Pharm Friday July 11, 2008

Biotech Company Warns of Damaged Vials of Breast Cancer Medication
Genentech has sent a letter to health care providers warning that there have been complaints of broken/damaged vials of its Herceptin 440 mg and BWFI (bacteriostatic water for injection) diluent used to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The company states that broken/damaged vials carry a small risk of loss of sterility which could cause infections in patients.

Cholesterol Medications Get the Okay for Some Children
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released new recommendations for cholesterol screening and treatment in children. Screening for children over age 2 who have risk factors for heart disease (or who have unknown history) is recommended, and treatment for children age 8 and older should be considered if necessary. The policy statement with all of the recommendations is titled “Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood” and can be found here.

FDA Says No to Black Box Warnings on Epilepsy Drugs
Some popular and effective drugs used to treat epilepsy have shown increased risk of suicidal tendencies in patients, but apparently not enough of a risk to warrant black box warnings. Read more here.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Revises Marketing Code
PhRMA has revised its voluntary Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals to include the prohibition of non-educational items (pens, notepads, etc.), meals out, and recreation. Additional changes to the code, including new provisions, can be found here.

Potential Emergency Treatment for Heart Attack on the Horizon
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is researching how cells respond to reduced blood flow with the use of histone deactylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Encouraging results have been seen in mice with heart damage. I can’t say I don’t feel sad about the mice used in this study.