New Alzheimer’s Drug Discouraging but Moving Forward
Elan will go ahead with larger trials of its Alzheimer’s drug, bapineuzumab, despite disappointing results in smaller trials, little fanfare, and falling company stocks. A desperate need for Alzheimer’s treatments drives the drug forward, albeit with little hope.
FDA Orders a Prescription Label Change
For the first time since a 2007 law that allows the FDA to order a prescription label to be changed was put into place, the agency has told biotech. company, Amgen, to change labels on drugs used to treat chemotherapy-induced anemia to indicate the possibility of the drugs iworsening the effects of …read more

More Than 300 New Meds Being Developed to Combat Mental Illness
A new report shows that U.S. pharmaceutical companies are developing 300+ new medicines to help those suffering from the wide range of mental illnesses. These new developments, which are all in clinical trials or awaiting FDA approval, include 89 medicines targeting dementias. The report and drug descriptions can be found here.
New U.S. Drug Application Submitted for Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca have submitted a drug application for Onglyza (saxagliptin) to treat Type 2 Diabetes. The companies also simultaneously submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines …read more

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 …read more

Canada Investing Over $1 billion in Research and Development, and Hopes to Invest More
Canada’s biopharmaceutical sector has made great strides in research and development, and has high hopes for even more progress.
Cymbalta Now Approved for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia
Cymbalta, a serotonin- norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor originally approved to treat depression and anxiety, has now been approved by the FDA to help manage fibromyalgia. This is the second pain disorder for which Cymbalta has been approved; the other is diabetic nerve pain. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts about meds typically used to treat depression now being using to treat pain.
FDA …read more

RECALL:
Morphine Sulfate Lot #91762 Voluntarily Recalled
The morphine sulfate tablet has been voluntarily recalled due to an increased thickness of tablets issued in this lot. This tablets may contain twice the amount of morphine sulfate.
NEWS:
Chicago Grocer to Offer $4 Prescription Drugs
Dominick’s, Chicago area’s 2nd largest grocery chain, will offer 300+ popular generic prescriptions at $4/30-day supply, $8/60-day supply, and $12/90-day supply to rival Wa-Mart’s discount prescription offers. Chicago’s largest grocery chain, Jewel-Osco, has not announced a similar plan as of yet.
Prescription Medications 3 Times More Deadly Than Illegal Drugs In FL
The Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission has released a report which has …read more

Here’s your roundup of just some of the news coming out of the pharmaceutical world this week. Did you find other interesting news/stories? Post links in a comment!
Codeine May be Inadequate and/or Cause Serious Side Effects in Patients with Certain Genetic Makeup
Public Citizen issued a press release this week stating that a “substantial minority” of people with abnormal CYP2D6 functioning may be at risk for “inadequate or excessive” response to codeine. CYP2D6 is the enzyme that converts codeine into morphine in the liver.
FDA Pushes For Switch to Asthma Inhalers Powered by Hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs).
Goodbye CFCSs, hello HFAs. Read more in an …read more

Here’s a roundup of just some of this past week’s pharmaceutical news items…
Everyone Wants A Piece Of Alnylam
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leader in RNAi therapeutics, has signed a deal to share rights and technology with Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Express Scripts To Pay $9.5 Million In Settlement
Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager, encouraged doctors to switch their patients’ cholesterol medication brands in the name of cost cutting. The company will pay $9.3 million to 28 states and D.C., and another $200,000 to affected patients at $25 each.
Bristol-Myers Pumps Up With Kosan
Bristol-Myers Squibb hopes to bulk up its pipeline with the $190 million purchase of …read more