From the Calgary Herald:
American drug regulators are considering pulling some products with acetaminophen off the shelves and Health Canada is keeping a close eye on the deliberations as it also moves to warn consumers about the risk of liver damage due to an overdose of the drug.
Acetaminophen, widely used as a pain reliever and to reduce fever, is generally a safe and effective drug, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but when a patient exceeds the recommended dosage, it has been known to cause abnormalities in liver function, liver failure and death.
The FDA has made various efforts since the 1990s to stem what it calls "a public health concern," but it has been unsuccessful in reducing the number of cases of liver damage related to the drug. ..more
Monday, July 06, 2009
Canadian-made HIV vaccine close to human trial
From the National Post:
It has been 20 years in the making but researchers at the University of Western Ontario say they're confident their HIV vaccine is only months away from being approved for human trials.
Lead researcher Dr. Chil-Yong Kang said Thursday the approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can come as soon as two or three months.
"We've been working on the HIV virus since 1987. This is a very important day for us," Dr. Kang said while attending a conference in South Korea. "It is a very important milestone for us, this vaccine."
The SAV001-H vaccine has already been tested on monkeys and rats with no side effects. ...more
It has been 20 years in the making but researchers at the University of Western Ontario say they're confident their HIV vaccine is only months away from being approved for human trials.
Lead researcher Dr. Chil-Yong Kang said Thursday the approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can come as soon as two or three months.
"We've been working on the HIV virus since 1987. This is a very important day for us," Dr. Kang said while attending a conference in South Korea. "It is a very important milestone for us, this vaccine."
The SAV001-H vaccine has already been tested on monkeys and rats with no side effects. ...more
Antipsychotic drug use spiralling in kids, research says
From CBC News:
Medical research out of the University of British Columbia suggests the number of children taking medications known as atypical antipsychotics has increased tenfold over the past decade, CBC News has learned.
The drugs — a class of medicines used to treat psychosis and other mental and emotional conditions — can have potentially serious side-effects, and are linked to increases in stroke and sudden death in adults.
Health Canada has not approved atypical antipsychotics for children.
"None of the atypical antipsychotics approved in Canada [Risperidone, Quetiapine, Olanzapine, Clozapine, Paliperidone, Ziprasidone] are indicated for use in children," Philippe Laroche, a Health Canada spokesman, told CBC News in an email on Thursday. ...more
Medical research out of the University of British Columbia suggests the number of children taking medications known as atypical antipsychotics has increased tenfold over the past decade, CBC News has learned.
The drugs — a class of medicines used to treat psychosis and other mental and emotional conditions — can have potentially serious side-effects, and are linked to increases in stroke and sudden death in adults.
Health Canada has not approved atypical antipsychotics for children.
"None of the atypical antipsychotics approved in Canada [Risperidone, Quetiapine, Olanzapine, Clozapine, Paliperidone, Ziprasidone] are indicated for use in children," Philippe Laroche, a Health Canada spokesman, told CBC News in an email on Thursday. ...more
Health Canada weighs options as U.S. FDA adds "black box" warnings
From the Ottawa Citizen:
Health Canada is still in discussions with Pfizer Inc., about whether to add safety warnings to packages containing anti-smoking drugs that may have psychiatric side effects, including suicidal thoughts.
South of the border, U.S. health officials Wednesday ordered Pfizer Inc and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to add strong "black box" warnings on their anti-smoking drugs to highlight the risk of serious mental health problems.
Philippe Laroche, spokesman for Health Canada, said the federal agency expect to reach an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant by the end of this summer, or the fall.
"In addition to updated safety information regarding the risk of psychiatric events, new labelling will also incorporate information regarding angioedema, serious skin reactions and accidental injury," said Laroche in an email to Canwest News Service.
The U.S. warnings, which must be added to Pfizer's Champix and Glaxo's Zyban, follow more than five thousand reports of depression, hostility and other behavioural changes in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration said. ...more
Health Canada is still in discussions with Pfizer Inc., about whether to add safety warnings to packages containing anti-smoking drugs that may have psychiatric side effects, including suicidal thoughts.
