MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'amp'. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:51:43 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3383083&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FNJqTYpdB1Ns%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is something we hope to make a regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that Thomas Hofstaetter has been named ceo and president of VaxInnate, as ceo Alan Shaw becomes chief scientific officer and chairman. Prior to joining VaxInnate, Hofstaetter was sr vp of corporate business development at Wye... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3383083 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:59:17 +0100 3383083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378443&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1cvVSkE7WRo%2F The world’s biggest generic drug maker is getting bigger with the announcement this morning that Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical had won the bidding against Pfizer for Germany’s Ratiopharm Group. The pricetag: $4.97 billlion. A bidding contest had been dragging on for months for Ratiopharm, the world’s sixth largest generics maker. The deal is the biggest takeover in the generic drugs market since Teva bought U.S.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals for $7.46 billion in 2008. Others interested in the company included another generic maker, Actavis Group of Iceland, but Pfizer, which has been very interested in expanding its generics operations, was the last man standing in the competition against Teva, Dow Jones Newswires reported. It said Pfizer had been very interested in a d... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378443 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:29:38 +0100 3378443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378732&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fj_XwUiio9VA%2F The move is designed to jumpstart testing and approval of new regimens for so-called drug cocktails to combat tuberculosis, AIDS and cancer. The guidelines would apply only to drugs for life-threatening illnesses for which options don’t already exist, and that drug cocktails are believed necessary. Among those involved: the Critical Path to TB Regimens, which includes Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and a unit of Johnson & Johnson; Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, the Critical Path Institute and Treatment Action Group, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The companies have agreed to share data and test combo treatments. “This represents a bigger issue - the strengthening of regulatory science” to encompass scientific advances,... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378732 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:10:42 +0100 3378732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378733&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FMkcn8MW5xvg%2F Hello, everyone. Another spring day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where the short people are slumbering and the required cup of stimulation is brewing. While we tend to the usual morning routine, here are a few items of interest. Does a busy day lie ahead? Most likely. We hope these help you on your way. Have a good one and stay in touch…. Teva’s $4.8B Bid Wins Ratiopharm (Bloomberg News) J&J CEO Got An 11 Percent Pay Hike (Associated Press) Novartis Drops Generic Advair In The US (Reuters) Pfizer Drops Patent Infringement Case Against Lilly (Reuters) J&J Alzheimer’s Drug Study May Be Delayed (Bloomberg News) Roche Bullish On Cholesterol And Melanoma Drugs (Reuters) Coffee pix thx to chichcacha flickr creative commons (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378733 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:07:31 +0100 3378733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378616&cid=t_102041_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fhow-to-be-a-chronic-pain-survivor-part-1%2F A few days ago I was looking through a huge collection of books which I, probably like you, have accumulated over the years. I always surprise myself by finding books I read many years ago or finding others I never got around to reading. I came across one particular book I had picked up at a used book store several years ago, stuck in the bookshelf and forgot. The book is Love, Medicine, & Miracles by Bernie S. Siegel, MD. Written in 1986, I was amazed and deeply pleased to note all the suggestions and theories expounded by the author who was a surgeon and teacher at Yale. He founded ECaP (Exceptional Cancer Patients) and served as president of the American Holistic Medical Association. I immediately felt a bond with him because he mentioned all of the areas of interest and healing we ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378616 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:21:39 +0100 3378616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374375&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJHNZMyRf0k8%2F A new research collaboration involving the National Institutes of Health, the FDA and three drugmakers will be launched today in hopes of getting cancer drugs to the market faster, and test five experimental breast cancer medsReuters writes. The $26 million, five-year study will be called Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict your Therapeutic Response with Imaging and Molecular Analysis, or I-SPY2, and use DNA to match the best drug to each patient, and more quickly toss approaches that don’t work or are too toxic. The companies - Amgen, Abbott Labs and Pfizer - agreed to share info on using genes to predict how well patients respond as part of The Biomarkers Consortium, which includes the FDA, the NIH and PhRMA, the industry trade group. “I think it is the theme for the f... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374375 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:56:09 +0100 3374375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366174&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FwOHnWVMquO0%2F We’ve been wondering for more than a year whether pharma mainstay Fred Hassan would become a CEO again following the sale of Schering-Plough to Merck. Now we know. The former Schering-Plough CEO was named chairman of eye-care company Bausch & Lomb, whose board he had joined in November. Another Schering-Pough veteran, Brent Saunders, who headed Schering-Plough’s consumer health-care unit, also is joining Bausch & Lomb as CEO. Read their bios here. Hassan has left a trail of deals behind him. As CEO of Pharmacia, he engineered that company’s merger with Monsanto and later spun off Monsanto’s agricultural business before selling Pharmacia to Pfizer. With those companies and as head of industry group PhRMA (see here, here and here), Hassan never shied away from at... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366174 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:11:03 +0100 3366174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366428&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FGIIsu18_0a8%2F Elan has quietly given Johnson & Johnson the right to acquire its 49.9 percent stake in their joint Alzheimer’s disease venture, a move that could deter potential bidders for Elan and which has riled some shareholders, Reuters reports. The agreement, which is buried in Elan’s recently filed annual report, is part of a broader deal announced last July in which J&J agreed to pay $1 billion for 18.4 percent of Elan and take a 50.1 percent stake in a new company working on Elan’s experimental Alzheimer’s drugs, Reuters continues. The terms were revised after it was disclosed Elan and J&J reached a secret agreement in which J&J could gain 50 percent in the Tysabri multiple sclerosis drug, which Elan markets in a 50-50 partnership with Biogen Idec. As ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366428 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:24:04 +0100 3366428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354580&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F0pFji5IXzRE%2F Two years after issuing warnings about a group of meds known as bisphosphonates, the FDA has determined there is no link between the drugs and thigh-bone fractures (see here). These meds include Merck’s Fosamax, Novartis’ Zometa and Reclast; Procter & Gamble’s Actonel, and Boniva, which is marketed by Glaxo and Roche. The matter, however, isn’t quite settled. The agency is continuing to work with outside experts, including the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research Subtrochanteric Femoral Fracture Task Force, to gather more info. And two new studies released this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found bones of some post-menopausal women who take the meds on a long-term basis to prevent osteoporosis can stop rejuvenating and ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354580 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:42:45 +0100 3354580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354581&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fpr1PbhfpZvI%2F Hello, everyone. Nice to see you again. Another day beckons and we will begin ours by attempting to hustle one of the short people off to the schoolhouse. Wish us luck. To prepare, we are brewing the mandatory cup of stimulation. Grab one yourself, or a healthy bottle of water if you prefer, and get ready for the day. Here are a few items to help you along. Stay in touch… AstraZeneca To Sell Generics Made By India’s Torrent (Bloomberg News) J&J Seeks Rehearing In Europe On Skin Drug (MarketWatch) Doctors Fail To Cut Cholesterol Enough: Study (Reuters) Merck Drug Beats Head Lice In Study (Bloomberg News) Beijing To Build Asia’s Biggest Pharma Base (Alibaba.com) Massachusetts Joins J&J Antipsychotic Lawsuit (Boston Globe) Chief Justice Recuses In Wyeth Vaccine Cas... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354581 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:17:55 +0100 3354581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3346435&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FnLtMVfskRrE%2F Chances have been good that Sanofi-Aventis and Merck would re-establish their animal-health joint venture, as company officials have been more than hinting for months. Today, the reunion plans became official. The combined business would be the largest seller of animal drugs and vaccines in the world, the companies said, although the deal still will have to pass muster with antitrust watchdogs. Here’s more from Dow Jones Newswires and Reuters. Of course it was because of antitrust reasons that the companies had to break up their joint animal business called Merial last year. Merck was taking over Schering-Plough, which also had significant animal-health operations, so Merck sold its 50% Merial stake to Sanofi for $4 billion. The companies figured they might together again on animal c... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3346435 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:01:44 +0100 3346435 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342894&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F3sVDL2lxzTA%2F A confidential report issued last fall by Novartis on behalf of several drugmakers that sell ADHD meds concludes it isn’t feasible to conduct an observational, comparative long-term study to validate a signal of adverse psychiatric or cognitive outcomes from the long-term use of methylphenidate in children and adolescents with ADHD. Methylphenidate is sold as Ritalin and Concerta, for instance. The 18-page report, which recently began circulating on the Internet, was compiled in response to a requirement issued last year by the European Commission to conduct such a study after the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use expressed concerns about safety issues, including sudden death, cerebrovascular disorders and psychiatric disorders as well as the effects on growth (see here)... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342894 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:43:34 +0100 3342894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3338203&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FiO61_3T9suY%2F The FDA staff said it has a bunch of questions about InterMune’s new drug to slow deteriorating lung functioning. But investors figure the concerns weren’t as bad as they could have been, sending the biotech’s shares soaring. The stock jumped as much as 74% after FDA reviewers said only one of InterMune’s two late-stage trails for the experimental drug pirfenidone had met its main goal and added that “the clinical significance of the treatment effect size is uncertain.” The FDA documents, which were released ahead of an advisory panel meeting to discuss the drug Tuesday, also had a mix of other things to say. All things considered, an Oppenheimer analyst noted the “tone was less negative than expected,” all things considered and there was roo... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3338203 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:31:15 +0100 3338203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3335567&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPH9ZazU-oc0%2F A hearing on drug safety is scheduled for next Wed., March 10, and will be held by the House Energy & Commerce committee’s subcommittee on Health. And the featured speaker will be deputy FDA commish Josh Sharfstein, as well as other FDA folks, according to The Pink Sheet. No particular reason was cited, but the impetus for the hearing isn’t being attributed to Avandia. You may recall the GlaxoSmithKline diabetes pill was the subject of a recent Senate Finance Committee report that found internal dissent among FDA staffers over what to do about cardiovascular risks (see here). Importation, however, is expected to be on the agenda. The hearing will be held because the committee hasn’t had any public discussion of drug safety since the FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3335567 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:57 +0100 3335567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3326959&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fwvvr_WTmaTI%2F It seemed like only a question of time, but Bristol-Myers Squibb said this afternoon that Lamberto Andreotti, its president and chief operating officer since last March, would succeed James M. Cornelius as CEO. Andreotti, a 12-year veteran of the company, is 59 years old and Cornelius is 66. Cornelius was tapped as Bristol-Myers CEO in 2006 (first on an interim basis) and then got the added job as chairman in 2008. Picking a successor was one of his key missions. Andreotti takes command after Bristol-Myers decided to sit out the wave of multibillion-dollar takeovers that saw big competitors Pfizer, Merck and Lilly get even bigger. Bristol-Myers instead has pursued smaller biotech deals and alliances as well as developing its own pipeline through what it called a “string of pearls&#... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3326959 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:55:09 +0100 3326959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322629&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FbOW8qNg2sho%2F A report from the General Accountability Office found that among all Medicare Part D beneficiaries who used at least one specialty tier–eligible drug in 2007, 55 percent reached the catastrophic coverage threshold, after which Medicare pays at least 80 percent of all drug costs. In contrast, only 8 percent of all Medicare Part D beneficiaries who did not use a specialty tier–eligible drug reached this threshold in 2007. Specialty tier–eligible drugs accounted for 10 percent, or $5.6 billion, of the $54.4 billion in total prescription drug spending under Medicare Part D plans in 2007. And Medicare beneficiaries who received a low-income subsidy accounted for most of the spending on specialty tier–eligible drugs—$4.0 billion, or 70 percent of the total, according to the GAO. High-c... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322629 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:21:36 +0100 3322629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3314617&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fi6oB3ms1i-E%2F New Novartis chief Joe Jimenez (right) is looking at beefing up some business segments with acquisitions, but has nothing in mind as big as its $39.3 billion plan to buy the rest of eye-care company Alcon. “We may go for smaller, bolt-on acquisitions to help build scale in vaccines, generics and consumer health, but we will not go for one of the same size and scale as Alcon for the foreseeable future,” Jimenez said at the Novartis annual meeting, according to Reuters. Jimenez, who succeeded Dan Vasella as Novartis CEO this month, didn’t comment on the plan for buying the shares it doesn’t already own in Alcon. At the meeting in Basel, 95% of the Swiss company’s shareholders also backed the introduction of a “say on pay” provision that will give holders a vote on... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3314617 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:03:53 +0100 3314617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306817&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1bz4qF3Xp64%2F Pfizer has won FDA approval of a product developed by Wyeth, which Pfizer bought last year for $68 billion. And it’s a biggie — a updated version of the world’s best-selling vaccine Prevnar. See the Pfizer announcement. The new version of the childhood vaccine called Prevnar 13 is intended to fight six more varieties of ear infections, meningitis and pneumonia than the current version of the vaccine. Pfizer says the new vaccine will cover 90% to 95% of the causes of pneumococcal disease in the U.S. Here’s more fromthe Associated Press. Prevnar posted sales of $2.7 billion in 2008 and Credit Suisse analyst Catherine Arnold estimates that Prevnar 13 will have $5.9 billion in sales in 2015, more than any other single Pfizer product, according to the WSJ. “We thin... