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 'drug sales'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:34:46 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693285&cid=t_351212_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Foff-label-drug-marketing-insidious-and-under-recognized%2F2011.04.08 There’s an important paper in PLoS Medicine, “Strategies and Practices in Off-Label Marketing of Pharmaceuticals: A Retrospective Analysis of Whistleblower Complaints.” The authors provide this background on off-label marketing: “An important part of the (drug) approval process is the creation of the “drug label,” a detailed report that specifies the exact diseases and patient groups in which the drug can be used and the approved doses of the drug. Physicians can, however, legally use FDA-approved drugs ‘off-label.’ That is, they can prescribe drugs for a different disease, in a different group of patients, or at a different dose to that specified in the drug’s label. However, because drugs’ manufacturers stand to benefit financia... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693285 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:00:35 +0100 4693285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495202&cid=t_351212_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-negative-medical-studies-are-good%2F2011.02.18 This is a guest column by Ivan Oransky, M.D., who is executive editor of Reuters Health and blogs at Embargo Watch and Retraction Watch. One of the things that makes evaluating medical evidence difficult is knowing whether what’s being published actually reflects reality. Are the studies we read a good representation of scientific truth, or are they full of cherry-picked data that help sell drugs or skew policy decisions? That question may sound like that of a paranoiac, but rest assured, it’s not. Researchers have worried about a “positive publication bias” for decades. The idea is that studies showing an effect of a particular drug or procedure are more likely to be published. In 2008, for example, a group of researchers published a New England Journal of Medicin... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495202 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:20:24 +0100 4495202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487369&cid=t_351212_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FxTrlIFILwaQ%2F Worldwide sales of prescription meds will slow to between 4 percent and 6 percent this year - down from 7 percent, or $837 billion, in 2009 - thanks to expiring patents for blockbuster drugs and tighter price controls imposed by European governments, according to a report from IMS Health. Sales growth in the US, meanwhile, is forecast to reach 3 percent to 5 percent. Other findings… - Emerging markets are expected to grow between 14 percent and 17 percent through 2014, while major developed markets will grow just 3 percent to 6 percent. As a result, the aggregate growth through 2014 from emerging markets will be similar to developed markets - about $120 billion to $140 billion; - In oncology, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and HIV, annual sales growth is expected to exceed 10 percent ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487369 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:29:14 +0100 3487369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3429448&cid=t_351212_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FrsVT21QODtA%2F US prescription sales rose 5.1 percent last year, to $300.3 billion, a big increase from the 1.8 percent rate in 2008, thanks to manufacturer coupons, rebates, price hikes of 3 percent to 4 percent, and low-cost generics, which accounted for 75 percent of all prescriptions. Nonetheless, demand remained at “historically low levels,” according to IMS Health, which released the data. Overall, the rate at which prescriptions were filled rose 2.1 percent in 2009, to 3.9 billion dispensed, up from 1 percent the previous year. However, another recent report noted that the rate at which scrips were submitted to a pharmacy but never picked up was 6.3 percent, a 24 percent increase over 2008 (see here). Other contributing factors included inventory management by retail pharmacies; greate... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3429448 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:08:20 +0100 3429448 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1921196&cid=t_351212_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F435700487%2F The economic crisis may cost drugmakers as much as $10 billion in revenue next year as sales of prescription drugs in the US are expected to increase at their slowest rate on record, according to IMS Health. As a result, patients will turn to more generics, split pills and make fewer trips to the doctor, leading to a puny 1 percent increase in sales next year to $292, Bloomberg News writes. This comes on top of the the pending loss of patent protection on $84 billion worth of products through 2012 and fewer FDA approvals of new drugs, which Bloomberg notes is the lowest level in 24 years. To counter waning US demand, IMS says pharma will have to focus on developing countries, led by India, China and Brazil, for growth. “In many respects, 2009 will reflect the new shape of the global... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1921196 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:38:22 +0100 1921196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1606051&cid=t_351212_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F331966293%2Frogue-pharmacies-on-internet.html You've got drugs!No prescription? No problem. Of 365 web sites advertising or selling controlled drugs, fully 85 percent do not require a written prescription, according to the 5th annual White Paper from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).Although the overall number of drug-peddling web sites declined from 2007, the report found that benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium were the most frequently offered online drugs, followed by painkillers like Oxycontin and Vicodin. 27 percent of the sites also offered Ritalin, Adderall, and other stimulants.The paper, entitled "'You've Got Drugs!' V: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet," reported that only two of the 365 sites were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, an offi... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1606051 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:35:00 +0100 1606051