South of the border, U.S. health officials Wednesday ordered Pfizer Inc and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to add strong "black box" warnings on their anti-smoking drugs to highlight the risk of serious mental health problems.
Philippe Laroche, spokesman for Health Canada, said the federal agency expect to reach an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant by the end of this summer, or the fall.
"In addition to updated safety information regarding the risk of psychiatric events, new labelling will also incorporate information regarding angioedema, serious skin reactions and accidental injury," said Laroche in an email to Canwest News Service.
The U.S. warnings, which must be added to Pfizer's Champix and Glaxo's Zyban, follow more than five thousand reports of depression, hostility and other behavioural changes in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration said. ...more
Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu found in Hong Kong
From CBC News:
Health officials in Hong Kong reported Friday a single instance in which a strain of the swine flu was found to be resistant to Tamiflu, the main antiviral drug used to treat the virus.
The case involved a 16-year-old girl who came from the United States in mid-June, had mild symptoms, and was eventually discharged.
The current strain of H1N1 influenza A virus has been circulating in several countries since it first appeared in Mexico in April.
The Tamiflu-resistant strain in Hong Kong was found during routine sensitivity testing of the swine flu virus to both oseltamivir and zanamivir, the Hong Kong Department of Health said in a statement on its website.
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are the two antiviral drugs that appear to be effective in treating the H1N1 virus, Health Canada says. ...more
Health officials in Hong Kong reported Friday a single instance in which a strain of the swine flu was found to be resistant to Tamiflu, the main antiviral drug used to treat the virus.
The case involved a 16-year-old girl who came from the United States in mid-June, had mild symptoms, and was eventually discharged.
The current strain of H1N1 influenza A virus has been circulating in several countries since it first appeared in Mexico in April.
The Tamiflu-resistant strain in Hong Kong was found during routine sensitivity testing of the swine flu virus to both oseltamivir and zanamivir, the Hong Kong Department of Health said in a statement on its website.
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are the two antiviral drugs that appear to be effective in treating the H1N1 virus, Health Canada says. ...more
Cardiovascular medication costs jumped 200%
From CTV News:
The use of cardiovascular drugs has increased so dramatically in Canada that costs associated with the medications have jumped 200 per cent in a decade, new research suggests.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, put the total cost of cardiovascular drugs in 2006 at more than $5 billion. Statins, which lower cholesterol, accounted for nearly 40 per cent of those costs.
According to the researchers, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death and disability in Canada, and cardiovascular drugs are the most commonly prescribed medications.
If the pace continues, the researchers warned, costs could spiral to $10.6 billion by 2020 and could threaten the viability of government-funded drug insurance programs.
"This rapid escalation in costs for cardiovascular drugs threatens the sustainability of public drug insurance programs," the authors wrote. "Increases of this magnitude over such a relatively short period deserve further scrutiny." ...more
The use of cardiovascular drugs has increased so dramatically in Canada that costs associated with the medications have jumped 200 per cent in a decade, new research suggests.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, put the total cost of cardiovascular drugs in 2006 at more than $5 billion. Statins, which lower cholesterol, accounted for nearly 40 per cent of those costs.
According to the researchers, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death and disability in Canada, and cardiovascular drugs are the most commonly prescribed medications.
If the pace continues, the researchers warned, costs could spiral to $10.6 billion by 2020 and could threaten the viability of government-funded drug insurance programs.
"This rapid escalation in costs for cardiovascular drugs threatens the sustainability of public drug insurance programs," the authors wrote. "Increases of this magnitude over such a relatively short period deserve further scrutiny." ...more
HSE paying pharmacists full price for discounted drugs
This sounds similar to generic rebates in Canada...
From the Irish Business News:
Pharmacists are being offered discounts of as much as 80 per cent off the list price they invoice the Health Service Executive (HSE) for certain medicines. Discounts of 40, 50 and 60 per cent on bulk purchases by pharmacies were not uncommon.