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306817 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:09:21 +0100 3306817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298598&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FF4bZz6Htiqo%2F Last month, the US government intervened, or joined, a whistleblower lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen unit over allegations the health care giant paid kickbacks - in the form of rebates and educational grants - to the Omnicare nursing home pharmacy so its Risperdal antipsychotic would be prescribed more often. The lawsuit also alleged J&J hid the payments from Medicaid to avoid reporting a ‘best price’ that would have triggered paying rebates to Medicaid (The US Department of Justice recently reached a settlement with Omnicare). One exhibited contained in the lawsuit appears to raise the issue of off-label promotion. A report prepared about Omnicare by J&J long-term care business managers includes this passage: “In June of 1999, Omnic... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298598 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:30:40 +0100 3298598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294809&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPxiU-CUwnfE%2F Hello, everyone, and welcome back from the weekend. We hope your time was relaxing and you had a chance to enjoy. Now, the routine, of course, returns. What lies in store this week? We can only guess, but to prepare, we are brewing the required cup of stimulation. Grab one yourself. Meanwhile, here are a few items to help you get moving. Good luck… Icahn Wants Four Genzyme Board Seats (TheStreet) USPTO Tentatively Rejects Plavix Patent (Dow Jones) Cardinal Pays $1M Fine For Missing Drugs (Columbus Business First) Novartis Wins FDA OK For Meningitis Vaccine (MarketWatch) Anthera Tries IPO With No Sales Or Products (Bloomberg News) FDA To Decide On Amgen Prolia By July (Reuters) EU Rejects J&J Drug For Skin Infections (Associated Press) Hologic Settles Patent Suit With J&J (R... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294809 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:41:25 +0100 3294809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3288022&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F5cXk1vHs6Sg%2F The drugmaker got a grip - on a problem that prompted lawsuits around the country. GlaxoSmithKline is now warning consumers about denture creams that contain zinc, and the drugmaker is taking “voluntary, precautionary” steps to end manufacturing and supplying denture adhesives that contain zinc due to “health risks associated with long-term excessive use,” according to a statement. Glaxo continues to maintain its products are safe if used as directed and so a recall isn’t under way. Attorneys for some of those who believe they have been harmed have argued there was no warning for people who apply excessive denture cream to hold ill-fitting dentures, and this can cause problems as severe as a loss of feeling in the limbs (background here). Lawsuits have also be... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3288022 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:37:58 +0100 3288022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283509&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FrwJH8BXtVLY%2F Johnson & Johnson figures that compensation for many of its its 115,000 employees is out of kilter with the health-care industry and it’s starting to to do something about it. Under a plan called the Global Compensation Framework, J&J has established 3,000 job classifications and 20 pay grades across the company, the WSJ reports this morning. The big health-care company also has come up with higher performance bonus targets for 27% of its employees and lower ones for 38%. Yearly stock bonuses will also be adjusted, the company says. Put it all together and an unspecified number of employees will be getting overall cuts in compensation, the WSJ says. But others will see increases and in fact, the cost savings from the overhaul will be “minimal,” according to the company. “This... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283509 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:51:41 +0100 3283509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283817&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FDOJlUCDu-VA%2F The health care giant plans to cut yearly performance bonus targets for 38 percent of its employees and freeze salaries for certain workers, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cites an internal announcement and other company documents. The move comes just as Bristol-Myers Squibb freezes salaries (see here). On Jan. 25, J&J told employees the initiative will standardize compensation across businesses and regions, making it easier to move around within the company. In the US, the changes will bring bonus targets in line with market levels, one document said, and the moves apply across the board, except for those covered by collective bargaining. J&J established 3,000 job classifications and 20 pay grades. “The current challenging economic environment has reinforced o... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283817 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:53:45 +0100 3283817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283510&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FfB-HAGTvP9Q%2F Sam Waksal, the founder of ImClone Systems who fell from grace before the company became $6.5 billion takeover property for Eli Lilly, is back in the biotech world, trying to raise $50 million for a start-up, according to TheStreet.com. Waksal (pictured at right in 2003) has an up-and-down bio highlighted by getting Imclone’s cancer drug Erbitux on the road to market. His lowlight came with a guilty plea to insider-trading charges for selling ImClone shares knowing FDA was going to issue a negative report on the drug before the agency’s eventual approval of it. Lifestyle diva Martha Stewart also avoided losses by selling ImClone shares, leading to her conviction on obstruction of justice charges. Now Waksal wants to buy, develop or license new drugs aimed at cancer or infectiou... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283510 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:40:54 +0100 3283510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3280175&cid=t_102041_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Fart%2Fmad-love-san-francisco-on-valentines-day Bay Area Icarus was revived last summer, and we are officially full of surging, irreverent life.   We held our first event on Valentine's Day--Mad Love.  We had an open mic, a skilled MC, a cabaret of musicians and poets, and the evening skyrocketed to a close with the Brass Liberation Orchestra. If you were there, you know.  If not, read on!  Almost as good. :)read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3280175 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:49:00 +0100 3280175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3276082&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FKrwDmlKW_Y4%2F The drugmaker recruited Bridgette Heller as executive vp and president of its consumer health care unit, succeeding Stan Barshay, who postponed retirement to serve in a transition role Merck’s acquisition of Schering-Plough. Heller, 48, will report directly to Merck ceo Dick Clark and will serve on the executive committee. The unit includes such brands as Claritin, Dr. Scholl’s, MiraLax and Lotrimin. The move reflects a growing conviction among drugmakers that a consumer products business is a desirable, even necessary, leg in a multi-pronged strategy. You may recall that Pfizer was more than happy to snap up Wyeth’s consumer products business last year, having forsaken the same sort of operation by selling an earlier unit to Johnson & Johnson. For the past three yea... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3276082 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:38:11 +0100 3276082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267133&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2160 new media toolkit one-pagers chers— this is an excellent set of posts on the new media from the AIDS.gov blog. they are intended to give you an overview of just what we’re talking about when we say “new media,” with links to more information and resources as you want and/or need them. plan spending some time with these pages, namaste —rk Resources and Information from the AIDS.gov blog: Accessibility Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to the Web. Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities…read full Accessibility One-Pager Download PDF Version ... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267133 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:17:31 +0100 3267133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267134&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2158 new media toolkit glossary Click on the term below to see the definition: Blog eCards Mashups New Media News Reader Online Chat Photo Sharing Services Podcast RSS Feed Social Bookmarking Social Media Social Network Services (Social Networking Sites) Texting (or Text Messaging) Twitter Usability Video Games Video Sharing Service Virtual World Web 2.0 Web Button Webcast Web Conferencing Webinar Wiki Blog A website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” is also a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Example: AIDS.gov Blog eCards Similar to a postcard or greeting card, with the primary difference b... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267134 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:28:11 +0100 3267134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267135&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2154 new media toolkit resources Here are some new media resources we’ve come across at AIDS.gov. Please note that this list is just a sample of the many new media resources available on the web. Please leave a comment if you have other suggestions. Click on the topics below to see resources: Blogs Data on New Media Use eCards Mashups New Media Basics Online Games Photo Sharing Services Podcasting RSS Feeds Social Networking Text Messaging Twitter Video Sharing Virtual Worlds Wikis Website Accessibility and 508 Compliance Website Usability Blogs Where can I learn about blogging basics? Common Craft’s video on blogs “in plain English” What are examples of government public health blogs? AIDS.gov Blog Health and Human Service Secretary Mike Leavitt’s Blog CDC’s Health M... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267135 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:16:43 +0100 3267135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267136&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2150 new media toolkit strategy Here are two tools to help you develop your new media strategy: POST Method Worksheet (PDF 49 kb), remixed from Forrester , a quick one-page form to help you get started with your new media planning. New Media Strategy Map (PDF 38 kb), remixed from the WeAreMedia project funded by the Surdna Foundation , a more in-depth tool to help you build your comprehensive new media strategy. (Source: aids-write.org) aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267136 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:01:26 +0100 3267136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262645&cid=t_102041_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F11%2Fthe-fresh-air-fund-needs-host-families%2F Imagine growing up in a city environment where you rarely see a tree, a patch of grass, or a bird. Imagine having nowhere to play a game of baseball or play catch with your dog. Imagine a place where the only thing summer brings is sweltering indoor temperatures, with no vacation or fun outside of playing in the fire-hydrant spray. For many children, this is inner-city life and the only life they know. But the Fresh Air Fund is a non-profit that has been giving free summer experiences to poor children in New York City since 1877. During that time, they’ve helped more than 1.7 million children have a very different kind of summer vacation — a chance to breath some fresh air in a different, less urban environment. In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family program... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262645 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:30:38 +0100 3262645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262892&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FB5TX9ZqEuRo%2F With old business models broken and industry in transition, the future will hinge on just how well drugmakers adapt to new technologies. Patients, for instance, can and will want to manage their health records with such devices as smart phones and hospitals and payers will comb through electronic records, which means pharma will lose exclusive control over outcomes data. These are among the findings in a new report from Ernst & Young consultants, who also believe pharma will have to consider alliances with food companies in emerging markets for help in managing supply chains. “Innovation is no longer just about the product — it now encompasses how you do business, who you do business with and how you mobilize your resources to contribute to healthy outcomes for patients.” says ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262892 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:46:48 +0100 3262892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267185&cid=t_102041_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Fevents%2Fsocial-forum-icarus Icaristas from near and far will be gathering at the US Social Forum in Detroit this summer, June 22-26. Join in the planning  discussion on the forums!read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267185 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:13:44 +0100 3267185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259184&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latalkradio.com%2Fimages%2FTerry-013110.mp3 Terry LeGrand’s The Alternative Internet Radio Channel 1Sunday nights 6:00-7:00 http://www.latalkradio.com/ chers— click below to listen or download the audiofile namaste —rk Broadcast date: Sunday, January 31, 2010 Guests Richard Kearns, a poet, journalist, activist, organizer for the LA Grassroots Elder HIV/AIDS Advocacy Summit, and long time AIDS survivor, and Elliott Katz discussed LA Grassroots Elder HIV/AIDS Advocacy Summit along with a special visit from LATalkRadio’s Greg Rempe discussing BBQ. Please click this sentence to Play audio recording of show Please click this sentence to Download audio recording of show Terry Le Grand transfers his show “The Alternative” from KTLK 1170 Los Angeles to LATALK Radio. Terry Le Grand, has been a GAY activist fo... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259184 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:59:28 +0100 3259184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236085&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FWLZo0q2VTwI%2F An appeals court upheld a decision in favor of Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit alleging the drugmaker misclassified sales reps as exempt from overtime pay. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that Patty Lee Smith, a former sales representative for J&J’s Ortho-McNeil unit, wasn’t due overtime because she wasn’t exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA’s overtime compensation requirement doesn’t apply to employees who work as outside salespeople, but the law does require employers to pay overtime for hours worked beyond 40 hours a week, unless a FLSA exemption applies. What are those exemptions? If an employee’s primary duty is to obtain orders or contracts (as defined by the statute) and regularly does ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236085 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:04:02 +0100 3236085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236088&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJS4E6W84DIk%2F A snowy day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, but it is winter, after all. So what better way to greet such weather than with a warm cup of stimulation? The water is boiling as we write. Meanwhile, here are a few items to help you slog through the day. Hope it’s a good one… Pfizer Profits Misses Estimates (Reuters) Roche Profits Hurt By Genentech Deal (PharmaTimes) FDA Approves Drug For Hand Disorder (Bloomberg News) Indian Court Stays Decision To Revoke Humira Patent (Business Standard) Takeda Profit Falls Due To Acquisitions (Bloomberg News) Ironwood IPO Price Gets A Haircut (Bloomberg News) Suit Against J&J Over Baby Bath Can Proceed (NJ Law Journal) Snowman courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons LD (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236088 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:39:24 +0100 3236088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3227716&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FgSMx1YYuMJ4%2F Cephalon said this morning it will buy the Swiss generic drug maker Mepha in a deal that will double the size of the U.S. company’s international business and enlarge its hand in generics. The price-tag was set at about $590 million. It seems like everybody wants to get into the global generics business these days. Sanof-Aventis has been making acquisitions to that end, and Pfizer created a new “established products” unit and cut a few deals with Indian manufacturers to grow its generics business. Cephalon, whose biggest seller Provigil will face its own generic competition in 2012, will gain 120 products sold in 50 countries through the deal, which should start adding to earnings this year. With the additions, the company will be in 100 countries and about 30% of its ove... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3227716 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:13:21 +0100 3227716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3228008&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F8-FSV17UpjA%2F Which drugs will be worth watching this year? Assuming FDA approvals come through as planned - and handicapping that possibility is trickier than ever (see here) - Barron’s compiled a list with the help of a few analysts. The presumption is that, once approval occurs, these meds will likely become blockbusters, that old-fashioned term for the biggest of sellers. And so, in no particular order, here they are… Victoza - the recently approved diabetes drug from Novo Nordisk; Xarelto* - a clotbuster from Bayer and Johnson & Johnson; Prolia* - an osteoporosis treatment from Amgen; Qnexa* - the Vivus obesity pill; Provenge* - Dendreon’s controversial prostate cancer vaccine. * - not yet approved by the FDA (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3228008 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:21:16 +0100 3228008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3220503&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fct7bF6eQFh0%2F Biogen Idec has invested heavily in drug research. Genzyme has snapped up smaller companies. Neither approach has worked particularly well, this morning’s WSJ notes, and both companies under pressure from activist shareholders to beef up their performance. Perennial activist Carl Icahn yesterday gave notice that he intends to nominate three directors to Biogen’s board, following up his success last year in landing two director slots on the board. The company it would evaluate the Icahn candidates, according to Reuters. Icahn and affiliates hold less than a 6% stake in the company, Biogen says. There’s more on the latest Biogen-Icahn faceoff here. Meanwhile, Genzyme yesterday announced revised terms for its executive compensation plans. The move followed criticism that Genzyme�... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3220503 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:51:12 +0100 3220503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216560&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FuU_5apQ0j9k%2F On Abbott’s earnings call today, an analyst asked CEO Miles White about the company’s short-term M&A strategy. “Is your plate full?” the analyst asked, according to a transcript from Thomson Reuters. The company cut a deal last fall to buy Solvay’s vaccines business for about $7 billion. That followed a January deal to buy Advanced Medical Optics, an eye-care company, for more than $1 billion. But there are still some deals that would interest the company, White said: I wouldn’t tell you we’re so busy at capacity that we can’t do anything else. … We’re keeping our eyes open for things that would be additions to or expansions of our existing franchises or businesses around the world. We’re mindful of further geographic f... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216560 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:32:25 +0100 3216560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212600&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F9IFhmov3U9k%2F Women who take several widely used antidepressants may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to achieve breastfeeding goals, according to a study to be published in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The drugs in question are SSRIs, such as Glaxo’s Paxil, Pfizer’s Zoloft and Eli Lilly’s Prozac. “The breasts are serotonin-regulated glands, meaning the breasts’ ability to secrete milk at the right time is closely related to the body’s production and regulation of the hormone serotonin,” the University of Cincinnati’s Nelson Horseman, a study co-author, says in a statement. The drugs “can affect mood, emotion and sleep they may also impact serotonin ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212600 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:34:08 +0100 3212600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201887&cid=t_102041_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Fabout-us%2Ficarusontwitter If you Twitter, follow Icarus at www.twitter.com/madgifts. Our Twitter feed gets updated with all the new Icarus Organizational blog posts, the Links of Interest, latest Madness Radio shows, plus additional bits and pieces of data from the Icaristasphere.    read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201887 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:50:15 +0100 3201887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197886&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fckqiwvw-OmM%2F And it’s getting closer every minute. Already, we can imagine the long naps that beckon. But what about you? Any interesting plans? Whatever you do, we hope you have a nice time. While you ponder, here are a few items to help you through the end of the week. Enjoy, everyone, and see you soon… Novartis Pushes Fund For Neglected Worm Disease (Bloomberg) Glaxo’s Hussain Discusses Flex Pricing In Diverse Markets (Financial Times) J&J Withdraws European Filing For Epilepsy Drug (PharmaTimes) Glaxo & Genmab Win EU Backing For Leukemia Drug (Reuters) Mississippi Urged To Require Prescriptions For Cold Meds (Associated Press) FDA To Decide On Genzyme Pompe Drug In June (MassHighTech) photo thx to tipiro on Flickr creative commons (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197886 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:03:10 +0100 3197886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197603&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FklQReMFZ5t8%2F GlaxoSmithKline CEO Andrew Witty swung by Health Blog HQ this week. Given all the M&A action in the industry in the past year (Pfizer-Wyeth & Merck-Schering Plough, to name a few biggies), we asked him about GSK’s acquisition strategy. “We’re not in the market for traditional, large-scale, premium acquisitions,” he said. He didn’t focus on the pipeline drugs or growing franchises that acquirers often cite. Instead, he waded into the ramifications of making a big acquisition at a moment when many segments of the industry are contracting. “People are buying companies and taking costs down,” he said. “You’re paying a 30% or 35% premium to have the opportunity to fire people.” Instead, he’s looking for “bolt-on ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197603 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:40:49 +0100 3197603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3185307&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FY29Pm0fhF2Q%2F We’ve been writing for a while now about the narrowing gap between generics companies and big pharma. The latest sign comes from the German business paper Handelsblatt, which reports that Pfizer and Teva are the key final bidders for Ratiopharm, the German generics shop. (Here’s Reuters’s English report on the Handelsblatt story.) Both would-be buyers are emblematic of the shifting landscape. Pfizer, the world’s biggest pharma company, is facing the expiration of the patent on Lipitor, the biggest selling drug of all time. The company has been moving away from the blockbuster-drug model and towards a more diversified business that includes a growing generics unit. Teva, the world’s biggest generics company, gets about 30% of its revenues from branded drugs, a... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3185307 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:17:09 +0100 3185307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182256&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2F-aBYWqnpg9Y%2F There is a FDA (CDRH) Workshop on Medical Device Interoperability scheduled for January 25 - 27 at the FDA’s White Oak Campus in Silver Springs, MD. Here’s a link to the meeting’s official web site, which includes a number of downloadable files on the agenda, meeting logistics and background. There is little question the workflow automation and intelligence offered by interconnecting medical devices can improve patient safety. There’s also little doubt that there is significant market demand for such solutions.  For example, if hospitals could purchase PCA pumps and SpO2 monitors that were interoperable, i.e., the monitor could suspend drug delivery at the first indication of respiratory arrest, such a capability would quickly become a standard of care. Interoperab... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182256 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:56:49 +0100 3182256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178986&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FQu0RQAOCB7Q%2F Not a good week to be a Johnson & Johnson executive. The health care giant and two of its units were charged by the US Justice Department with paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to Omnicare, the nation’s largest pharmacy that specializes in dispensing drugs to nursing home patients, so its Risperdal antipsychotic would be widely prescribed. You can read about that here. That may not resonate as widely, however, as the news that J&J was also tagged by the FDA for failing to vigorously and properly follow up complaints that certain batches of its Tylenol Arthritis Relief Caplets had a musty smell. What went wrong? You can read the disturbing details not only in the FDA letter sent to J&J this week, but also the eight-page FDA enforcement report released on Jan. 8. These... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178986 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:17:06 +0100 3178986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178987&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fw_SupJ1yVMQ%2F The US Attorney in Boston says Johnson & Johnson paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks - in the form of special rebates and other payments - so Omnicare, the nation’s biggest provider of pharmacy services to nursing homes, would put more patients on its Risperdal schizophrenia med (the Justice Department statement). The US Department of Justice, which recently reached a settlement with Omnicare (see here), allege Omnicare pharmacists recommended that nursing home patients with signs of Alzheimer’s disease be given Risperdal. The charge was made in a whistle-blower case brought by a former Omnicare pharmacist (here is the complaint against J&J). By the way, The In Vivo Blog predicted this would happen (look here). The move comes amid ongoing reports that chron... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178987 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:33:09 +0100 3178987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3176116&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FR_gl2uLH-cQ%2F The number of children aged 2 to 5 who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed antipsychotics has doubled over the past decade, suggesting the practice is becoming more prevalent, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Reuters reports. The data could play a role at the upcoming murder trials of the parents of 4-year-old Rebecca Riley, who died of an overdose of mood-stabilizing meds in 2006, Reuters writes. A child psychiatrist, Kayoko Kifuji, diagnosed Riley with bipolar disorder and ADHD when she was 30 months old, and placed her on Depakote, an antiseizure med also used for bipolar disorder, and clonidine, a blood pressure med. Prosecutors claim the parents deliberately overmedicated their daughter to subdue he... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3176116 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:19:46 +0100 3176116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3175847&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FuF_rKJkJ_PQ%2F J&J said today that it’s recalling certain lots of Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids. The issue: “an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor” according to the press release. There’s a complete list of the lots being recalled at the bottom of the release. In a “small number of cases,” the pills were associated to problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the company said. The issue is apparently related to a trace amount of a chemical in wood pallets that are used to transport and store product packaging materials. (The chemical is called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole.) This has been a problem for J&J for a while now. Customers were complaining back in 2008 that their pills smelled musty, and the company recalled some Tylenol lots last November. An FD... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3175847 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:53:38 +0100 3175847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3176118&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FBYKZy7XOMwU%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is something we hope to make a regular feature. Send us a photo (something nice, please) and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that Concert Pharmaceuticals hired Steven Weissman as associate director, process chemistry. Before joining Concert, he worked at Merck Research Laboratories as a senior investigator. Vical hired Rich... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3176118 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:09:48 +0100 3176118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3159940&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2115 chers— if this works, share my joy of this unhistoric moment of major insignificance, la la la namaste —rk after the jump [december 15, 2009] good morning president garcetti, distinguished council members. i have given the clerk copies of my prepared remarks. my name is richard kearns. i am a 58-year-old gay man living with AIDS in los angeles for more than 20 years, an angelino poet advocate. i am delighted to announce to you this morning that on friday, february 12th, 2010, upstairs in the tom bradley conference center, on the 27th floor, we will hold, the LA city grassroots elder HIV/AIDS advocacy summit & new media training “new tricks for old dogs & their allies” sponsored by councilmember rosendahl & the city AIDS coordinators office HIVers over 50 — el... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3159940 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:49:11 +0100 3159940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153348&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FScAiIzYFnXk%2F A post today over at Pharmalot drew our attention to notices of job cuts that Merck and Pfizer had announced on a New Jersey government Web site. Both companies have said they’ll cut thousands of jobs as part of the big mergers both completed last year, and these announcements account for a small fraction of those — 500 cuts for Merck, starting on Feb. 9, and 400 for Pfizer, starting on Jan. 31, according to the posting. Still, it seemed worth learning more, so we checked in with both companies. The Merck announcement refers to cuts in the company’s U.S. sales organization, a Merck spokeswoman told the Health Blog. The cuts will actually exceed 500 people, and will include those who worked for both Merck and Schering-Plough before the merger. She also said the cuts apply ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153348 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:32:03 +0100 3153348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149320&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FIsAn9nT5-Mg%2F The agency plans to hold an advisory committee meeting because studies have found that high dosages of Amgen’s Aranesp and Epogen and Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit boost the risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots in anemia patients with kidney disease. The purpose of the meeting, which hasn’t been scheduled yet, is to determine the appropriate dosages. Known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, or ESAs, the drugs boost hemoglobin levels in anemics, but the drugmakers have been plagued by cardiovascular risks that caused sales to decline. As it turns out, using large doses to cause hemoglobin to return normal levels may also increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, instead of lowering the risk. “Randomized trials have endeavored to show that using ESA... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149320 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:07:53 +0100 3149320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139024&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Ffw79JkxeEvs%2F Novartis said today that it’s looking to buy out the balance of Alcon, the big eye-care company. Novartis already has a 25% stake, and if the deal goes through as announced, Novartis will have invested about $50 billion to acquire all of Alcon. Given Alcon’s prominent place in the contact lens aisle of your neighborhood pharmacy, it’s tempting to label this deal as a drug-maker’s bid to get into the consumer-health business — like Sanofi-Aventis’s recent (much smaller) agreement to buy Chattem, maker of Gold Bond powder and Selsun Blue shampoo. But take a look at Alcon’s recent quarterly report and you’ll see that consumer products accounted for only about 13% of the company’s sales. The company makes most of its money from prescription... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139024 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:52:19 +0100 3139024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3118853&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FbwDY6FkYcGk%2F A few quick drug-industry items: Novartis is buying closely held Corthera for $120 million. That gives the company the rights to a drug called Relaxin, which is in late-stage trials for acute heart failure. Current Corthera shareholders could get hundreds of millions more in milestone payments if the drug pans out (always an iffy proposition). Novartis is also likely to expand its stake in Alcon soon, WSJ’s Deal Journal said yesterday. The company already has purchased a quarter of the company from Nestlé and is likely to buy another 52%, maybe more. Alcon sells eye-care products, and the buy is a diversification play. AstraZeneca will pay $350 million to buy Novexel, a company that specializes in new antibiotics, plus another $80 million for the company’s cash. Forest Labs i... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3118853 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:31 +0100 3118853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3111387&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FFmwsbUtS5Do%2F U.S. investment in R&D fell slightly this year, and is expected to start growing again next year, according to a new report out from the Batelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit group that looks at that sort of thing. A story in this morning’s WSJ has more on the issue; Health Blog readers may be particularly interested in some numbers from the report on R&D spending at big U.S. drug companies. Of course, company-by-company figures like these don’t tell the whole story, in part because of the effects of consolidation. For example, Pfizer’s R&D spending may climb next year because of the Wyeth acquisition, but continuing cuts could mean the company’s R&D spending is lower than this year’s combined R&D spending for Pfizer and Wyeth. Neve... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3111387 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:28:41 +0100 3111387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3108336&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FzXQ_dZ_ldMU%2F Sanofi-Aventis said today that it’s spending $1.9 billion to buy Chattem, a U.S. company that makes drug-store staples like Selsun Blue shampoo and Gold Bond foot powder. Why is a fancy drug maker that spends billions of dollars a year on R&D interested in shampoo and foot powder? For an answer, take a look at Abbott’s third-quarter earnings: Sales of prescription drugs were down compared with the year-earlier period, hurt by generic competition, but sales in the unit that sells Similac baby formula and Ensure drinks were up 10%. With drugs representing tens of billions of dollars of annual revenues set to lose patent protection in the next few years, it’s not surprising that the steady revenues of boring, reliable products like foot powder seem pretty appealing to s... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3108336 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:27:07 +0100 3108336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100772&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F4DDUfUVC108%2F You want deals? We’ve got a couple, plus one that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. The dead deal is Biogen Idec’s $420 million bid for Facet Biotech; Facet which said this morning that Biogen’s hostile tender offer for the company had failed to attract a majority of Facet shares. Facet had opposed the deal, claiming Biogen was trying to underpay for the full rights to daclizumab, a multiple-sclerosis treatment in development by the companies. “We are moving on,” Biogen spokeswoman Amy Reilly told the WSJ. Facet said it was continuing to solicit interest from third-party suitors, including Biogen if it would make “a materially increased offer.” On the friendly deal front, Merck said this morning that it was set to buy Avecia Biol... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100772 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:18:38 +0100 3100772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3097016&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2091 [december 15, 2009] good morning president garcetti, distinguished council members. i have given the clerk copies of my prepared remarks. my name is richard kearns. i am a 58-year-old gay man living with AIDS in los angeles for more than 20 years, an angelino poet advocate. i am delighted to announce to you this morning that on friday, february 12th, 2010, upstairs in the tom bradley conference center, on the 27th floor, we will hold, the LA city grassroots elder HIV/AIDS advocacy summit & new media training “new tricks for old dogs & their allies” sponsored by councilmember rosendahl & the city AIDS coordinators office HIVers over 50 — elder Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) — are predicted to double in community prevalance over the next five years to con... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3097016 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:34:19 +0100 3097016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092882&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2086 [december 15, 2009] good morning president garcetti, distinguished council members. i have given the clerk copies of my prepared remarks. my name is richard kearns. i am a 58-year-old gay man living with AIDS in los angeles for more than 20 years, an angelino poet advocate. i am delighted to announce to you this morning that on friday, february 12th, 2010, upstairs in the tom bradley conference center, on the 27th floor, we will hold, the LA city grassroots elder HIV/AIDS advocacy summit & new media training “new tricks for old dogs & their allies” sponsored by councilmember rosendahl & the city AIDS coordinators office HIVers over 50 — elder Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) — are predicted to double in community prevalance over the next five years to con... aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092882 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:56:12 +0100 3092882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084978&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fs3rk4EE8lns%2F This is the sort of condition that doesn’t come up at dinner parties, or too many other places, we imagine. Yet the recent push to develop a med to treat the problem is getting more press, not surprisingly. The New York Times, for instance, ran a quickie round-up this weekend (see here). Johnson & Johnson, for instance, is developing a pill called Priligy, and Sciele Pharma is working on a spray (see here). But as the Times notes, a key issue is whether premature ejaculation will be seen as a truly serious disorder. The International Society for Sexual Medicine defines it as the inability to delay ejaculation for more than 1 minute after vaginal penetration and, supposedly, up to one-third of US men suffer. “Marketers know you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle,�... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084978 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:41:25 +0100 3084978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084931&cid=t_102041_135_f&fid=35246&url=http%3A%2F%2Faids-write.org%2F%3Fp%3D2079 will be making announcement during public comments at LA city council meeting tuesday, december 15, 2009 text of jpeg after jump SAVE THE DATE! LA City Grassroots Elder HIV/AIDS Advocacy SUMMIT & new media TRAINING February 12, 2010 Tom Bradley Center (26th & 27th floors) LA City Hall 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 hosted by - LA 11th district City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl - the City of LA AIDS Coordinator’s Office - richard kearns publisher of http://AIDS-write.org & http://havvacc.wordpress.com [seal of city of los angeles ) FOR MORE INFORMATION: contact rk@aids-write.org or call 310-488-1328 “new tricks for old dogs & their allies” (Source: aids-write.org) aids-write.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084931 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:03:17 +0100 3084931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079313&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F8WiYiY60p3s%2F Eli Lilly knows a thing or two about the patent cliff: Between now and 2013, patent protection will expire on drugs that account for more than half of its current revenue, this morning’s WSJ notes. Plenty of big pharma players face this kind of problem, and many companies have looked to buy their way out of trouble — witness this year’s big Pfizer-Wyeth and Merck-Schering Plough deals. But Lilly emphasized at its annual analyst day yesterday that it didn’t plan to go down that road. Instead, the company is relying largely on its own pipeline of experimental drugs. Analysts are wary of the strategy, in part because some of Lilly’s promising new drugs still have to be studied for a few years before the company can apply to bring them to market. Here are a few ti... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079313 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:05:19 +0100 3079313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079315&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F-d-StApXPsY%2F Sure, Boston Scientific’s acquisition of Guidant may have been poorly timed and financially painful. But at least we can say, according to a wildly unscientific poll, that it wasn’t the worst deal of the decade. Our colleagues over at the WSJ’s Deal Journal today asked readers to weigh in on the worst of the worst — six deals gone bad, plucked from the past decade. Here’s what Deal Journal said about the Boston Scientific-Guidant deal: Matthew Dodds, an analyst at Citigroup, dubbed it “The Money Pit.” … What went wrong? Within months of deal closing, Boston Scientific issued recalls or warnings on almost 50,000 Guidant cardiac devices and the firm shocked Wall Street with a profit warning. Boston Scientific’s borrowings surged to $8.9 billion and its ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079315 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:10:17 +0100 3079315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075471&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FS1lwVRxSVAw%2F All that drug-industry deal making we’ve been watching for the past couple years has caught the attention of the SEC. The agency is investigating Pfizer’s takeover of Wyeth and Merck’s deal for Schering-Plough as part of a broader inquiry into insider trading, the WSJ reports. The SEC is also asking about Abbott’s acquisition of Advanced Medical Optics (a device company), and Eli Lilly’s purchase of ImClone. Some deals outside the health-care industry are also under investigation. The investigations “are part of an effort to better understand how people meet and communicate with one another—and swap information—among banks and Wall Street trading floors,” the WSJ says. Lilly declined to comment for the story, and Pfizer, Merck, Abbott, didn&#8217... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3075471 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:10:44 +0100 3075471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071466&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FLlpwzU6UBgw%2F An FDA official says the agency is considering strengthening the labels to warn about weight gain and diabetes amid concerns the impact could be stronger in children compared to adults, Dow Jones writes. Tom Laughren, who heads the FDA’s division of psychiatric products, says the agency asked drugmakers to provide all their info on metabolic side effects such as increases in blood glucose, which can cause diabetes, and blood cholesterol levels which can lead to cardiovascular problems over time. The labels already mention weight gain and related problems, but Laughren says the FDA is considering putting all the info in the warnings section, which is tantamount to a stronger label. He made his comments yesterday at a pediatric advisory committee meeting held to review the safety of s... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071466 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:43:43 +0100 3071466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052115&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FZJuBLevsPPQ%2F With big pharma eager to throw hundreds of millions of dollars at companies with promising experimental drugs, it’s easy to forget that there’s another route for up-and-coming drug makers: Selling shares to the public. We were reminded of this fact by Human Genome Sciences, which said that a public offering expected to close next week will bring the company nearly $400 million. That’s on top of more than $350 million the company made in an August offering. Of course, the markets aren’t throwing money at just anyone these days. Human Genome has several promising drugs in advanced stages of development, including a lupus drug called Benlysta. Lupus, an autoimmune disorder, has proved very tough to treat, so a new drug could be a big deal. And that tendency of big drug... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052115 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:58:16 +0100 3052115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052388&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FBeUTDlJUM1k%2F Will federal prosecutors indict the health care giant for off-label marketing of its Natrecor heart drug? Lawyers for J&J are scheduled to meet next week with Assistant Attorney General Tony West and other Justice Department attorneys in Washington, D.C., for some serious haggling, Law.com reports, adding that a handful of former execs are also under scrutiny. Unlike Pfizer, which agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle similar charges, J&J is resisting the notion that its Scios subsidiary engaged in illegal marketing.The government hasn’t made any final decisions, but Law.com writes that lawyers familiar with the probe say a criminal charge is under serious consideration. The implications: A felony conviction against J&J would lead to a big fine, but the bigger issue fo... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052388 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:03:09 +0100 3052388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048343&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FDzl9dWlr6fA%2F Recruiting and enrolling patients in clinical trials is just one behind-the-scenes link in the complicated process that results in medications winning regulatory approval and the subsequent marketing to doctors. But like a lot of steps in that process, the clinical trial machinery is coming under scrutiny as questions arise over the extent to which doctors are compensated for their participation. The issue has been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Senate Finance Committee’s Chuck Grassley, who has probed undisclosed conflicts among various academic researchers who simultaneously receive industry and federal funding. And so the faculty at the Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy at the Seton Hall Law School have issued a 62-page paper with some sugge... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048343 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:25:27 +0100 3048343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3045020&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FN6eYyVi9ASE%2F Robert John Dougall, 44, a former vice president for market development at J&J’s DePuy unit, was charged in connection with payments made or inducements given to medical professionals working in the Greek public health care system between 2002 and 2005, according to the UK Serious Fraud Office. The investigation remains ongoing and no further details were provided. Two years ago, Johnson & Johnson disclosed that unspecified foreign subsidiaries may have made improper payments in some unnamed countries related to the sale of medical devices. And J&J acknowledged the payments may fall within the jurisdiction of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. So the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission were notified. Michael Dormer, the global head of devic... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3045020 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:31:27 +0100 3045020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039753&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FnflE6f4gY4I%2F Stryker, a big medical device company, said today that it’s spending $525 million to buy a company called Ascent Healthcare Solutions that helps hospitals recycle medical devices designed for a single use. The medical device industry has been wary of this practice in the past, questioning whether devices designed for a single use can be properly sterilized and whether they can hold up for multiple uses. So it’s interesting to see a big device company diving into the business of encouraging hospitals to re-use devices. But the practice — which can save hospitals money even as it allows them to trumpet their sustainability efforts — has been growing recently, the WSJ reported last year. “Reprocessing,” as the practice is known, involves sending devices ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039753 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:23:37 +0100 3039753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039754&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FUBrtoRQxDzU%2F Two years from today, if everything goes according to plan, Lipitor will go generic. That’s likely to be the end of an era when big drug makers built their businesses around mega-blockbuster drugs that treat common, chronic conditions. In its magazine section this weekend, the Financial Times traced the long arc of the cholesterol drug, which has earned more than $80 billion for Pfizer. Lipitor is a statin, a class of drugs with roots in a fungal byproduct discovered decades ago by a Japanese researcher named Akira Endo. (For more, check out this 2006 WSJ profile of Endo and his work.) Endo worked for the Japanese drug maker Sankyo, which made a deal with Merck on the research into the drugs that became known as statins. Other drug makers became interested as well. One of the compan... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039754 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:21:23 +0100 3039754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3040019&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F6kJxEe755nQ%2F File this one under getting a grip. A Colorado woman is suing the drugmaker because she suffers from a copper deficiency her lawsuit claims is caused by an abundance of zinc found in the Poligrip she used to secure her dentures, The Denver Post writes. Zinc used in the denture cream is absorbed by the body and can cause copper depletion, which can cause neurological damage in extremities, the paper continues. The suit filed by Rae Ann Schmaltz, by the way, is actually one of dozens across the country against denture-cream makers, and is spawning such web sites as denturecreamlawsuitcenter.com. The manufacturers - Procter & Gamble sells Fixodent - have responded that denture cream is safe when used as directed. But attorneys for some of those who believe they have been harmed say there... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3040019 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:50:01 +0100 3040019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3040021&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FbRCJLCSatBw%2F Welcome to the working week. Hope your long weekend - those of you who are stateside, at least - was a good one. Ours was quiet, thanks. So, no complaints. Now, though, the routine returns. And that means deadlines, projects and meetings. To help you along, here are a few interesting items to help you ease back in. So grab a cup of stimulation and get started… Serge Weinberg May Be Next Sanofi Chairman (Reuters) Canada Extends Patient Access To Avastin (The Star) Glaxo To Provide Anti-Doping Gear To The Olympics (USA Today) Daewoong Threatens Pfizer Over Scrapped Deal (AsiaPulse) $50M Of Meds Overseas Diverted From UK Each Month (Daily Telegraph) Celgene Revlimid Sales May Trounce J&J’s Velcade (Bloomberg News) Ranbaxy Launches Herpes Drug In US (Reuters) Coffee courtesy o... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3040021 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:49:25 +0100 3040021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033760&cid=t_102041_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Falternativetreatments%2Ficarusrethinkingpsychiatryintarconference Icaristas Sam Kendakur, Will Hall, and Bonfire Madigan Shive presented at the Rethinking Psychiatric Crisis: Alternative Responses to First Breaks conference in New York City. They joined more than 200 researchers, people with psychiatric diagnoses, policymakers, clincians, advocates, and family members from several countries including Finland and the UK to discuss effective hospital, labeling, and force alternatives. Check out the slideshow here, and more info at the International Network Towards Alternatives for Recovery website. read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033760 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:14:01 +0100 3033760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033578&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FC4bXQ0pxNTs%2F There’s more buzz this morning about private equity’s interest in health care. This time, the reported target is Siemens’s hearing aid business. Sure, hearing aids may not sound like a sexy, go-go business. But apparently they’re the sort of solid money-maker that private capital likes these days — the unit could fetch up to 3 billion Euros ($4.5 billion or so), according to reports from Bloomberg and Reuters. KKR and BC Partners are potential buyers, the stories say. Bloomberg says Siemens is likely to exit the hearing aid business, and may do so via an IPO or a sale. Both stories cite unnamed sources, and the company didn’t comment. Private-equity action seems to be building in health care these days. The $4 billion deal to take IMS Health private, an... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033578 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:46:04 +0100 3033578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3026769&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34831&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDocinthemachine%2F%7E3%2FdInlQclJbYE%2F I received this comunication from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT  —The Adequacy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Oversight Monday, December 14, 2009 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Mandarin Oriental Hotel Washington, DC Given the rather high profile incidents in infertility therapies that came to light in 2009, the leaders in reproductive medicine are asking questions about how best to prevent such incidents from occurring again.  While little factual information is available on the specific incidents, we can and should assess where general oversight of the field is, and seek ways to improve it, if necessary Accordingly the American Society for Reproductive Medicine is convening a meeting in Washington, DC to gather input on this important topic. Infor... docinthemachine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3026769 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:30:07 +0100 3026769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3026733&cid=t_102041_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F11%2F24%2Fthe-proteus-effect-how-our-avatar-changes-online-behavior%2F The other day, a commenter asked whether people “truly represent themselves for who they are, do they take on different personality characteristics while in their online persona, and how is their level of tolerance for disagreement affected?” One way to examine this question is to look how people provide based upon their choice of avatar — the pictorial representation of themselves in an online environment (such as virtual reality game). Yee & Bailenson (2007) did just that and have some answers: Across different behavioral measures and different representational manipulations, we observed the effect of an altered self-representation on behavior. Participants who had more attractive avatars exhibited increased self-disclosure and were more willing to approach opposi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3026733 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:57:54 +0100 3026733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023089&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F2s1XqsoPnYs%2F In an interview with the Financial Times, J&J CEO Bill Weldon gets to gloat about running the mother of all diversified health companies at a moment when many big drug makers are looking to diversify. He notes that the pendulum of opinion swings back and forth on the value of diversification: “For years we were criticised; in today’s environment we’re praised.” And he cites conversations with Pfizer’s CEO about the 2006 sale of Pfizer’s consumer health business to J&J for $16.6 billion. “Jeff [Kindler] has told me numerous times his regrets” about the sale, Weldon told the FT. (Pfizer cut the deal before Kindler took over as CEO, by the way.) Pfizer got back into the consumer health business this year when it bought Wyeth, which owns Advil, ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023089 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:38:45 +0100 3023089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3019095&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34831&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDocinthemachine%2F%7E5%2FVEzWF687184%2Fcgeweblaunch.mp3 BREAKING NEWS: First description-  full free slideshow with audio of project and podcast I am honored to share with you on docinthemachine.com my Presidential Report from the CGE of the launch of the Center of Excellence Program of the AAGL CGE.  With 38 years leadership in Gyn Minimally Invasive Surgery the AAGL is unique qualified to share its educational mission by verifying those Centers that meet these standards.  The AAGL Global Society for Gynecologic Minimally Invasive Surgery Launches Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Program at Annual Meeting November 16-20, 2009 in Orlando, Florida —dedicated to establish and verify standards at surgical facilities and hospitals. (click green play arrow to hear presentation audio and automatically advanc... docinthemachine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3019095 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:32:17 +0100 3019095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3018974&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FiiqIs1gx0KI%2F The recent $4 billion private-equity buyout of IMS Health raises an irresistible question: What other health-care companies might catch private equity’s eye? A Bloomberg News story out this morning takes a stab at answering the question, and comes up with a list that includes a few solidly profitable drug makers that have market caps between $1 billion and $3 billion and relatively low debt burdens. Endo Pharmaceuticals, which sells pain drugs, was cited as a possible target by a Credit Suisse analyst, Bloomberg notes. The company generated $339 million in free cash flow last year. It had $371 million in debt as of the quarter ended Sept. 30 and has a market cap of $2.6 billion. King Pharmaceuticals sells generic drugs and recently had a branded, tamper-resistant narcotic approved ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3018974 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:00:48 +0100 3018974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3019231&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FVPcLSSeb9d0%2F Before you get ahead of yourself, the spray has not yet been approved by the FDA. But the treatment did delay premature ejacualtion by as much as five times - or an average of 108 seconds - in a study of 256 men. Those whose penis tips were numbed out took an average of 2.6 minutes to ejaculate, compared with eight-tenths of minute for those given a placebo. Premature ejaculation is defined by the International Society for Sexual Medicine as the inability to delay ejaculation for more than 1 minute after vaginal penetration. Supposedly, up to one-third of US men. The product actually is a special mix of two anesthetics and is being developed by Shionogi’s Sciele Pharma, which presented the study results at the annual meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America. There may... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3019231 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:24:29 +0100 3019231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3019063&cid=t_102041_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F11%2F23%2Ffor-thanksgiving-week-4-quick-mindfulness-techniques%2F Image Microforum Italia This is Thanksgiving week … the week some of us are very thankful that we don’t live in the same city as our relatives. So I’m calling in the experts. My friend, Elisha Goldstein, who writes the “Mindfulness and Psychotherapy” blog on Psych Central, offers readers like myself, who are having difficulty with a formal meditation practice, several quick tips for mindful living that can be implemented throughout the day. He writes in his post, “Hectic Life? Quick Tips for Mindful Living” that “even without the time and place in life to set up some formal practice, from the minute you get up in the day to the moment you lay your head on the pillow there is opportunity to engage mindfulness as a way of life, opening you up t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3019063 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:12:54 +0100 3019063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3015324&cid=t_102041_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F11%2F20%2Fwoman-loses-sick-leave-benefits-for-depression-thanks-to-facebook-pics%2F Quebec woman Nathalie Blanchard poses on the beach in a Facebook photograph that convinced her insurance company that she was no longer depressed.Can you really determine someone’s mental state by looking at a photograph? Manulife, a Canadian-based financial services company, apparently thinks so. Nathalie Blanchard, a 29-year-old IBM employee from Quebec, took a long-term sick leave from her job after being diagnosed with major depression. Her doctor told her to try & have fun, and to take a sunny vacation to get away from her problems. She did just that while she received monthly sick-leave benefits from Manulife. And she posted her vacation photos on her private Facebook profile. But recently, the monthly payments stopped. So, Blanchard contacted her insurance company to see w... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3015324 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:17:30 +0100 3015324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012472&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34831&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDocinthemachine%2F%7E5%2F47Id17bIDmc%2Fdocinthemachine_adamson_podcast.mp3 In a docinthemachine exclusive first I am excited to share with you a new endometriosis scoring staging system that is the first ever to predict a patients chance of getting pregnant without IVF. The EFI or endometriosis fertility index was just presented by Dr David Adamson, a fertility specialist at the 38th annual Global Congress on Gynecologic Minimally Invasive Surgery– the annual meeting of the AAGL in Florida.  As a fertility specialist and surgeon myself it was starred on my agenda not to miss as a highlight of the entire congress.  Here’s all the details of his presentation and the scoring system. Here’s my podcast interview with the lead author Dr Adamson just after he gave his talk at the 38th AAGL Global congress in Orlando addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fdo... docinthemachine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012472 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:40:24 +0100 3012472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3004086&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpcL5dPPQIAQ%2F Now that Fred Hassan is no longer the chief executive of Schering-Plough - or any other drugmaker - since Merck finally scooped up its rival, Fred has been busy accepting invitations to join the boards of various other corporations. Apparently, his experience selling drugmakers - don’t forget his time running Pharmacia - is seen as invaluable to others who want to increase their stock prices. Last week, for instance, Fred joined the Warbug Pincus private equity firm as a senior advisor (please look here) and joined the board of Bausch & Lomb, which makes eye products (see here). And late last month, he became a Time Warner board member (statement). And for those who weren’t aware, Fred is already an Avon Products board member. But where will Fred turn up next? Suggestions?... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3004086 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:34:02 +0100 3004086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2995718&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FthW6BsobFfg%2F Bristol-Myers Squibb filed plans with the SEC this morning to split off its Mead Johnson baby-formula unit to concentrate on its core pharmaceuticals business. While other big drug makers are busy diversifying in an effort to reduce the risks at the core of developing new drugs, Bristol is raising its pharmaceutical bet by disposing of Mead Johnson. The company has signaled that it’s interesting in buying or partnering with smaller drug makers. You will recall that trading in Mead Johnson shares started off to a fast start earlier this year after Bristol-Myers did a partial public offering while retaining majority control. Now the New York-based drug maker plans to dispose of the 83% stake in the maker of Enfamil baby formula that it still holds. Bristol-Myers CEO Jim Cornelius had s... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2995718 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:36:15 +0100 2995718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984769&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FLv89rnB1sD0%2F Ratiopharm is up for sale, and it sounds like there are lots of interested buyers. The German company is a big, family-owned generic drug maker, and the generics business is popular these days — lots of blockbusters are going off patent in the next few years, and cost pressures in health care are creating a growing push to have patients take generic drugs when that’s an option. Dow Jones Newswires reports this morning that private-equity shops TPG, Permira and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts have put in offers, as has Pfizer. According to reports from Bloomberg News and the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs’s private-equity arm submitted a bid jointly with Advent. (Dow Jones lists Advent but not Goldman among the bidders.) The drug makers Teva (which mostly sells generics) and Sano... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984769 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:55:36 +0100 2984769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984880&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34831&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDocinthemachine%2F%7E5%2FGVbZRtnVvWE%2Fditmnov2009ott.mp3 I have been getting great feedback on my DITM medical technology podcast which starts the podcast series I’ll be doing regularly.  Several people wrote to ask if I could post a version with just the interview since they loved it so much and wanted to share that segment.  The original podcast starts with FDA approvals then has an interview with Sony Exec Bob Ott on the future of video technology in entertainment and medicine that we did a the NAB broadcast meeting in Vegas. Here’s an edit version with just the interview enjoy and share with your friends!   addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fdocinthemachine.com%2F2009%2F11%2F12%2Fsonypodcast%2F'; addthis_title = 'DITM+Podcast+on+Future+of+Video+for+Entertainment+%26%23038%3B+Medicine+With+Sony+Exec'; addthis_pub = ''; (Source... docinthemachine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984880 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:15:36 +0100 2984880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981049&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Ft24WMoI5WmY%2F Chris Viehbacher, the CEO of Sanofi-Aventis, told the Health Blog a while back that he planned to shift a big chunk of research funding away from Sanofi’s internal labs and toward external partnerships with smaller, more nimble biotech shops. That strategy was in evidence yesterday, in a few ways. Sanofi said it would fund more than $1 billion in research at a biotech shop called Regeneron. The funding will be spread over eight years, and expands on an existing partnership between the two companies, the WSJ reports. The company is also likely to create a venture capital fund, Viehbacher said Tuesday. He was in Cambridge, Mass. — a big biotech hub — talking about the company’s need to make more partnerships. He suggested VC fund would be more about building relatio... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981049 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:15:56 +0100 2981049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977260&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FNinJHi3dRW0%2F More news today on the cutbacks at Pfizer following the merger with Wyeth. Pfizer just sent out the list of research sites it’ll be shrinking and, in some cases, closing. Here’s the key paragraph: The company will move a number of functions from Collegeville, Pa.; Pearl River, N.Y.; and St. Louis to other locations and will discontinue R&D operations in Princeton, N.J.; Chazy, Rouses Point and Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Sanford and Research Triangle Park, N.C.; and Gosport, Slough/Taplow, U.K. In addition, Pfizer will consolidate R&D functions from its New London, Conn., site to its nearby research facility in Groton, Conn. The company says its research efforts will be spread at more than a dozen sites around the world, with a particular focus on five centers: Cambridge, Mass... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977260 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:29:40 +0100 2977260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259059&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2F5OYbQ20C2yk%2F It may be helpful to compare these new guidances with the pending MDDS rule, discussed here, in which the proposed rule defines an MDDS as Class I, the class with the lowest FDA scrutiny. Unlike MDDS, in the current case these CADe devices are not newly defined. However the FDA does acknowledge that the terminology may not widely known or used. A CADe system is not in the same class as an MDDS, and therefore is not an MDDS, because of the degree to which it analyzes medical device data. The Federal Register posting defines CADe’s as “computerized systems that incorporate pattern recognition and data analyses capabilities (i.e. combine values, measurements or features extracted fro the patient radiological data) intended to identify, mark, highlight, or in any other manner direct attent... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259059 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:03:16 +0100 3259059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2974065&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2F5OYbQ20C2yk%2F It may be helpful to compare these new guidances with the pending MDDS rule, discussed here, in which the proposed rule defines an MDDS as Class I, the class with the lowest FDA scrutiny. Unlike MDDS, in the current case these CADe devices are not newly defined. However the FDA does acknowledge that the terminology may not widely known or used. A CADe system is not in the same class as an MDDS, and therefore is not an MDDS, because of the degree to which it analyzes medical device data. The Federal Register posting defines CADe’s as “computerized systems that incorporate pattern recognition and data analyses capabilities (i.e. combine values, measurements or features extracted fro the patient radiological data) intended to identify, mark, highlight, or in any other manner direct attent... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2974065 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:03:16 +0100 2974065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963334&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4-T3OwO7Qiw%2F Another day, another deadline. That is our motto. And many of you probably relate. Nonetheless, we are happy to greet the morning and look forward to a busy day. We hope things go well for you today. And to help you along, here are a few developments…. CVS/Caremark Reports Higher Profit (Reuters) King Pharmaceuticals Profits Fall (MarketWatch) Astellas Cuts Outlook On Generic Competition (Reuters) J&J To Close Two Philly-Area Sites (philly.com) Merck Will Keep Schering-Plough HQ (Bloomberg) FDA To Fight Avoidable Harm From Meds (Reuters) Coffee courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons chichcacha (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963334 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:52:52 +0100 2963334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963070&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F4UvMUcLOMG0%2F A day after closing Merck’s $41 billion takeover of Schering-Plough, Merck CEO Dick Clark showed that his appetite for deal-making hasn’t been sated. Clark told us today that the newly combined company is “actively looking” for biotechs to buy or partner with. For the moment, Clark said doing another mega-deal was “off the table right now” because the company needs to concentrate on combining Merck with Schering-Plough. But Merck is certainly interested in smaller deals, in the “single-digit billions” of dollars, the CEO said, without being more specific. Executives at the “new Merck” are about to start reviewing the combined company’s lineup of current therapies and experimental treatments to determine what to focus on and... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963070 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:24:02 +0100 2963070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963072&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FnvwJ80RpzB0%2F Now that the Merck merger with Schering-Plough is done, when can we expect details on the company’s plans to cut some 16,000 jobs? Not in the next few days, Merck’s CEO told Dow Jones Newswires today. The plans “aren’t finalized,” Dick Clark said. “We want to make the right decisions with talent.” We do know this much: The former Schering headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J., will remain an “important site,” the company says, as will Merck’s Rahway, N.J., site. The company will keep its headquarters in Whitehouse Station, N.J. The cuts, which will reduce the combined company’s work force by 15% are part of a program that’s supposed to save $3.5 billion a year. For more on the endless trimming of drug-company headcount, se... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963072 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:44:47 +0100 2963072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2958809&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FrOyGo0UqHTM%2F So Omnicare, a big pharmacy that specializes in providing drugs to nursing-home patients, will pay $98 million to settle allegations that the company “solicited or paid a variety of kickbacks,” according to this statement from the feds. The WSJ story gets into all the details, but one wrinkle in particular caught our eye: Omnicare was accused of soliciting and receiving kickbacks from J&J in exchange for recommending the company’s antipsychotic drug Risperdal. This touches on the broader issue of the widespread use of antipsychotic drugs among nursing home patients. Risperdal, like other drugs in its class, comes with this warning: “Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death.” Risper... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2958809 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:02:39 +0100 2958809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2959080&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FP2IsprxL_nE%2F The nation’s largest nursing home pharmacy will pay $98 million and the drugmaker will pay $14 million to resolve allegations that Omnicare engaged in kickback schemes with several parties, including Ivax, according to the US Justice Department. About $68.5 million will go to the US, while $43.5 million will cover Medicaid program claims by participating states. Among the infractions: The DOJ alleged that Omnicare solicited, and Ivax paid, $8 million in kickbacks in exchange for Omnicare’s agreement to purchase $50 million in drugs from Ivax, which is now a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals (here is the Omnicare settlement and here is the Ivax settlement). Omnicare also allegedly solicited and received kickbacks from Johnson & Johnson in exchange for agreeing to recommend tha... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2959080 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:07:59 +0100 2959080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2959081&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fmd_rGIa03KI%2F Just a week before announcing that Johnson & Johnson will cut some 8,000 jobs, J&J chair and chief executive Bill Weldon plunked down $8.45 million for two adjacent vacant waterfront lots in North Palm Beach, Fl., and he bought them from former General Electric chair and chief executive Jack Welch, according to The Palm Beach Daily News and brought to our attention by Bnet. The properties are listed as 1264 Lake Worth Lane in Lost Tree Village with 113 feet of water frontage for $2.975 million and 1284 Lake Worth Lane, with 111 feet of frontage, for $5 million, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office records, the paper writes. Several realtors advertise exclusive properties in the enclave (see here and here). One of the realtors has this to say: “Lost Tree…... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2959081 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:07:38 +0100 2959081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954794&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FuT-KLUu-gPo%2F Another day, another reorganization. This time, the venerable health care giant expects to save anywhere from $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion by 2011 as it cuts 7 percent of its workforce, which numbers about 118,700 employees. Most of the savings are expected to come next year, when Johnson & Johnson hopes to pocket up to $900 million. How? The official statement contains mostly generalities, as to be expected. There are references to reducing layers of management, increasing “individual spans of control,” and simplifying business structures and processes across global operations. But J&J insists layoffs are only part of the plan. “These types of changes are difficult under any circumstances, and will have a very personal impact on people who have been dedicated to th... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954794 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:36:10 +0100 2954794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947139&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FiMYYvv5vQ5g%2F The lawsuit charges Amgen - along with a specialty group purchasing organization known as International Nephrology Network and the ASD Healthcare wholesaler - with offering kickbacks to medical providers to increase sales of its Aranesp anemia drug, Aranesp. The multi-state suit, by the way, joins a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2006 by Amgen sales reps. The companies encouraged health care providers to bill third-party payers such as Medicaid for free Aranesp in hopes of taking business away from Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit. Amgen also conspired with INN and ASD Healthcare to provide sham consultant agreements, weekend retreats and other services to get them to purchase and prescribe Aranesp (here is the lawsuit). “Drugs should be prescribed to patients on the basis of ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947139 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:31:10 +0100 2947139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2946886&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FaMw3yD3e5Jg%2F We have known Merck sold its half of an animal-health venture to partner Sanofi-Aventis partly to avoid antitrust concerns arising from Merck’s pending takeover of Schering-Plough. The problem: Schering-Plough is bringing its own leading animal-health business to the Merck deal, and combining the two would create a juggernaut, with more than a quarter of the world market. Understandably, Merck didn’t want to give up its stake. Treating cats and dogs for ticks or vaccinating livestock is, well, a cash cow for beleaguered drug makers. Together, the Sanofi-Merck-Schering animal-health businesses would both treat pets and livestock and enjoy more than $5.6 billion in annual sales. And the odds have been Merck and Sanofi would eventually seek to reconstitute the alliance. Today, Sa... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2946886 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:09:14 +0100 2946886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2944099&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F3qox1wxAjx8%2F The admission came from Matt Thompson, a sales rep for Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit, who testified in a trial over claims by a former co-worker. In 2002, he said he pushed docs to consider prescribing Risperdal in combination with other drugs, even though this wasn’t approved by the FDA, and he noted that Jannsen’s training didn’t include any specific prohibitions against such promotions. “I’m not saying the company tried to hide it, but we didn’t think about augmentation in the realm of on-label or off- label at that time,” Thompson said. He said he was “probably” aware that promotion of such sales was illegal, Bloomberg News reports. The lawsuit was brought by Lynn Powell, 36, who claims she was fired in 2004 for complaining inside Jannsen about ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2944099 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:04:50 +0100 2944099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939266&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F2jZyT-dKhvc%2F Hey guys, thanks for the great work on that merger. Here’s a million bucks! Pfizer is giving an extra $1.2 million to Frank D’Amelio, the company’s CFO, and $1 million to Ian Read, who runs Pfizer’s biopharmaceutical business. The board’s compensation committee decided the men “devoted extraordinary efforts and made extraordinary contributions” to the Pfizer-Wyeth merger, according to yesterday’s SEC filing disclosing the awards. The execs got half in cash and half in equity awards. They have to repay the cash if they quit or get fired before October 30, 2010. A company spokeswoman told Dow Jones Newswires that other employees have also been rewarded in connection with the merger. Pfizer has said it plans to cut about 20,000 jobs in connecti... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939266 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:49:05 +0100 2939266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934644&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fr0nOrUVjZxg%2F For a clue to where GlaxoSmithKline is cutting back on sales reps, and where the company is staffing up, take a look at the company’s third-quarter earnings announcement, out this morning: Sales were up 25% in emerging markets and 19% in Japan — and down 8% in the U.S. Now that you know what the answer’s going to be, you can watch GSK CEO Andrew Witty give you the news via Web video. The part we’re talking about is just before the end, when he says: Just over the last year or so we’ve reduced by around 2,200 the number of sales personnel in our established Western markets, and we’ve increased by around 2,200 the number of sales personnel we have in our emerging and Asia Pacific markets. … We are reallocating resources to go for growth. This is sor... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934644 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:34:09 +0100 2934644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934946&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fc_fOn9kwBqE%2F We report data consistent with FDA practice,” Morris tells TheStreet, “and there was no intention to selectively disclose.” (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934946 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:23:18 +0100 2934946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934951&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F2yEljf_YhnM%2F Anywhere from 10 to 19 pounds on the Lilly pill. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found kids’ weight zoomed in the first three months on antipsychotics, often leading to elevated cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Weight gain is a known side effect but, as Forbes reminds us, the results are noteworthy because there were far greater increases than seen in many previous trials. Researchers tracked 272 children between the ages of 4 and 19 who started taking various brand-name antipsychotic drugs for the first time between 2001 and 2007. They found weight gains varied by drug but appeared to be widespread across the entire class. AstraZeneca’s Seroquel, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Abilify and Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal caused weight gain... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934951 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:38:07 +0100 2934951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927562&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FdR81JvZ-0yk%2F At a time when saving big bucks on health care is such a hot issue, should Congress alter patent laws to save a company a lot of money from generic competition because it missed a basic, but crucial filing deadline by one day? Tim Carney at The Washington Examiner raises the case of The Medicines Company, which makes Angiomax, an anti-coagulant drug that helps prevent a second heart attack. In early 2001, MDCO applied for a standard extension to its patent, which would have been approved, except the company’s lawyers filed the application 61 days after initial FDA approval, missing the statutory deadline by one day. As a result, Angiomax’s protection is set to expire next year instead of in 2014, as the routine extension would have allowed. MDCO says the early patent expiration... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927562 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:18:41 +0100 2927562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927277&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fl6BoccJaYsc%2F Johnson & Johnson has long had a habit of buying companies, then letting them continue to run at arm’s length from the home office. Lately, though, the company has taken a different tack: Partnering with other companies without buying them outright. J&J CEO Bill Weldon explains the shift to the Financial Times: “The cost of developing compounds has become so high and become so risky that we are looking to share the risks and opportunities and find more and more partnerships.” In the past few months, J&J bought minority stakes in Elan and Crucell and signed a development deal with Gilead. Making lots of small deals, rather than going all-in on a few, gives the company more chances to pick winners. Other drug makers have taken a similar tack. A few years bac... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927277 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:03:49 +0100 2927277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927567&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FyBYlwzkePNw%2F Welcome to the working week. How was the weekend, everyone? Ours was busier than usual, since one of the short people had a birthday party. As a result, today gives us a chance to collect our thoughts and, of course, look for interesting items. Here are a few to help you get started. Hope the days goes well… Johnson & Johnson Wants More Risk-Sharing Deals (FT) Prempro Trial Goes To Jury In Philadelphia (Bloomberg) Lilly Pays $45M To Settle Zyprexa Suit With So. Carolina (Associated Press) Pfizer Threatens Phillipine Pharmacies Over Generic Lipitor (Phillipine Daily Inquirer) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927567 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:19:39 +0100 2927567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927426&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2FxmpfM25Banc%2F Off Label Use In a previous post, Medical Device System Network Install Issues, I suggested that when health care providers don’t follow medical device manufacturer’s specifications when installing medical device systems they were using the system “off label.” This site’s latest contributing author, William Hyman, provides an alternative perspective: My interpretation of off-label use has been that it pertains to the actual use of the medical device, not the way it is set-up. Thus it isn’t off-label use until it is actually used, and use here is with respect to the Indications for Use, which do not generally address set-up and configurations as opposed to what the device is for. Therefore a set-up or installation that is different from the manufacturer&#... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927426 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:13:16 +0100 2927426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923234&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FNCFy2eqKcVQ%2F General Motors, once famous for its top-notch, cradle-to-grave benefits, will offer only high-deductible health insurance to its salaried workers starting next year, Business Insurance reports. Besides setting up the inevitable joke (”Cadillac workers won’t get Cadillac insurance”) and carrying the inevitable symbolic resonance that goes with everything GM does, the shift is the latest sign of the way employers are looking to shift some of the burden of rising health costs to workers. One recent survey found that nearly two-thirds of employers plan to shift more of the cost of care to workers and their families through higher premium contributions, deductibles and copayments. GM’s 24,000 salaried employees will be able to choose from two plans, both of which are li... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923234 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:08:41 +0100 2923234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2920487&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FgrlyAtAQDt4%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? Johnson & Johnson added Xerox chairman Anne Mulcahy to its board; Digestive Care added Winston Kirton and Patrick Ronan to its sr mgmt team; Jiangbo Pharmaceuticals says Haibo Xu resigned as chief operating officer; NGM Pharmaceuticals added former Genentech ceo Art Levinson to its board; Warner Chilcott hired Mahdi Fawzi as president of global R&D; Epizyme tapped... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2920487 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:38:48 +0100 2920487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2920158&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FhonZLeIOhwE%2F If you’re running a little biotech shop with tons of promise but not much capital, here’s a tip: Jim Cornelius has a billion dollars burning a hole in his pocket. Cornelius is the CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb; on the company’s earnings call today he said that even after Bristol’s recent $2.1 billion Medarex deal, the company’s net cash position is $1.3 billion. And Bristol will “continue to aggressively pursue acquisitions, licensing deals and other partnerships,” he said. Bristol may get even more cash — another $1.7 billion or so — when Mead Johnson, a former Bristol subsidiary that had an IPO earlier this year, closes on some debt refinancing, Cornelius said. Meanwhile Bristol’s trying to figure out what to do with the 83% owne... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2920158 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:45:41 +0100 2920158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916075&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FmBBxBJQ0jVs%2F Quarterly earnings reports are usually more dull than emotional. But things got a little bit touchy-feely on Schering-Plough’s conference call with analysts this morning. The report was likely Schering-Plough’s last, if rival Merck’s take-over of the drug maker closes by year’s end as expected. And so the earnings call’s invariable bleating about operational sales growth and foreign exchange impact came with notes of nostalgia. For the record, Schering-Plough said its third-quarter profit fell 16% due to charges, but earnings per share of 40 cents beat Wall Street’s consensus. Analysts offered kind good byes and good lucks. Executives waxed about the company, and its pipeline of new drugs, that they had built. It will all go to Merck now, Chief Executive... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916075 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:48:27 +0100 2916075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2908561&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FsA0LI2Uz23Y%2F When the Pfizer-Wyeth deal was announced earlier this year, Pfizer said it would cut about 15% of the combined companies’ work-force — just under 20,000 jobs. That figure included 8,000 jobs that Pfizer had already said it planned to cut. When we checked in with Pfizer last week, after the deal closed, a spokesman told us those cuts had already begun on the Pfizer side — but didn’t tell us how many jobs had been eliminated so far. Pfizer’s third-quarter earnings announcement, released this morning, provides an answer. The company says its workforce was 75,400 at the end of the third quarter. Pfizer employed about 81,900 people at the end of last year. That suggests the company has cut 6,500 jobs this year. That’s on top of thousands of jobs the company ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2908561 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:24:50 +0100 2908561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2901824&cid=t_102041_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Fadvocacyrightspolitics%2Ficaruswiretapmagazinecollegementalhealthadifferentdiagnosis Annie Robinson's article "College Mental Health: A Different Diagnosis" is in Wiretap Magazine, a leading online youth activist website: School health providers are supposed to act in the best interests of the student. But who it is that gets to define these "best interests" is a subject for debate among students and counseling staff.read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2901824 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:37:04 +0100 2901824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898914&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FdAJS7mbQPz0%2F When Roche bought the balance of Genentech for nearly $50 billion, sentimental souls lamented that the Genentech name, which went way back to the 1970s and dawn of the biotech era, might disappear. Instead, it’s the name “Roche” that will start to vanish, at least in the U.S. — to be replaced with a blue Genentech logo. Roche is rebranding all its medicines in the U.S. as Genentech. That includes non-biotech drugs like Boniva, the osteoporosis drug pitched by Sally Field. The drugs’ individual Web sites will eventually transfer over as well. The move excludes Tamiflu until after the flu season, Genentech says, in order to avoid creating confusion as the threat of swine flu looms. Over the next year, product packaging will be shifted to remove the Roche logo an... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898914 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:44:21 +0100 2898914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898915&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FUcoHs_35kGs%2F The Pfizer-Wyeth deal closed yesterday with lots of uncertainty about how thousands of planned job cuts would shake out. But a few details about what’s staying open and what’s closing have started emerging from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut, where the companies have assorted labs and offices. Wyeth’s facility in Great Valley, Pennsylvania will close, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Some 900 people work there; workers leaving the plant yesterday told the Inquirer they expect to learn their fates by the end of the month. Wyeth’s pharmaceutical headquarters in Collegeville, Pennsylvania will become the headquarters for Pfizer’s specialty-care unit, which includes vaccines and specialty drugs, the Inquirer says. Wyeth’s corporate headquarters ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898915 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:07:37 +0100 2898915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894479&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FWRQ5fgL52MQ%2F The feds greenlighted the Pfizer-Wyeth deal yesterday, and the transaction is likely to be wrapped up today. Next question: Where will the synergy axe fall? Pfizer has said it would cut about 15% of the companies’ combined workforce. That’s just under 20,000 jobs. That figure includes roughly 8,000 jobs that Pfizer pledged in January to eliminate; the company said the cuts would “span sales, manufacturing, research and development, and administrative organizations.” Those cuts within Pfizer have already begun, a Pfizer spokesman told the Health Blog yesterday. But the full picture of who will be hit with post-merger layoffs remains unclear. Connecticut newspaper The Day, which covers the part of the state where Pfizer has its R&D headquarters, reports this morn... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894479 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:12:57 +0100 2894479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894598&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2FmH9M3cUvFns%2F On August 31, 2009 Health Canada, Canada’s medical device regulatory authority, posted classification information for Patient Management Software (pdf). This action is similar to the FDA’s proposed rule for the regulation of Medical Device Data Systems (MDDS), nearing finalization. The Canadian announcement begins with a reminder of its definition of “medical device” which is similar to although not identical to the U.S definition. This definition includes Patient Management Software as a medical device. In addition, Canada defines an “active” device as one that requires an energy source, and “active diagnostic device” as one that is intended to supply information for the purpose of detecting, monitoring or treating a physiological condition, state of health, illness or con... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894598 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:44:12 +0100 2894598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886743&cid=t_102041_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FspE6AMyOX3I%2F Top of the morning, everyone. Today marks the start of the earnings season for drug makers - Johnson & Johnson is reporting - and voting starts on healthcare reform. So lots to keep an eye on. Hope your day goes well…. Pfizer Slow To Address Chantix Side Effects in Korea (Korea Times) Glaxo, UK & Wellcome Trust Offer Space To Biotechs (Reuters) Pfizer Criticized Over Worker Safety (The Korea Times) Johnson & Johnson Third-Quarter Earnings (Press Release) Glaxo Strikes Deal For Four Muscular Dystrophy Drugs (Bloomberg) Vanda License Schizo Drug To Novartis (MarketWatch) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886743 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:26:18 +0100 2886743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871751&cid=t_102041_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F07%2Fdo-czech-teens-lie-online%2F Do Czech teens lie about themselves and their lives on their blogs? A new research study suggests the answer may surprise you — generally, “No.” In a survey of 113 teens, ages 13 to 17 years old, researchers discovered that when presenting personal information such as their age, gender, and place of residence, teens were generally pretty truthful in their blogs: Generally, the level of dishonesty was low, with young adolescents tending to lie more often about their interests. Public topics (school and life) had the most truthful answers, whereas the least truthful answers concerned intimate topics (family life, partnership). This flies in the face of some people’s previous opinions that a lot of people exaggerate or lie outright on their blogs. At least when it co... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871751 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:57:28 +0100 2871751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846342&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fksvxq7cAJrk%2F Sanofi-Aventis has spent some $9 billion on acquisitions this year, but there’s “more shopping on the horizon,” CEO Chris Viehbacher tells Bloomberg News. Among other things, Viehbacher is interested in deals that would expand Sanofi’s vaccine business — a popular trend among big pharma companies (including Merck, Abbott and J&J) these days. The market for vaccines is expected to double in the next five years, and they’re tough for would-be competitors to manufacture, Viehbacher told Bloomberg. The company may also use acquisitions to expand its biotech and over-the-counter businesses, and to expand in emerging markets, the story says. Viehbacher said he likes small-ish, “bolt-on” deals, and isn’t looking to do a big merger. &#8220... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846342 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:59:29 +0100 2846342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846344&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F8hCze4hdw7E%2F After years of bitter legal fights, peace could be rearing its ugly head in the stent world. Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson today announced a $716 million settlement involving more than a dozen stent-related patent lawsuits. In July, Medtronic said it would pay Abbott $400 million to settle their patent battles over stents. Medtronic also reached a deal earlier this year to resolve stent-patent disputes with both Boston Scientific and J&J. The latest settlement put to rest a 12-year old patent suit over claims related to J&J’s Palmaz stent and Boston Scientific’s NIR stent. Several other U.S. and Canadian disputes were also settled, the companies said. Read the WSJ story here. In a decision last year, a court ordered Boston Scientific to pay $703 million in one c... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846344 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:37:33 +0100 2846344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842494&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FdsKr7_qXqbc%2F In the shorthand of the drug business, biotech is sexy and vaccines are boring. But both fields, broadly considered, are “biologicals” — products created with living organisms, as opposed to the mere chemicals that make up traditional drugs. Manufacturing biologicals is much more complicated than manufacturing traditional drugs. That can sometimes be a headache for manufacturers (as Merck’s rash of vaccine manufacturing troubles reminded us a while back). But for those already in the business, it can also be a useful barrier to entry against new competition — particularly in an era when aggressive generics shops crank out traditional drugs at a cost that hovers somewhere around a dime a dozen. That’s part of the reason why several big pharma shops have ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842494 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:20:32 +0100 2842494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838900&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F2uP86El3VWE%2F There are two trans-Atlantic developments to mention in the Big Pharma game of consolidation, and both involve vaccines: As had been expected, Abbott will pay about $7 billion to acquire the drug unit of Solvay, a Belgium conglomerate. Here’s more on that deal from the WSJ. In a release this morning, the U.S. company says the acquisition of the Solvay unit “complements Abbott’s presence and expertise in specialty markets such as cardiovascular disease, neuroscience and gastroenterology” and will allow Abbott to get into the global vaccines market. Abbott and Solvay sell the cholesterol lowering drug fenofibrate together under the brand names Tricor and TriLipix. It was only in July that Abbott CFO Thomas Freyman shot down a report that Abbott was interested in Solv... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838900 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:55:56 +0100 2838900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828297&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2FfJz9c9pIuQQ%2F Some semi recent news on Medical Body Area Networks (MBANs) from GE Research and the FCC. It starts with GE’s September 1, 2009 press release (pdf), where they announced: …an intiative aimed to develop wireless medical monitoring systems, or body sensor networks (BSN), which would replace the traditional tangle of bedside caables used to capture a patient’s vital signs. GE’s vision for the systems would enable wireless monitoring from anywhere in the hospital — or even remotely at home. For the past couple years, GE’s been pushing for the allocation of spectrum for MBANs. The press release notes that, “The FCC recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), acting upon GE Healthcare’s petition to establish a new, vendor-neutral dedicated ... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828297 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:00:25 +0100 2828297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823943&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fk-ghqUfeA8o%2F Remember all that pharma M&A action from the first half of the year? Pfizer-Wyeth! Merck-Schering! Roche-Genentech! But with things rather quiet at the moment on the pharma megamerger front, let’s pause to consider what might may be in store: Pharma spinoffs. “The industry will go through more cycles of consolidation, but eventually these very large companies will break up again into smaller businesses,” Wyeth’s head of business development Thomas Hofstaetter said at a conference yesterday, according to Dow Jones Newswires reporter Peter Loftus. Hofstaetter said some of those independent operating units Pfizer and others have created could wind up being worth more as stand-alone entities. Later in the day, Pfizer CFO Frank D’Amelio said the first priority... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823943 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:14:28 +0100 2823943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824205&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2Fz1a-ngDoG6E%2F Last week there was an interesting discussion on the Biomed Listserv about network installation for patient monitoring systems. Emphasis highlighting key issues and best practices are mine. The discussion started with a question from Scott Skinner: I’m curious if anyone has been successful using their own vendors to pull cables for monitoring installations.  