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 'concerta'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:36:10 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4606052&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FFiK0SOKwv4Q%2F Where, oh where, did your health care budget go? A larger chunk apparently went to pay for brand-name* prescription meds which, on average, rose 6.9 percent last year. The increase nudged past the 6.8 percent average advance registered in 2008, which was the largest annual jump since Barclays Capital began tracking price hikes, The Wall Street Journal reports. Some of the biggest: the Benicar blood pressure pill sold by Daiichi Sankyo rose 29.3 percent; the Gleevec cancer treatment marketed by Novartis jumped 20.9 percent; Johnson & Johnson’s Concerta pill for ADD moved up 19.7 percent; Pfizer’s Lipitor cholesterol blockbuster popped 12.4 percent, and the Plavix bloodthinner sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis rose 13.2 percent. Obviously, drugmakers are &#8220... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4606052 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:15:48 +0100 4606052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4027355&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fxjmjpk1it7w%2F Hello, everyone. Nice to see you again. We hope the weekend was refreshing and restful. Now, of course, the time has come to resume the routine as those meetings and deadlines await. So please join us as we reach for the mandatory cups of stimulation (yes, we are two-fisted drinkers here at the Pharmalot corporate campus) and scan the news of the world. Have a good day and stay in touch… Sanofi Begins Hostile Bid For Genzyme (Associated Press) Reata Pharmaceuticals Adds Jobs After Abbott Deal (Dallas Business Journal) J&J Warns Concerta Sales Reps About Layoffs (The Wall Street Journal) Will Lilly Bid For MannKind? (The Indianapolis Star) Sihuan Pharma Sets $700M IPO (Reuters) South Africa Researches Plant That Lifts Moods (Associated Press) Antipsychotics, Illegal Marketing And... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4027355 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:49:48 +0100 4027355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342894&cid=t_92605_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=2999480&cid=t_92605_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fadhd-should-nurses-take-over-diagnosis.html In the United States, approximately 9% of the school-age population is diagnosed with ADHD. It's the most commonly diagnosed behavioral condition in children today. Twice as many boys are diagnosed with ADHD as girls.ConcertaThe race continues in the USA to get 5 million children on psychoactive medication for behaviour problems. Drug companies in the UK are not allowed to advertise directly to the general public but the internet means that is only a theoretical restriction. In the USA, the makes of Concerta have a highly sophisticated pitch aimed directly at parents. Listen to the soothing guitar music as the virtue of medication is extolled to all who care to browse.Dear God, what are we doing to our children? And now, in the UK at any rate, much of the diagnostic work is passed down to ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999480 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0100 2999480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834801&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F404296324%2F Five, count ‘em, five warning letters were sent yesterday by the agency to different drugmakers for incomplete, false or misleading promotional materials for ADHD meds. Among the ads cited - a YouTube video for Shire Pharmaceutical’s Adderall XR with Ty Pennington that was featured on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television show. The charges would appear serious - the FDA says the drugmakers variously omitted material facts; miminized important risks; overstated efficacy or made unsubstantiated claims. This is the warning letter sent to Shire and some other promotional materials cited; the letter sent to Johnson & Johnson for its Concerta pill and the ad; the letter sent Novartis over its Focalin XR Med slides; the letter sent Mallinckrodt for its Meth... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834801 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:29:41 +0100 1834801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1829479&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F402179640%2F The UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellent is encouraging docs to prescribe the meds as initial treatment only in children with severe cases of ADHD. For children with moderate ADHD, doctors should first offer parents and teachers training to help them improve a child’s behavior, according to the guidelines. And doctors should also pursue child therapy and use the drugs as initial treatment for severe cases only. Primary care docs, however, should not make the initial diagnosis or start drug treatment in children or young people with suspected ADHD. Instead, specialists such as psychiatrists. The ADHD drugs approved in the UK include Ritalin, which is sold by Novartis, Lilly’s Strattera and Johnson & Johnson’s Concerta. Here are the guidelin... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1829479 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:40:58 +0100 1829479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1668703&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F350657867%2F First, the American Heart Association says children taking ADHD pills should have electrocardiagrams to screen for heart problems. The move was after an FDA review found reports of 19 sudden deaths in children treated with ADHD drugs and 26 reports of other problems including strokes and fast heart rates between 1999 and 2003. Now, though, the American Academy of Pediatrics says most children taking ADHD drugs don’t need an EKG, and the new policy is certain to inflame the debate over the safety of these pills, which are powerful stimulants. More than half of the 4 million kids in the US who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD are being treated with these pills, the Associated Press reminds us. The issue is that, while ADHD drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta can help children f... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668703 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:43:28 +0100 1668703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1616025&cid=t_92605_109_f&fid=35044&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fadultaddstrengths%2FGVqP%2F%7E3%2F333468811%2F So now you know how the US Government feels about Adults with ADHD. 2nd class citizens? An after thought? We’ll eventually get around to you, but you’re not really that important. 8 Years. Count em. Almost a decade. It has been used off label for quite some time, but now it’s “officially approved” by the FDA as medication for adults with ADHD. Maybe it’s not just the FDA’s fault, maybe its the manufacturer’s Mcneil Pediatrics/ Janssen-Ortho. Maybe both. For the clinically inclined types, here’s the Medscape CME (free login required) on it. Here’s the detailed Concerta Prescribing Information PDF. If this Health Canada page is accurate, it looks like Concerta was approved for use in adults in Canada on April 15, 2008, nearly 3 mon... Adult ADD Strengths blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1616025 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:34:04 +0100 1616025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1389193&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F275047764%2F The American Heart Association is recommending that children should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram before getting drugs to treat ADHD, because the meds can increase blood pressure and heart rate. This isn’t a problem for most kids, but the meds - which are stimulants - could make them more vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest and other heart problems if they already have heart conditions. The AHA also suggests kids already taking one of the pills get an EKG. About 2.5 million American children and 1.5 million adults take ADHD pills, such as Ritalin, Concerta and Adderall, according to the Associated Press. And the meds already carry warnings of possible heart risks in those with heart defects or other heart problems, although some critics say those were added... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1389193 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:46:56 +0100 1389193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1021308&cid=t_92605_97_f&fid=35050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmaGazette%2F%7E3%2F183676375%2Fritalin_only_good_for_the_shor.html American scientists conducting the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) has found that while drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta can work well in the short term they have no benefit long term and have been found to stunt growth.The new research contradicts previous opinions on the effectiveness of ADHA drugs. The scientist who have been monitoring 600 children concluded in 1999 that medication worked better than behavioral therapy for ADHD. The conclusion led to changes in medical practices and increased prescription rates dramatically.The report's co-author, Professor William Pelham, of the University of Buffalo, said: "I think we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that chil... PharmaGazette blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1021308 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:30:57 +0100 1021308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1020075&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F183541841%2F Here’s a report that is likely to stir controversy. Treating kids with drugs, such as Ritalin and Concerta, simply don’t work any better than therapy after three years of treatment, according to a study obtained by a BBC program. The findings also suggested long-term use of the drugs could stunt children’s growth and the benefits are exaggerated, the BBC reports. The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD has been monitoring the treatment of 600 children across the US since the 1990s. In 1999, it concluded that, after one year, medication worked better than behavioural therapy for ADHD. This finding influenced medical practice on both sides of the Atlantic, and prescription rates in the UK have since tripled. “I think that we exaggerated the beneficial i... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1020075 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:33:57 +0100 1020075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=876182&cid=t_92605_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F157638103%2F The agencies will collaborate in what they’re calling ‘the most comprehensive study to date’ of the potential for increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems associated with the widely used ADHD meds. Researchers supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the FDA will examine the clinical data of about 500,000 children and adults. The move comes after the FDA last February issued warnings about cardiovascular and psychiatric side effects associated with Adderall, Strattera, Ritalin and Concerta, among others. ADHD meds can increase heart rate and blood pressure, prompting concerns increased cardiac risks. Moreover, the risks may be different for adults and children, but more evidence is needed about the long-term effects,... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=876182 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:18:27 +0100 876182