Documents seen by this newspaper show major discounts being offered to pharmacists on a wide range of some of the most commonly used medicines, including antibiotics, painkillers and anti-cholesterol drugs, by pharmaceutical companies.
A document written by one pharmaceutical company clearly illustrated the potential saving to pharmacists.
It outlined how the pharmacy could invoice the HSE just over €4,000 for a large batch of anti-depressants under an agreed contract with the state, but the pharmacist could avail of discounts enabling it to purchase them for just over €1,000. ...more
Pharmacist doles out bitter pill
From Express Buzz:
All he needed was two tablets to save his mother which would cost him more than Rs 2. But, Rafeeq Ahmed, had not bargained for the rude shock that life was waiting to throw back at him. On reaching the pharmacy, Rafeeq realised that he had forgotten to take his wallet.
As his need was urgent, Rafeeq requested the pharmacist
to give him the tablets and he would pay later, but the pharmacist refused to oblige.
A desperate Rafeeq tried to snatch the tablets and left his watch behind at the counter but the pharmacist caught him and beat him up leaving him with a fractured jaw.
Rafeeq had to shell out Rs 70,000 for his surgery and now wants to sue the pharmacist. He has filed a complaint with the Hennur police on Friday. ...more
All he needed was two tablets to save his mother which would cost him more than Rs 2. But, Rafeeq Ahmed, had not bargained for the rude shock that life was waiting to throw back at him. On reaching the pharmacy, Rafeeq realised that he had forgotten to take his wallet.
As his need was urgent, Rafeeq requested the pharmacist
to give him the tablets and he would pay later, but the pharmacist refused to oblige.
A desperate Rafeeq tried to snatch the tablets and left his watch behind at the counter but the pharmacist caught him and beat him up leaving him with a fractured jaw.
Rafeeq had to shell out Rs 70,000 for his surgery and now wants to sue the pharmacist. He has filed a complaint with the Hennur police on Friday. ...more
Pharmacists try to cash in on swine flu
From News.com.au:
Fears have emerged that pharmacists are trying to cash in on the shortage of the one drug experts say can treat swine flu.
A pharmacist in Sydney's northwest has been found selling a course of 10 tablets of Tamiflu for $68.85. That is about $20 more than his four competitors who are within walking distance.
Customers are paying the price after finding that other pharmacists have run out of the tablets or do not realise they are paying too much.
"He is taking advantage of people because a lot of people need this," the mother of a nine-year-old boy who was prescribed Tamiflu said yesterday.
"I went there after another chemist had none but I didn't realise I was paying more. He has hiked up the price because there is not enough around."
Even one of his competitors expressed surprise yesterday at how much the pharmacist was charging, saying it was "a bit steep". ...more
Fears have emerged that pharmacists are trying to cash in on the shortage of the one drug experts say can treat swine flu.
A pharmacist in Sydney's northwest has been found selling a course of 10 tablets of Tamiflu for $68.85. That is about $20 more than his four competitors who are within walking distance.
Customers are paying the price after finding that other pharmacists have run out of the tablets or do not realise they are paying too much.
"He is taking advantage of people because a lot of people need this," the mother of a nine-year-old boy who was prescribed Tamiflu said yesterday.
"I went there after another chemist had none but I didn't realise I was paying more. He has hiked up the price because there is not enough around."
Even one of his competitors expressed surprise yesterday at how much the pharmacist was charging, saying it was "a bit steep". ...more
Friday, June 26, 2009
A prescription for convenience
From the Globe and Mail:
Shortly after being named Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-term Care last summer, David Caplan was getting a routine eye exam at Toronto's Sunnybrook hospital when his wife, who works there as a nurse, asked him to look at a new drug-dispensing device.
“After my appointment, my wife said, ‘You've got to come check this out,' and she showed me the machine that was in place,” he said. “I thought it was a fantastic idea – it's new technology that a variety of companies could develop and support and it's a really innovative way of improving patient care.”
