of roulette,” she said Monday   Read More ...

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  Beware Biotech IPOs Bearing Alzheimer’s Drug Retreads: Gadfly

  Perseverance can be admirable. But in biotechnology, it’s often a mistake. Massachusetts biotech Alzheon Inc. filed an S-1 with the SEC on Friday ahead of a planned IPO. It should arguably come with a warning label. The company plans to run a a new final-stage trial for a previously failed Alzheimer’s drug, saying it benefited a subset of patients in an earlier trial   Read More ...

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  In N.H., Trump pledges to ‘get tough’ on drug crime, unveils opioid epidemic plan

  MANCHESTER, N.H. — President Trump on Monday laid out his plan to end the opioid epidemic in a speech that focused heavily on punitive measures — including executing some drug dealers — while also pledging to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in fostering addiction. In a wide-ranging speech, Trump touched on the need for greater access to treatment, praised companies that are making “lifesaving overdose-reversing drugs” and promised a public-awareness campaign to deter youths from taking drugs   Read More ...

• Kentucky city releases 2-year plan to fight drug epidemic

  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's largest city has released a two-year plan for fighting its drug epidemic and growing number of overdose deaths. The overdose fatality rate of 43 deaths per 100,000 residents in Louisville is more than double the national rate. News outlets report that Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness Director Sarah Moyer released the plan Friday   Read More ...

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  To push patients to be healthier, some doctors write exercise prescriptions

  About a decade ago, a colleague told me about a cool new initiative, something called “Exercise Is Medicine.” The idea made total sense to me: Rather than just tell my patients about exercising, I would hand them an actual prescription for exercise, just like the ones I give patients for high blood pressure or diabetes. The thinking behind it was that an official “doctor’s order” for exercise, in the form of a prescription-pad-style piece of paper, would be taken more seriously by patients than a mere suggestion   Read More ...

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  Georgia boy's family fights insurance company's 'fail first' drug requirement

  ATLANTA - At age 6, Brannen Whirledge has grown up with a painful condition known as ulcerative colitis, with his parents helplessly watching. "It's a lot harder than you expect," Melissa Whirledge says, her voice catching. "It's extraordinarily difficult to not be able to just fix it." Brannen showed his first symptoms at 3 and was diagnosed at 4. For nearly a year, Brannen's mother says, they tried several different colitis medications and dietary changes   Read More ...

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  Here's how the Great Recession impacted your health

  College-educated homeowners showed higher increases in blood pressure Medication use declined among those taking prescription blood pressure and diabetes drugs post-recession The Great Recession of the early 21st century was a period of global economic decline marked by high unemployment and stagnant wages. In the United States, the effects included a toll on human health, in particular significant increases in blood pressure and blood glucose levels, a new study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found   Read More ...

• Impax broke U.S. antitrust law by delaying generic drug, jury told

  BOSTON (Reuters) - Impax Laboratories Inc went to trial on Monday over allegations by major retailers and consumers that the company agreed to delay launching a generic version of acne medication Solodyn in exchange for millions of dollars from the manufacturer. The trial in Boston federal court is one of a handful to have taken place since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 said so-called“pay-for-delay” settlements resolving pharmaceutical patent lawsuits can violate antitrust laws   Read More ...

• UPDATE 1-Impax broke U.S. antitrust law by delaying generic drug, jury told

  (Adds details from opening statements) By Nate Raymond BOSTON, March 12 (Reuters) - Impax Laboratories Inc went to trial on Monday over allegations by major retailers and consumers that the company agreed to delay launching a generic version of acne medication Solodyn in exchange for millions of dollars from the manufacturer. The trial in Boston federal court is one of a handful to have taken place since the U   Read More ...

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  Easy-to-use product allows for safe disposal of leftover opioids at home

  Abuse of unwanted prescription drugs can often lead to life-threatening addictions. However, drug take-back days come along only once in a while. Now, addiction advocates in Delaware are optimistic about a home-based disposal method. They gathered Monday at Walmart on Centerville Road for a demonstration of DisposeRx, which will be offered free of charge when someone picks up an opioid prescription at a Walmart pharmacy   Read More ...

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  Medical marijuana pharmacies set to open throughout Louisiana, possibly within months

  Local business people, doctors and pharmacists from throughout the state, many of whom have partnered with out-of-state marijuana industry consultants and experts, have lined up to get 10 exclusive medical marijuana Pharmacy permits to be issued by the state's Pharmacy board. Pharmacies throughout Louisiana could open in the coming months if the state Board of Pharmacy hands out licenses at its upcoming March meeting   Read More ...

• Low-quality trials behind popular diabetes combo pills in India

  Metformin has long been considered an initial treatment for diabetes, and in recent years drug makers have increasingly been blending fixed doses of this medicine with fixed doses of other diabetes drugs that attack the disease differently. In India, the five top-selling fixed dose combination pills account for 500 different brands, researchers note in BMJ Global Health. For the current study, researchers examined data from both published and unpublished clinical trial results for the five top-selling combination pills in India, which account for 80 percent of the market for these blended medicines in that country   Read More ...