With the monitoring OEM we work with, they simply get a local subcontractor to do the cable pulls. So this would involve breaking future monitoring packages up into two quotes:  one for the actual technology itself (and associated installation and implementation), and then one for just the cable pull work.  The latter would get bid out, and the OEM could compete against other vendors. Of course, the OEM can just take the profi... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824205 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:13:14 +0100 2824205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820407&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2Fz1a-ngDoG6E%2F Last week there was an interesting discussion on the Biomed Listserv about network installation for patient monitoring systems. Emphasis highlighting key issues and best practices are mine. The discussion started with a question from Scott Skinner: I’m curious if anyone has been successful using their own vendors to pull cables for monitoring installations.  With the monitoring OEM we work with, they simply get a local subcontractor to do the cable pulls. So this would involve breaking future monitoring packages up into two quotes:  one for the actual technology itself (and associated installation and implementation), and then one for just the cable pull work.  The latter would get bid out, and the OEM could compete against other vendors. Of course, the OEM can just take the profi... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820407 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:37:19 +0100 2820407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800332&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FJXIpT8HfF0M%2F Ever since Merck announced it was taking over rival Schering-Plough, inquiring minds have wanted to know: What will Schering-Plough CEO Fred Hassan do next? Perhaps now we have a clue: Hassan is joining us bloggers, at least for some of his time. In a Huffington Post piece, Hassan weighed in yesterday on the health-care debate, arguing that the discussion has unwisely ignored serious and long-term threats such as Alzheimer’s disease. Hassan encouraged accelerating research into the disease and its detection. And he recommended a bunch of changes in how Alzheimer’s patients are cared for that echo revisions to medical practice urged by many health-care experts. “My family and I have had first-hand experience: a loved one gradually became more and more disconnected — ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800332 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:34:04 +0100 2800332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2772585&cid=t_102041_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2FAI0hQqEtFKs%2F The following question came up on the biomed listserv: Has anybody wrestled with the idea of placing patient-care applications on the laptop COWs (Computers on Wheels) in Hospitals? There is a new series of USB-connected Ultrasound transducers that can do many ultrasound procedures, including Bladder Scanner functions.  It operates on any laptop, when loaded with the manufacturer’s software.  I can foresee many other patient-care functions vying to share the computers already in the patient vicinity. Any guidance on this subject? Here’s my reply: As others have pointed out, you are right to be concerned about the safety of mixing regulated medical device applications and applications from any other source on the same computer. Moving forward without the proper information doe... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2772585 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:19:23 +0100 2772585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765991&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FlUMob9evlDw%2F The clock is ticking for Elan and Johnson & Johnson after a federal judge in New York yesterday ruled that the companies have until Sept. 26 to revamp a deal involving the multiple sclerosis treatment Tysabri or Elan runs the risk of losing all rights to the medicine. The dispute centers on J&J’s July agreement to buy 18.4% of Elan. That deal also gave J&J an option to finance the Irish biotech’s purchase of marketing rights to Tysabri held by Biogen Idec if Biogen were to be acquired at some point. Elan and Biogen co-market Tysabri, which generates nearly $1 billion in annual sales. Biogen cried foul, perhaps because, as we have noted, the prospect of J&J financing to buy Biogen’s rights to Tysabri might make the company less attractive to any potential s... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765991 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:46:47 +0100 2765991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2751896&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FbS9WCNIAECs%2F Merck just described what the company’s new management team will look like after the company’s merger with Schering-Plough goes through (assuming it’s cleared by regulators). The bottom line: Several key people in top positions at Merck will keep their jobs in the combined company. Dick Clark, Merck’s CEO, will run the combined show. Merck’s head of global human health, Kenneth C. Frazier, will be head of global human health in the merged company. The same holds true for Peter Kim, who heads the company’s research labs, and Willie A. Deese, the head of manufacturing. As part of the merger, Merck agreed to sell its share in the Merial animal-health business to Sanofi-Aventis. Raul E. Kohan, who heads Schering’s animal health business, will continue ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2751896 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:23:26 +0100 2751896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727090&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPdEOKqPZo2k%2F With tight scrutiny from the FDA, intense competition from generics companies and looming patent expirations, big pharma is busy pushing further into diversified fields like consumer products, branded generics and animal health. So if you were already a giant of consumer products — if, say, you were Procter & Gamble — why would you want to deal with the headaches of selling branded prescription drugs? Oh, right: You wouldn’t. P&G is on the verge of a deal to sell its prescription drug business for more than $3 billion to Warner Chilcott, the WSJ reports this morning. As we noted earlier this year, the company got into the business in the 1990s, a go-go era when the prescription drugs business was full of innovation and fat profit. These days, having a prescripti... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727090 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:14:59 +0100 2727090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2724820&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FdytirRT_dM0%2F More M&A activity may be coming in the pharmaceutical industry, but it’s likely to be on the small side. After the mega-mergers of Pfizer and Wyeth, Merck and Schering-Plough and Roche and Genentech, other drug makers like Eli Lilly said they were looking for smaller bolt-ons instead. Dow Jones Newswires points out there may be particular interest in acquisitions in the $1 to $2 billion range. Bristol-Myers is paying $2.1 billion for Medarex. And Sciele Pharma, CV Therapeutics and Alpharma were all bought out in that range in the last year as well. Other potential targets working on similar technologies to Medarex include Seattle Genetics and Regeneron, which Sanofi-Aventis already owns a share of. Of course, the most likely take-over targets are those with promising late-stag... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2724820 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:30:26 +0100 2724820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719951&cid=t_102041_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Fraceclass%2Ficarusprojectandusnuspcollaborateonhumanrightsalltour In June and July, Leah Harris and Daniel Hazen of the U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry organized a "Human Rights for ALL" tour,  co-sponsored by many organizations include The Icarus Project, MindFreedom, CAFETY, and the Freedom Center. The tour was designed to raise awareness about human rights and particularly the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Read Leah's report here... read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719951 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:08:13 +0100 2719951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712093&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7695 Got this video link from a twitter friend. It’s really funny considering we physicians know how some surgeons think they are God’s gift to mankind Anyway if any surgeon is reading this, it’s really quite easy to set up a blog, and C&P YouTube code into each post. It really isn’t brain surgery, lol. from the Malaysian Medical Resources Brain surgery (funny video) (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712093 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2712093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688730&cid=t_102041_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F11%2F7-ways-to-give-an-apology-4-ways-to-accept-one%2F When I was seven and preparing for my First Communion, we were expected to go to Confession first. Back in the sixties that was a scary prospect, involving a dark booth, hell’s fire and spilling your guts to a shadow behind a screen. The only thing my seven-year-old self could come up with to confess was the time I stole a fancy little brush from Joyce Weber, my friend from down the street. I coveted that pink and blue plastic brush. My mom had already marched me over to Joyce’s house to hand the brush back and apologize. What more penance could there possibly be? Seven ways to apologize: Don’t get defensive and be all, “I don’t have anything to apologize for!” Think about it. On your knees, groveling. Usually reserved for extreme transgressions like an affair... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688730 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:00:59 +0100 2688730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2634371&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FtmVVOEGYosw%2F There’s plenty of drug-industry zeitgeist crammed into the news that Bristol-Myers Squibb is paying $2.1 billion to buy Medarex. On one side of the equation is Bristol, an old-line pharma company sitting on a lot of cash ($8.1 billion as of the end of the second quarter, according to Bristol’s latest earnings report this morning) and facing the generic competition for its blockbuster Plavix in a couple of years. On the other side is Medarex, a company with two of the most desirable traits in the business: a promising cancer medicine in late-stage testing, and the know-how to develop biotech drugs. Everybody thinks biotech is the wave of the future; cancer drugs command high prices and are seen to meet unmet medical needs, which helps a lot in winning FDA approval. In typical fa... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2634371 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:43:54 +0100 2634371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2625983&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F3uVQ1kBm1aE%2F We had some hints yesterday, but today it’s clear: Provisions in J&J’s recently deal to acquire a big stake in Elan mean the company may wind up owning half of the rights to the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. Here’s the deal. Elan co-markets Tysabri with Biogen Idec. Each company has the option to buy full rights to the drug if the other company is acquired. We’ll let Elan CFO Shane Cook take it from here: However, we recognize that if there was a change of control at Biogen Idec, and given the very significant value of Tysabri, it would be very difficult for us on our own to fund its purchase … Consequently, we have entered into a financing arrangement with J&J that is relevant only should there be a change of control at Biogen Idec … Under ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2625983 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:52:20 +0100 2625983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2601967&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fa3LgXuBRD_k%2F Johnson & Johnson said this morning that its second quarter earnings fell 3.6% compared to the year-earlier period. The stock was up a bit in the first few hours of trading. For more on the numbers, see the earnings story from Dow Jones Newswires. The Health Blog listened in on the company’s conference call, and we were struck by a few comments from CFO Dominic Caruso: J&J “strongly” disagrees with an FDA advisory panel’s recent call for new limits on the sale of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in J&J’s Tylenol. The company has given its own recommendations to the FDA, which must make a final decision on what to do. “This will take some time to sort out,” Caruso said. He said that Tylenol for adults notches about $1 billion in ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2601967 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:47:05 +0100 2601967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2591434&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FcRyApLVfLHU%2F Today brings an unusual twist on a familiar drug industry deal-making practice, courtesy of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson. First, the familiar practice: A big pharma company cuts a licensing deal with a biotech shop promising hundreds of millions of dollars in “milestone payments” if an experimental drug is successful — you know, $100 million if your drug gets regulatory approval, $50 million for bringing it to market, etc. This is so common that the promised milestone payments (which often go unpaid because the drug fails to reach the milestones) have their own name: biodollars. Today’s twist: The biotech shop turns around and puts hundreds of millions of dollars of milestone-payment rights up for sale — effectively allowing third parties ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2591434 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:56:29 +0100 2591434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588188&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FcK6VPjd9GqY%2F There’s a bit off buzz around a drug called rapamycin this morning: A study published in Nature that found mice that took the rapamycin lived longer than mice that did not. Aside from noting that mice are not people, we’ll leave the descriptions of the rapamycin study to today’s papers — here are stories from the WSJ and New York Times. Stay with us, though, for the unusual history and strikingly wide array of uses already found for rapamycin (which also goes by the name sirolimus). The name comes from Rapa Nui, the Polynesian name for Easter Island. Scientists first isolated the compound from bacteria from the island’s soil; the bacteria apparently secrete it to fend off bacterial and fungal rivals, notes ScienceNOW. Today, it’s used to reduce the risk ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588188 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:30:35 +0100 2588188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588190&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F_CcIRUzXHhc%2F Say you’re a gargantuan health-care conglomerate. A group of experts convened by the FDA votes at a high-profile meeting that one of your best known products — something like extra-strength Tylenol, say — should no longer be available without a prescription. What do you do? If you’re Johnson & Johnson, you take out full-page ads in national newspapers touting Tylenol as “the safest brand of pain reliever you can choose.” But you also point out that If “you take more than the recommended dose … you can cause serious liver injury.” As this morning’s WSJ notes in an analysis of J&J’s response, the company has long maintained a good reputation for crisis management — one forged a generation ago, when it aggressi... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588190 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:27:11 +0100 2588190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2572914&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7377 Not so dilute Brit humour via White Coat Underground See also Homeopathic ER, for the American version from the Malaysian Medical Resources Homeopathic A&E (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2572914 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2572914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570397&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FCVzGnjUqaAg%2F Health-care giant J&J is making a $1 billion bet for a stake in Irish drug maker Elan and will invest an additional $500 million in Elan’s closely watched experimental bapineuzumab that is in late-stage studies to treat Alzheimer’s, the companies announced this morning. With the deal, Elan essentially turns over to J&J the development rights of bapineuzumab, which Elan has been developing in partnership with Wyeth (soon to be bought by Pfizer). But the compound isn’t as promising as it initially appeared to be, which resulted in severe punishment of Elan’s stock price last year. Elan has also been sharply criticized by shareholders for its botched marketing of multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri and executive perks. In January, Elan announced that it would co... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570397 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:54:15 +0100 2570397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561224&cid=t_102041_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FxNbTnaUyLHw%2F Roche’s victory in buying Genentech is turning into a loss of a long-time member for PhRMA, the big trade group for drug companies in the U.S. The Swiss drug maker says it’s dropping its membership in PhRMA as of today and will focus on working with a more specialized lobbying outfit, the Biotech Industry Organization. We wanted to see what Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of PhRMA, made of Roche’s departure after 36 years as a PhRMA member. Here’s how he explained it when we got him on the phone: “Roche is a lot bigger than Genentech internationally, but Genentech is a lot bigger than Roche domestically,” he said. “In the reorganization, Roche assets were put into Genentech domestically, so there is no more Roche in America. That automatically made them... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561224 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:27:01 +0100 2561224