In a matter of minutes, Mr. Caplan's wife, Leigh, had accomplished what years of lobbying the Ontario government couldn't.
The machine that Mr. Caplan is referring to is the brainchild of an Oakville, Ont.-based startup called PCA Services Inc.
While its executives bristle at this description, their innovation, which they call PharmaTrust, is akin to a high-tech vending machine (more closely resembling an ABM) for pharmaceutical drugs. ...more
Shortly after being named Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-term Care last summer, David Caplan was getting a routine eye exam at Toronto's Sunnybrook hospital when his wife, who works there as a nurse, asked him to look at a new drug-dispensing device.
“After my appointment, my wife said, ‘You've got to come check this out,' and she showed me the machine that was in place,” he said. “I thought it was a fantastic idea – it's new technology that a variety of companies could develop and support and it's a really innovative way of improving patient care.”
In a matter of minutes, Mr. Caplan's wife, Leigh, had accomplished what years of lobbying the Ontario government couldn't.
The machine that Mr. Caplan is referring to is the brainchild of an Oakville, Ont.-based startup called PCA Services Inc.
While its executives bristle at this description, their innovation, which they call PharmaTrust, is akin to a high-tech vending machine (more closely resembling an ABM) for pharmaceutical drugs. ...more
Health Canada to crack down on TV ads for vaccines
From the National Post:
Health Canada says it is cracking down on the growing number of TV ads that tout the benefits of vaccines for everything from hepatitis to travellers' diarrhea, yet say little about the products' risks and other shortcomings.
Responding to outside complaints, the department has persuaded some manufacturers to change "unbalanced" commercials, issued letters urging the industry to include both negative and positive information in ads and begun developing new vaccine marketing guidelines.
The action highlights, however, the fact that vaccine advertising falls into a legal grey area with little regulation - in contrast to the tight restrictions placed on consumer ads for prescription drugs.
Health Canada still has no plans to make vaccines subject to similarly stringent rules, but the measures it is taking are welcome and overdue, said the head of a marketing review agency.
"There are gaps in the system and this is one that a truck could drive through," said Ray Chepesiuk, commissioner of the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board. "We consider [vaccines] to be serious medicine that have some risks - safety information the public should be aware of.... You can't say all good things and ignore the bad things." ...more
Health Canada says it is cracking down on the growing number of TV ads that tout the benefits of vaccines for everything from hepatitis to travellers' diarrhea, yet say little about the products' risks and other shortcomings.
Responding to outside complaints, the department has persuaded some manufacturers to change "unbalanced" commercials, issued letters urging the industry to include both negative and positive information in ads and begun developing new vaccine marketing guidelines.
The action highlights, however, the fact that vaccine advertising falls into a legal grey area with little regulation - in contrast to the tight restrictions placed on consumer ads for prescription drugs.
Health Canada still has no plans to make vaccines subject to similarly stringent rules, but the measures it is taking are welcome and overdue, said the head of a marketing review agency.
"There are gaps in the system and this is one that a truck could drive through," said Ray Chepesiuk, commissioner of the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board. "We consider [vaccines] to be serious medicine that have some risks - safety information the public should be aware of.... You can't say all good things and ignore the bad things." ...more
Firm has high hopes for blockbuster drug
From the St. Catharines (Ont.) Standard:
The clinical setting inside Biolyse Pharma Corp. resembles the space-plague movie The Andromeda Strain.
Except this St. Catharines firm is developing what could be a real miracle drug for a horrible earthly disease.
In lab tests, the as-yet-unamed drug so far seems to kill all cancer cells; if it continues to perform as well in human trials, it could revolutionize cancer treatment, generate billions of dollars for Biolyse and create hundreds of new jobs in St. Catharines.
Biolyse executive vice-president John Fulton is more blunt: “I’ve heard talk in the labs referring to this as the Holy Grail of cancer drugs.” ...more
The clinical setting inside Biolyse Pharma Corp. resembles the space-plague movie The Andromeda Strain.
