pharmaceutical industry – News Stories About pharmaceutical industry - Page 7

Mar 5, 2008 9:49 PM CST

FDA Finds Contaminant in Blood Thinner

Substance discovered in heparin, linked to 19 deaths nationwide

(Newser) - The FDA has found a contaminant in samples of heparin, a blood thinner produced mainly in China linked to 19 deaths and nearly 800 allergic reactions in the US, the New York Times reports. The contaminant may be a counterfeit form of heparin added to reduce its manufacturing cost. The...

Heparin
Supply Chain Shaky in China

Feb 28, 2008 2:07 PM CST

Heparin Supply Chain Shaky in China

Troubles could trace back to vulnerable raw materials

(Newser) - With at least four US patients dead and hundreds suffering complications from the blood-thinning drug heparin, the New York Times follows the supply chain back to Chinese slaughterhouses that deal with the pig intestines that provide raw material for the drug. Though companies say the chain is secure, the Times...

Antidepressants Mostly Useless, Study Finds

Feb 26, 2008 7:41 AM CST

Antidepressants Mostly Useless, Study Finds

Prozac and others make a difference only in most extreme cases

(Newser) - Big Pharma swallowed a bitter pill yesterday as Prozac and other antidepressants were found in a UK study to be largely ineffectual in all but the most extreme cases of depression. The meta-analysis of 47 clinical trials submitted to the FDA with licensing applications for six popular antidepressants concluded that...

Prices Jump for Top Drugs

Feb 21, 2008 4:45 AM CST

Prices Jump for Top Drugs

Drug giants collect now against expected future losses

(Newser) - Drug companies have slapped a series of huge price hikes on some prescription drugs ahead of drug patent expirations, the Wall Street Journal reports. GlaxoSmithKline has raised the price of antidepressant Wellbutrin 44.5%, while Sanofi-Aventis hiked Ambien's price 70%. Wholesale prices for the top 50 drugs increased an average...

FDA Approved Wrong China Firm

Feb 19, 2008 6:26 AM CST

FDA Approved Wrong China Firm

Hundreds ill, 4 dead after using heparin from factory never inspected

(Newser) - The Chinese facility that supplied the active ingredient of the blood-thinner heparin, linked to hundreds of adverse reactions and four US deaths, was never inspected by the FDA because the agency confused it with another plant of the same name, the Washington Post reports. The company was given approval based...

Merck Recalls 1M Doses
of Vaccine for Kids

Dec 12, 2007 7:14 PM CST

Merck Recalls 1M Doses of Vaccine for Kids

Drug company finds contamination at its Pennsylvania factory

(Newser) - Merck is recalling almost a million doses of a childhood vaccine after it found evidence of contamination at one of its factories, the AP reports. The pharmaceutical giant says no children have been harmed after taking Hib, which prevents meningitis and pneumonia, but the company is recalling its 10 lots...

Big Pharma Faces Big Plunge

Dec 6, 2007 4:50 AM CST

Big Pharma Faces Big Plunge

Profits will drop as patents expire, and chemical-based therapies are eclipsed by biotech

(Newser) - Patent protections on some of the pharmaceutical industry's best-selling drugs, like Lipitor, Plavix and Singulair, are due to expire in the next several years, and drug manufacturers have little in the pipeline to replace them. The drug companies will lose billions—as much as half their combined revenue—to generic...

Court Blocks New Patent Rules

Oct 31, 2007 10:40 PM CDT

Court Blocks New Patent Rules

Judge grants injunction for drug giant GlaxoSmithKline

(Newser) - A Federal judge has blocked the US Patent and Trademark Office from implementing tough new patent rules with a temporary injunction in a suit brought by GlaxoSmithKline. The Wall Street Journal reports the new rules would have limited the number of times patent holders may make minor changes to existing...