PharmaFocus Today – Page 297 – media

Counterfeit pills involved in growing share of overdose deaths in the US, CDC study finds

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN Overdose deaths with evidence of counterfeit pill use became more than twice as common between the second half of 2019 and the end of 2021, according to a new CDC report. Tomas Nevesely/iStockphoto/Getty Images CNN — Overdose deaths reached record levels in the United States in recent years, and a new report shows that counterfeit pills are involved in a growing share of those deaths. The US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public safety alert about a sharp increase of fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine about two years ago. According to the agency, more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized in 2021, more than the prior two years combined. A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention captures the deadly consequences, tracking detailed accounts of deaths that were submitted to the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System ...
- Source: drugdu
- 117
- September 4, 2023
Over-the-counter opioid overdose antidote Narcan to hit shelves next week, drugmaker says

By Meg Tirrell and Nadia Kounang, CNN Doctor explains new over-the-counter medicine that’s a ‘complete antidote to opioids’ CNN — The first over-the-counter naloxone, a drug used to reverse opioid overdose, will be available in retail stores and online as soon as next week, its manufacturer said Wednesday. The medicine, with the brand name Narcan, will have a suggested retail price of $44.99 per carton of two doses, maker Emergent BioSolutions said in a news release. It will be available initially in stores and online from retailers including Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart and CVS. The US Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan as an over-the-counter drug in March against a backdrop of record high deaths from opioid overdose, driven by powerful synthetic drugs like fentanyl. Narcan is a nasal spray version of naloxone, which can revive a person from an overdose within minutes. Nearly every state in the US has ...
- Source: drugdu
- 109
- September 4, 2023
Johnson & Johnson slashes price of tuberculosis drug Sirturo after relinquishing patent protections

Seven weeks after saying it would allow generic competition for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) treatment Sirturo (bedaquiline) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Johnson & Johnson has slashed its own drug’s price in those markets. Under the new pricing structure, J&J’s drug will cost $130 for a six-month course in LMICs, a 55% discount from its prior price. Lupin also has reduced the cost of its generic version of bedaquiline by 33% to $194. The United Nations-backed Stop TB Partnership revealed the new prices on Wednesday. Last month, J&J said it would not enforce secondary patents on Sirturo in LMICs, paving the way for generic competition in many countries around the globe. The primary patent for Sirturo—which in 2012 became the first new TB drug approved in more than four decades—expired last month. But J&J had also patented improvements to its formulation, extending its protection for Sirturo into 2027. The reduced ...
- Source: drugdu
- 173
- September 4, 2023
Zerva acquires Acer Therapeutics to bolster rare disease portfolio

Zerva Therapeutics, formerly KemPharm, has announced a strategic acquisition of Acer Therapeutics to expand its rare therapies portfolio. The biggest Acer assets include the marketed rare therapy Olpruva (sodium phenylbutyrate formulation), and late-stage drug celiprolol. The acquisition is expected to be worth up to $91m in stock and cash payments, of which $76m is contingent upon milestone-based payments for Olpruva and celiprolol. Additionally, Zerva purchased Acer’s secured debt of more than $17m at a discounted value of $16.5m from its creditor, Nantahala Capital. The news caused Acer’s stock to skyrocket by 140% when the markets opened on 31 August. Zerva has a market cap of $165.25m, with a reported Q1 2023 revenue of $2.9m, as per the company’s financial report. Whilst Acer reported a loss of $8.1m in Q2 2023, as per the company’s Q2 financials. Olpruva is an oral suspension approved for the treatment of urea cycle disorders by ...
- Source: drugdu
- 113
- September 4, 2023
HHS calls for easing restrictions on marijuana, sending cannabis stocks higher

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended reclassifying marijuana as a lower-risk drug, which would in turn ease restrictions on the budding business, a spokesperson for the Drug Enforcement Administration told CNBC on Wednesday. Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it’s deemed to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Despite being legalized for recreational use in nearly half of states, marijuana’s federal classification alongside drugs such as heroin and LSD has hindered the industry’s growth. After enjoying a sales surge during the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry is in free fall as investors turn away and capital dries up. The industry has also been barred from accessing most banking services, or from being traded across state lines, resulting in a glut of cannabis in many states and a drop in prices. A federal reclassification could ...
- Source: drugdu
- 106
- September 4, 2023
International survey reveals varying effects of oral medicines for Parkinson’s