Except this St. Catharines firm is developing what could be a real miracle drug for a horrible earthly disease.
In lab tests, the as-yet-unamed drug so far seems to kill all cancer cells; if it continues to perform as well in human trials, it could revolutionize cancer treatment, generate billions of dollars for Biolyse and create hundreds of new jobs in St. Catharines.
Biolyse executive vice-president John Fulton is more blunt: “I’ve heard talk in the labs referring to this as the Holy Grail of cancer drugs.” ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart may get lift from prescription legislation
From the Financial Post:
Could changes to the dispensing powers of pharmacists be a boon for Shoppers Drug Mart Ltd.?
Analyst Robert Gibson of Octagon Capital notes pending or already enacted legislation across Canada will lead to changes in pay for pharmacists by their home provinces, although there will not be much clarity on the issue until 2010.
“We believe that the fee the pharmacist will get for extending, adapting, or adjusting a prescription, for example, will be less than what doctors are charging for a similar service,” Mr. Gibson wrote in a note to clients, hiking his target price on the stock to $57 from $49.25. He maintained his "buy" rating on the shares. “Thus, it is in the provincial governments’ interest to proceed.” ...more
Could changes to the dispensing powers of pharmacists be a boon for Shoppers Drug Mart Ltd.?
Analyst Robert Gibson of Octagon Capital notes pending or already enacted legislation across Canada will lead to changes in pay for pharmacists by their home provinces, although there will not be much clarity on the issue until 2010.
“We believe that the fee the pharmacist will get for extending, adapting, or adjusting a prescription, for example, will be less than what doctors are charging for a similar service,” Mr. Gibson wrote in a note to clients, hiking his target price on the stock to $57 from $49.25. He maintained his "buy" rating on the shares. “Thus, it is in the provincial governments’ interest to proceed.” ...more
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Researchers work to erase women's hormone-replacement fear
From the Ottawa Citizen:
A research team led by Ottawa scientists is creating and testing synthetic hormones to take the fear out of hormone-replacement therapy for menopausal women.
There's a lot at stake, from the well-being of women to a pharmaceutical market worth billions a year.
"There are plenty of women who would like to have such a drug," said Carleton University Professor Jim Wright, a chemist.
Wright and the research team, led by Tony Durst at the University of Ottawa, have just received a $267,000 research grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It could lead to the creation of a blockbuster new drug.
About a decade ago, hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) was touted as a magic bullet for many menopausal women. HRT boosts hormone levels and helps to reduce the symptoms of menopause, from hot flashes to osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease that can be deadly because it leads to serious fractures. About one in three women who sustain hip fractures from osteoporosis die within a year. ...more
A research team led by Ottawa scientists is creating and testing synthetic hormones to take the fear out of hormone-replacement therapy for menopausal women.
There's a lot at stake, from the well-being of women to a pharmaceutical market worth billions a year.
"There are plenty of women who would like to have such a drug," said Carleton University Professor Jim Wright, a chemist.
Wright and the research team, led by Tony Durst at the University of Ottawa, have just received a $267,000 research grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It could lead to the creation of a blockbuster new drug.
About a decade ago, hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) was touted as a magic bullet for many menopausal women. HRT boosts hormone levels and helps to reduce the symptoms of menopause, from hot flashes to osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease that can be deadly because it leads to serious fractures. About one in three women who sustain hip fractures from osteoporosis die within a year. ...more
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pharmacists focus on patients, not pills
From Metro News Ottawa:
Escaping the ashes of a terrible war, Dragana Skokovic-Sunjic came to Canada to start a new life as a pharmacist, helping patients not only receive their medication but understand it as well.
Skokovic-Sunjic, 45, completed a four-year degree in Pharmacy at the University of Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia and her first job was as a teaching assistant in the medical faculty. She left Sarajevo, today’s capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the 1990s to escape the war that tore apart the former Yugoslavia and came to Canada to finally pursue a career as a pharmacist because she found the pharmacists she met inspiring.