• Fate hazy for GOP bill helping dying patients try new drugs

  WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican bill making it easier for terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs faces an uncertain fate due to opposition from a leading House Democrat. The GOP hopes to push the legislation through the House Tuesday. The top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee says he'll oppose the measure. New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone says it would give "false hope" to patients and isn't needed   Read More ...

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  Sanofi and Regeneron’s Drug-Pricing Gamble Is Worth It: Gadfly

  When drug companies talk about the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), an independent organization that gauges the value of prescription drugs, it’s usually to push back against it. After all, the ICER often suggests drugs are priced substantially higher than their clinical and economic value. But Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. made a surprising overture of friendship to the ICER on Saturday   Read More ...

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  ACLU calls for DEA investigation into how Nebraska got execution drugs

  LINCOLN — The American Civil Liberties Union will ask the Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday to formally investigate how Nebraska officials recently obtained four execution drugs. In a letter to the federal agency, an ACLU lawyer contends that Nebraska prison officials may have misled authorities by indicating that the drugs were intended for medical purposes rather than carrying out lethal injections   Read More ...

• Leftover prescription drugs can be disposed of with free solution

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  Autopsy: Man found dead along South Platte River had multiple drugs in system

  The death of a Minnesota man whose body was found along the South Platte River in January has been ruled accidental, according to an autopsy by the Office of the Medical Examiner. 29-year-old Adam Gilbertson was reported missing on December 15. He was last seen shortly before 1 a.m. on surveillance footage leaving Syntax Physic Opera on South Broadway, according to family members   Read More ...

• Newer gout drug poses risk to heart patients

  Gout sufferers with major pre-existing heart disease face a higher risk of death if they are treated with the drug febuxostat, a large long-term study has concluded The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 34 percent higher with febuxostat than with an older drug, allopurinol. When researchers considered deaths from any cause, the risk was 22 percent higher with febuxostat   Read More ...

• BRIEF-Portola Pharmaceuticals Announces New Interim Results From Ongoing Annexa-4 Study

  March 12 (Reuters) - Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc: * PORTOLA Pharmaceuticals ANNOUNCES NEW INTERIM RESULTS FROM ONGOING ANNEXA-4 STUDY OF FACTOR XA INHIBITOR REVERSAL AGENT ANDEXXA® (ANDEXANET ALFA) IN PATIENTS WITH LIFE-THREATENING BLEEDING * PORTOLA Pharmaceuticals INC - THE INTERIM RESULTS INCLUDED SAFETY DATA FROM 227 OF 228 ENROLLED PATIENTS * PORTOLA Pharmaceuticals INC - EXCELLENT OR GOOD HEMOSTASIS ACHIEVED IN 83 PERCENT OF PATIENTS IN ANNEXA-4 * PORTOLA Pharmaceuticals INC - ANDEXANET ALFA IS CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW BY U   Read More ...

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  Over-the-counter meds better at pain treatment than opioids, new study finds

  Powerful and potentially addictive opioid drugs — often the go-to medication by doctors treating chronic pain —are actually less effective than common over-the-counter remedies such as Tylenol or prescription strength topical analgesics, according to a new study. Dr. Erin Krebs, a physician and researcher at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, said the findings of her study raise troubling questions about overprescribing opioid medications as the nation continues to stagger under addiction and overdose deaths   Read More ...

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  Breast cancer patients risk heart damage. UK doctor’s study shows a way around that. | Lexington Herald Leader

  For years, breast cancer patients on the chemotherapy drug regimen of doxorubicin and Herceptin have risked heart damage. Dr. Maya Guglin of the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute on Sunday presented data from a major clinical trial on the effectiveness of two drugs used to treat heart problems resulting from those chemo drugs. Her presentation was given at the the American College of Cardiology’s scientific session in Orlando   Read More ...

• BRIEF-Merrimack Strengthens SHERLOC Study Of MM-121 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

  March 12 (Reuters) - Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc: * MERRIMACK STRENGTHENS SHERLOC STUDY OF MM-121 IN NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER * MERRIMACK Pharmaceuticals INC - RANDOMIZED PHASE 2 STUDY ACCRUAL RAISED TO 100 PATIENTS; DATA STILL EXPECTED LATER THIS YEAR * MERRIMACK Pharmaceuticals INC - MERRIMACK CONTINUES TO ANTICIPATE TOP-LINE DATA FROM SHERLOC STUDY IN SECOND HALF OF 2018 Source text   Read More ...

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  The other opioid crisis: pain patients who can’t access the medicine we need

  When you hear the words “opioid crisis,” you probably think about tragic deaths from. addiction. But there is another opioid crisis, one I know well: the inability of pain patients to access the medication they need to function. I was diagnosed with primary generalized dystonia in my late teens. It’s a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements and painful muscle spasms   Read More ...

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  Providers grapple with treating mental health, drug issues

  HUNTINGTON — The scars on his wrists tell his story for him. The past 10 or so years of Zach Hoskinson's life brought him to the brink of death. If the gash across his wrists didn't do the job, then he waited for the needle to take his life. The life he led was full of drugs, violence and even more violent thoughts   Read More ...