An international survey conducted by Parkinson’s Europe, developed in partnership with STADA, has revealed that people taking oral medications for Parkinson’s disease experience varying effects. The survey, financially supported by STADA’s affiliate Brittania Pharmaceuticals, involved 992 participants with advanced Parkinson’s across 53 countries. It revealed that more than 96% of respondents said that they took medication for their condition, two-thirds of which were receiving oral levodopa or another single oral therapy. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively damages parts of the brain. Symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s are more complex and have a stronger effect on day-to-day life. The study revealed that 65% of respondents reported varying effects; 42% reported a partial response without the usual resolution of motor symptoms; 40% reported a delayed onset of effect; and 60% reported that they ‘regularly’ or ‘often’ experienced the effect of a medication wearing off before the next dose. It also ...
- Source: drugdu
- 108
- September 4, 2023
Trade groups urge CMS to expand, quickly finalize breakthrough device pathway

Dive Brief Medtech trade groups have voiced support for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ plan to accelerate reimbursement of certain breakthrough devices. In letters sent on the same day, AdvaMed and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) urged CMS to quickly finalize the program, while also naming changes they want the centers to make. The trade groups recommended changes including the expansion of the CMS program to cover breakthrough diagnostics, products authorized in the previous three years and medical devices that are nearing approval. Dive Insight In June, CMS released a draft version of the Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies (TCET) pathway for consultation. The path could fill a gap created by the repeal of the contentious Medicare Coverage for Innovative Medical Technologies plan and address industry calls to cut the gap between device approval and reimbursement. AdvaMed and MDMA submitted feedback on the new proposal to CMS ...
- Source: drugdu
- 190
- September 1, 2023
Man-made antibody successfully prevents organ rejection after transplantation

A man-made antibody successfully prevented organ rejection when tested in primates that had undergone a kidney transplant, Duke Health researchers report. The finding clears the way for the new monoclonal antibody to move forward in human clinical trials. Results of the study appear online Aug. 30 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Imran J. Anwar, (M.D., lead author, surgical research fellow in Duke’s Department of Surgery) said, “Current medications to prevent organ rejection are good overall, but they have a lot of side effects. These therapies suppress the immune system, putting patients at risk of infections and organ damage, and many cause non-immune complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The push over the last 30 to 40 years has been to develop new, less toxic drugs. We are hopeful this antibody moves us closer to that goal.” Anwar and colleagues, including co-senior author Allan Kirk, M.D., Ph.D., chair ...
- Source: drugdu
- 123
- September 1, 2023
Pfizer, BioNTech Challenge Moderna’s COVID-19 Patents with USPTO

By Tristan Manalac Pictured: Pfizer’s office in Belgium/iStock, Alexandros Michailidis Pfizer and German partner BioNTech on Monday asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reconsider, and ultimately invalidate, Moderna’s patents over core technologies of the COVID-19 vaccine, Reuters reported. In an 87-page document, the partner companies argued that the Moderna patents are “unimaginably broad” and seek to claim ownership of knowledge that had existed long before its asserted priority date of 2015. Pfizer and BioNTech contend that using injecting mRNA into cells to produce a protein—and in turn leveraging this process to produce vaccines that prime immune protection—had been demonstrated and documented in the scientific literature as early as the 1990s. Moderna’s patent claims over any mRNA sequence encoding any betacoronavirus spike protein or its subunit, as well as a lipid-based formulation for delivery, is an “attempt to coopt and entire field of mRNA technology,” Pfizer and BioNTech argued ...
- Source: drugdu
- 120
- September 1, 2023
Novo Bolsters Obesity Pipeline with Potential $500M Embark Biotech Buy

By Kate Goodwin Novo Nordisk has again bought a weight-loss focused biotech, as the obesity market heats up. Announced Wednesday, the Danish pharma plans to buy Embark Biotech for $16.3 million up front with close to $500 million on the line in milestone payments—Novo’s second obesity-focused acquisition in three weeks. Novo participated in the seed round for Embark in 2017 when the biotech spun out from Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen. The company said it was founded on the discovery of a “novel target that suppresses appetite increases energy expenditure and enhances insulin sensitivity.” The acquisition announced Wednesday gives Novo full rights to develop and commercialize Embark Biotech’s lead metabolic program, currently in preclinical stages. Included is a three-year R&D collaboration with Embark Laboratories, a new company being formed by the biotech’s team to develop therapies for obesity and related conditions, with ...
- Source: drugdu
- 221
- September 1, 2023

your submission has already been received.

OK

Subscribe

Please enter a valid Email address！

Submit

The most relevant industry news & insight will be sent to you every two weeks.

more

more

Customer Services
Contact Us
Help Center

Buy on Drugdu.com
Browse Product Categories

Free APP

Follow Us

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

粤ICP备16008861号

Copyright © 2016-2018 Drugdu.com. All Rights Reserved.