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ALASKA SETTLES FOR $15 MILLION
IN SUIT AGAINST LILLY’S ZYPREXAThe state of Alaska has been involved with an almost month-long trial over a lawsuit with Eli Lilly and Company, Inc., seeking damages regarding the use of the drug Zyprexa in the state’s Medicaid program. The trial began on March 3, 2008, and was continuing when a $15 million settlement was reached.
ANTI-SMOKING MEDICATION GROUNDED.
CHANTIX® DISALLOWED FOR PILOTS,
CONTROLLERS!The anti-smoking drug Chantix from Pfizer, Inc., has been steeped in controversy since it came on the market in 2006. It has been the subject of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisories due to reports of Chantix-induced dreams, attempted suicides and at least one death.
ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS PUT ELDERLY AT
HIGHER RISK OF GETTING PNEUMONIAA recently completed study has shed new light on the possibility that antipsychotic drugs may put elderly people at risk of developing pneumonia. The increased risk of antipsychotic users developing pneumonia has been placed at 60 percent higher than for those who are not treated with this class of drug.
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RESULTS OF THERAPY ALONE IN ANXIETY
STUDY MAKES USE OF DRUG
QUESTIONABLEThe antidepressant drug Zoloft® recently got a nice bit of publicity in the national television and print media. The headline attached to the Associated Press story proclaimed far and wide that, "Therapy Plus Zoloft Helps Ease Kids’ Anxiety."
FDA TO REQUIRE BOX WARNING FOR
CIPRO® AND SIMILAR ANTIBIOTICSIt’s taken over 12 years since an original petition was filed, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finally getting around to putting a Black Box Warning label on the antibiotic Cipro® and other similar antibiotics.
MAKER OF CEPHALON PROHIBITS
GENERIC COMPETITORSThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is bringing action against a drug company engaged in activities to keep competition out of their segment of the market. The shenanigans of the drug maker Cephalon, Inc., in suppressing generic alternatives to its patented product have drawn the attention and the ire of the agency.
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DRUG ERRORS AFFECT HOSPITALIZED
CHILDREN IN HIGHER NUMBERS THAN
PREVIOUSLY THOUGHTFor those who know the statistics and the high frequency of errors in the pharmaceutical and medical communities, the following statistic may not really come as a shock. Bad drug reactions, accidental overdoses and medicine administration mix-ups adversely affect 1 in 15 hospitalized children.
WOMEN WHO TAKE LIPITOR®
MAY SEE NO HEALTHY RESULTSWomen spend billions of dollars each year on Lipitor and other statin drugs that lower cholesterol. Now a new study of all the research data associated with this drug raises serious questions as to whether or not the all of this cash is buying any healthy benefits.
CONTAMINATED DRUG SALES AND COVER-UP
TAINTS AN INDUSTRY AND ITS "WATCHDOG"It’s a cover-up that happened almost 25 years ago, but it’s the thinking behind it and the ramifications of official actions at the time that still pervade the pharmaceutical industry today. Unfortunately, the organization that is supposed to protect Americans as well as other peoples of the world from injustices and harmful products at the hands of the drugproducing giants is apparently fully immersed in the scandal.
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GARDASIL® REQUIREMENT NOW
EXPANDED TO IMMIGRANT FEMALES
AGE 11 THROUGH 26The Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America has jumped aboard the Gardasil bandwagon. Now, as of July 1, 2008, all immigrant females between the age of 11 and 26 will be required to show proof of a Gardasil vaccination before being cleared for any status adjustment.
COURT FINDS AGAINST DRUG COMPANIES IN
MEDICAID OVERCHARGE PRICING SCHEMEFor the second time this year, the State of Alabama has won a significant victory in court against powerful drug companies. This time, the litigation involved GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp and with the court awarding a total of $114,247,233 to the state. Earlier this year, the state was awarded a $215 million verdict against the AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company.
FEDERAL DRUG SAFETY
DOCTOR ON PHARMA PAYROLLThree Harvard University doctors have been caught in a failure to report over $3 million in income that they receive from drug companies. One of the men was very involved in research that has lead to a huge boom for drug companies in dishing out antipsychotic drugs to children. The information was entered into the US Congressional Record following an extensive investigation by Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa.
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BEWARE OF PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED
EARLY IN THE MONTHIt is always a good idea to check the accuracy of prescription medications by reading the label. Now, however, there is one more important way to help ensure that a prescription is correct: Wait until after the first week of the month to get the prescription filled.
ELI LILLY PURCHASES
RBGH MILK ENHANCERJust when you thought it might be safe to buy milk at your local store that wasn’t laced with a genetically enhanced growth hormone, along comes the Eli Lilly Company to try and increase its use in cattle.
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) has been a troubled commodity for Monsanto with flat sales and a host of discontented consumers rejecting milk produced by cows injected with this product.
