Who needs exercise? Maybe we can get the benefits in a pill! – That dream, cherished by millions of sedentary couch potatoes, just got a little bit closer. Today, researchers are reporting that an experimental drug can mimic the results of an exercise regimen — with no exercise required. After four weeks of taking the pill, mice who hadn’t worked out displayed a 44 percent increase in their running endurance…more
Schering gets a surprise FDA thumbs down.
BMS looking to buy up the rest of ImClone.
BMS: more jobs on the chopping block. Will BMS be an acquisition target?
OK, you don’t hear about this every day – A contractor for Novartis was charged with running a prostitution ring from his desk at the drugmaker in suburban New Jersey…more
Sales rep access limits identified – Pharma sales reps that want to see a doctor might want to take a less-is-more approach—and by less, we mean fewer doctors. It turns out that the more physicians a practice has on staff, the more likely a rep will get denied access…more (from Pharma Exec)
Viagra for tumors, depressed women? – Viagra, a popular anti-impotence pill, may help some women on antidepressants have better sex, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday…more Impotence drugs may help carry cancer-fighting drugs through the brain to treat malignant tumors, U.S. researchers reported on Monday…more
Encouraging liver cancer results for Nexavar – Bayer HealthCare AG and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that The New England Journal of Medicine published landmark results of a Nexavar study in liver cancer. The data of the Phase III trial showed that Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets decreased the absolute risk of death by 31 percent in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, versus patients who received placebo. This represents a 44 percent improvement in median overall survival for patients treated with Nexavar…more
Zyprexa and freedom of non-speech.
Elan, Wyeth, and others – not the greatest progress on Alzheimer’s treatments.
Tysabri: the return of brain infections. More here.
Congress wants Vytorin/cancer data – The House Energy and Commerce Committee wants the FDA to turn over the results of an analysis looking into the potential links between Vytorin and cancer…more
Tax money for counter-detailing? – In an effort to dilute the impact of sales reps, several Senators and Congressmen today are introducing a bill that would create funding for a program to send trained pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals into a doctor’s office with independent data about benefits, risks, costs, and comparative effectiveness of prescription drugs, including generics…more
Big Pharma stocks – safe haven no more.
The price of malpractice. This is kinda scary.
