http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pharmaceuticals/ en-us Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:55:36 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283738/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - One of the principal authors of health care legislation taking shape in the House accused drug companies and other medical providers Wednesday of stealing, and said they are now offering concessions in the hopes the bill that emerges will not demand too much of them. "Everyone knows that people around the table are stealing, but they don't want to turn each other in if they're going to have to pay the full penalty," said Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Asked in an interview on MSNBC what he meant by stealing, the... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283738/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:55:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283621/posts FOX News: "Everyone knows that people around the table are stealing, but they don't want to turn each other in if they're going to have to pay the full penalty," said Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Asked in an interview on MSNBC what he meant by stealing, the New York Democrat replied, "I mean stealing." Asked if he were referring to drug companies, he said, "I'm talking about pharmaceuticals, in the sense that they're now coming forward saying that they want to be able to fill that vacuum that's there." FOX News: Rangel Accuses... Real Clear Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283621/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 22:21:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277945/posts If asked to name the creature most similar to humans, most people would likely pick some sort of primate. Very few would think of zebra fish. But as the researchers at InDanio Bioscience can attest, the striped aquarium staple shares many similarities with humans and could hold the key to greatly improved human health. InDanio, a drug-discovery company based in Toronto's MaRS Discovery District, focuses on nuclear receptors, a class of proteins that are related to some of the most devastating and prevalent diseases on the planet, including immune disorders, obesity, diabetes and most cancers. The problem is, the majority... The Globe and Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277945/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:13:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276951/posts WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the pharmaceutical industry's agreement to help close a gap in Medicare's drug coverage, calling the pact a step forward in the push for overhaul of the nation's health care system. Obama said that drug companies have pledged to spend $80 billion over the next decade to help reduce the cost of drugs for seniors and pay for a portion of Obama's health care legislation. Yahoo! News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276951/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:14:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276169/posts WASHINGTON (AP) -- The pharmaceutical industry agreed Saturday to spend $80 billion over the next decade improving drug benefits for seniors on Medicare and defraying the cost of President Barack Obama's health care legislation, capping secretive negotiations involving key lawmakers and the White House. AP / Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276169/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:09:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272925/posts Alexander Pope decried the American Indian’s “untutor’d mind” that “Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind.” But Pope never encountered the Indian Health Service, which delivers what it is pleased to call health care to two million American Indians living on reservations in thirty-five states. “Don’t get sick after June” is the standard advice, for by then the money allocated by Congress has mostly run out. Commentary Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272925/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:33:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2267986/posts "Without any assurance that intellectual property will be respected and protected, not only drug makers, but other companies as well, will avoid investing in developing new products since they risk having their investments effectively expropriated by the government” Property Rights Alliance http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2267986/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 14:32:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249211/posts The Pathway For Biosimilars Act introduced by Eschoo (D-Ca), Inslee ( D-Wa) and Barton(R-Tx) will ensure enough time for companies to recoup their cost of research and development before a generic manufacturer could use the innovators research data. By doing so, companies will have an incentive to continue inventing life saving drugs. Join PRA in supporting H.R. 1548. Property Rights Alliance http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249211/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 13:48:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246344/posts U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., says he has introduced a bill that would limit when TV and radio advertisements for erectile dysfunction medication can be aired. Moran said he proposed the bill in April after hearing numerous complaints about radio and TV advertisements that offer medication to help with the sexual dysfunction, CNN reported Thursday. "A number of people," Moran said, "have come up, including colleagues, and said I'm fed up. I don't want my 3- or 4-year old grandkid asking me what erectile dysfunction is all about. And I don't blame them." Moran's proposal would have the Federal Communications... UPI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246344/posts#comment Thu, 7 May 2009 20:01:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2239018/posts ckerspy index of swine flu and bird flu stocks is up 21% as the market nears its close. The index is being pushed higher by share in Biocryst Pharma (BRCX), which is up 70% on the day, Novavax (NVAX), which is up 68%, and Pure Bioscience (PURE), which is higher by 50%. If the WHO and CDC begin to show less concern about the current virus, most of the stock will lose their gains. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2239018/posts#comment Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:57:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2238498/posts The swine flu outbreak is likely to benefit one of the most prolific and successful venture capital firms in the United States: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Thomson Reuters Private Equity Week reported on Friday. Skip related content Shares of the two public companies in the firm's portfolio of eight Pandemic and Bio Defence companies -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals and Novavax -- jumped Friday on news that the swine flu killed a reported 60 people in Mexico and has infected people in the United States. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the virus appears to be susceptible to Roche's flu drug... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2238498/posts#comment Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:18:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237746/posts The dividend aristocrats index has had five dividend cuts so far this year. Because of the way that the index is rebalanced, the dividend cutters will remain a part of the elite basket of S&P 500 companies which have consistently raised their dividends for over 25 consecutive years. Unless a member of the Dividend Aristocrats index is removed from the S&P 500, it won’t be removed from the elite income index. The five companies, which cut dividends so far in 2009, will most likely be booted out of the index at the annual December reconstitution. Back in February, General Electric... Seeking Alpha http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237746/posts#comment Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:56:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2218519/posts It's been a dream for a decade: a single daily pill combining aspirin, cholesterol medicine and blood pressure drugs — everything people need to prevent heart attacks and strokes in a cheap, generic form. Skeptics said five medicines rolled into a single pill would mean five times more side effects. Some people would get drugs they don't need, while others would get too little. One-size-fits-all would turn out to fit very few, they warned. Now the first big test of the "polypill" has proved them wrong. The experimental combo pill was as effective as nearly all of its components taken... Yahoo! News / The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2218519/posts#comment Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:31:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2204867/posts March 11, 2009, 4:00 a.m. DonÂ’t Blame Drugs for Health-Care CostsPrescription medicines actually reduce health spending. By Sally C. Pipes In the opening pages of his recently released budget, Pres. Barack Obama describes the rising cost of health care as “one of the big drains on family budgets and on the performance of the economy as a whole.” Later in the budget, he suggests that America spends too much on prescription drugs — implying that drug prices are responsible for our high health-care costs. This is a popular misconception, and it will likely hinder Obama’s plan to revamp the... National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2204867/posts#comment Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:51:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2199032/posts The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a $6.7 million jury award to a musician who lost her arm because of a botched injection of an anti-nausea medication. The court brushed away a plea for limiting lawsuits against drug makers. In a 6-3 decision, the court rejected Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' claim that federal approval of its Phenergan anti-nausea drug should have shielded the company from lawsuits like the one filed by Diana Levine of Vermont.... The decision is the second this term to reject business groups' arguments that federal regulation effectively pre-empts consumer complaints under state law. A Vermont jury agreed with... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2199032/posts#comment Wed, 4 Mar 2009 16:34:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2197214/posts Inferior toys, contaminated food supply and now our Pharmaceuticals are at risk. Included in the budget is a provision that would allow the importation of foreign, non-patented, non-FDA approved pharmaceutical drugs. It also has a provision that "supports” not mandates the FDA's new efforts on importing drugs. Imported drugs also create an artificial price control that hinders the drug companies from trying to recoup the research and development costs, leading to few new and quickly approve drugs. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2197214/posts#comment Mon, 2 Mar 2009 14:33:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175952/posts WASHINGTON — Government medical advisers recommended a ban Friday on Darvon, a prescription medicine that’s been used to treat pain for more than 50 years but left a trail of problems such as addiction and suicide. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 14-12 to recommend withdrawing Darvon after a daylong hearing examining its risks and benefits. The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisers, but it often does so... Fort Worth Star-Telegram http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175952/posts#comment Sun, 1 Feb 2009 01:59:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2173133/posts PIERRE — State Attorney General Larry Long announced Thursday that South Dakota has joined with other states and the federal government and reached a $1.4 billion settlement with Eli Lilly and Co., to settle allegations it engaged in an off-label marketing campaign that improperly promoted the anti-psychotic drug, Zyprexa. Eli Lilly will pay the states and the federal government a total of $800 million in damages and penalties to compensate Medicaid and various federal health care programs for harm suffered as a result of this conduct. South Dakota’s total settlement recovery is $1.4 million. Of that amount, South Dakota will... Capital Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2173133/posts#comment Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:05:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2171757/posts The board of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has agreed to terms of a deal to take over Wyeth for $68 billion, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Monday. Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, would acquire Wyeth for a combination of $26 billion in cash as well as loans and stock, the newspaper said, citing people involved in the negotiations. The report said five banks have agreed to lend Pfizer $22.5 billion to finance the deal, making it the first major merger in months that has drawn the support of Wall Street. The acquisition is expected to be announced... UPI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2171757/posts#comment Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:10:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167894/posts In Britain, a government agency evaluates new medical products for their "cost effectiveness" before citizens can get access to them. The agency has concluded that $45,000 is the most worth paying for products that extend a person's life by one "quality-adjusted" year. (By their calculus, a year combating cancer is worth less than a year in perfect health.) Here in the U.S., President-elect Barack Obama and House Democrats embrace the creation of a similar "comparative effectiveness" entity that will do research on drugs and medical devices. They claim that they don't want this to morph into a British-style agency that... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167894/posts#comment Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:17:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167763/posts TRENTON, N.J. -- Pfizer Inc., the world’s biggest drug company, is laying off up to 800 scientists this year in its latest effort to refocus disappointing research efforts and cut its massive overhead ahead of an anticipated crash in revenue. New York-based Pfizer plans to reduce its global research staff — currently about 10,000 people — by 5 percent to 8 percent this year, company spokeswoman Kristen Neese said Tuesday.--snip--The move comes after the company announced in September that it was narrowing its research focus to six disease areas — Alzheimer’s, cancer, schizophrenia, pain, inflammation and diabetes — and abandoning... STLtoday.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167763/posts#comment Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:08:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159832/posts Merck is asking federal regulators to expand the use of its human papillomavirus vaccine to boys and young men.The company has asked the FDA to approve the Gardasil vaccine’s use in males ages 9 to 26 years to prevent genital warts and other lesions, CNBC’s Mike Huckman reported. In 2006, the FDA approved giving the vaccine to girls and women of those ages. We talked with a Merck spokeswoman who pointed to studies showing Gardasil’s effectiveness in young males.But the request will likely renew questions about Gardasil’s cost-effectiveness, especially with a price tag of $360 for a three-dose regimen. In... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159832/posts#comment Tue, 6 Jan 2009 21:40:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2157772/posts President-elect Obama will have to choose: more diversity on the pharmacy's shelves or less at the cash register. He says he wants both, but he's going to get only one or the other--more drugs to fit more biochemical profiles, or lower, more uniform drug prices negotiated by the federal government. He's said to be a strong supporter of "personalized medicine." Good call. One lung cancer drug targets a receptor that predominates in patients of Asian ancestry. White Americans have less tolerance for some antidepressants, antipsychotics and heart-disease drugs. Blacks respond poorly to certain drugs for high blood pressure and hepatitis.... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2157772/posts#comment Fri, 2 Jan 2009 20:34:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2157061/posts Note: Merck's separate dose for rubella, Meruvax, uses aborted fetal cell lines and taints the entire MMR II vaccine. The separate doses of Attenuvax (measles) and Mumpsvax (mumps) use chick embryo. Without these separate doses for measles and mumps, there will be no moral alternative for parents! See contact information for Merck below. snip Merck Focusing on Combination Vaccine Manufacturer Stops Sales of Monovalents for Measles, Mumps, Rubella By David Mitchell 12/24/2008 Merck & Co. Inc. has stopped production and sales of its monovalent vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. The manufacturer instead plans to focus on its combination vaccine,... cogforlife.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2157061/posts#comment Thu, 1 Jan 2009 02:56:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156925/posts Washington, DC -- A leading pro-life group that educates about the vaccines that are based on the cells from babies killed in abortions is worried about a new decision from the pharmaceutical giant Merck. The company has decided to stop producing some vaccines that are not made based on fetal cells from abortions. LifeNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156925/posts#comment Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:35:57 GMT