“I was always impressed with the professionalism of pharmacists behind the counter, so that’s what inspired me,” she said.
Now a pharmacist at Dell Pharmacy in Beamsville, Ont., Skokovic-Sunjic says coming to Canada to start a new life wasn’t easy but she felt motivated to succeed in a field that she loved.
“Starting with a new country and a new language, it was a very challenging time but the challenge inspired me in a way,” she said. ...more
Escaping the ashes of a terrible war, Dragana Skokovic-Sunjic came to Canada to start a new life as a pharmacist, helping patients not only receive their medication but understand it as well.
Skokovic-Sunjic, 45, completed a four-year degree in Pharmacy at the University of Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia and her first job was as a teaching assistant in the medical faculty. She left Sarajevo, today’s capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the 1990s to escape the war that tore apart the former Yugoslavia and came to Canada to finally pursue a career as a pharmacist because she found the pharmacists she met inspiring.
“I was always impressed with the professionalism of pharmacists behind the counter, so that’s what inspired me,” she said.
Now a pharmacist at Dell Pharmacy in Beamsville, Ont., Skokovic-Sunjic says coming to Canada to start a new life wasn’t easy but she felt motivated to succeed in a field that she loved.
“Starting with a new country and a new language, it was a very challenging time but the challenge inspired me in a way,” she said. ...more
Victoria senior seeks change to "appalling" drug-dispensing fees
From the Vancouver Sun:
Retiree Jennifer Wheeler was confused by the various prices she paid for prescription drugs. So she decided to do a little investigating.
After contacting 10 pharmacies, Wheeler was astonished to discover the dispensing fee -- money charged for preparing a prescription -- ranged from a low of $7.48 at one major retail outlet to a high of $11.60 at another.
"I was a little appalled," said the 74-year-old Victoria woman. "What I hadn't realized was the cost of buying the drug is different from store to store."
Wheeler had stumbled on to a pricing issue pharmacists are at pains to explain.
The fee covers the cost of the service every pharmacist provides when dispensing medicine. But that service is now expanding, as calls upon the health system increase and the population ages.
The provincial Ministry of Health, for example, recently authorized pharmacists to renew routine prescriptions. Under certain conditions, they can even alter them.
Parkash Ragsdale, deputy chief executive officer with the B.C. Pharmacy Association, said the cost of dispensing a drug properly has been estimated at $13.60. ...more
Retiree Jennifer Wheeler was confused by the various prices she paid for prescription drugs. So she decided to do a little investigating.
After contacting 10 pharmacies, Wheeler was astonished to discover the dispensing fee -- money charged for preparing a prescription -- ranged from a low of $7.48 at one major retail outlet to a high of $11.60 at another.
"I was a little appalled," said the 74-year-old Victoria woman. "What I hadn't realized was the cost of buying the drug is different from store to store."
Wheeler had stumbled on to a pricing issue pharmacists are at pains to explain.
The fee covers the cost of the service every pharmacist provides when dispensing medicine. But that service is now expanding, as calls upon the health system increase and the population ages.
The provincial Ministry of Health, for example, recently authorized pharmacists to renew routine prescriptions. Under certain conditions, they can even alter them.
Parkash Ragsdale, deputy chief executive officer with the B.C. Pharmacy Association, said the cost of dispensing a drug properly has been estimated at $13.60. ...more
Choice of eye drug comes with possible conflict for MDs
From the Vancouver Sun:
British Columbia's plan to fund two new drugs gives doctors more choices in treating age-related macular degeneration, but it comes with a potential conflict of interest.
Last week, the government started covering Lucentis and Avastin, two chemically similar drugs that stop the damage done by age-related macular degeneration.
The disease attacks the retina and affects an estimated 3,500 British Columbians annually. It is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
Under the government's new plan, retinal specialists will be reimbursed $530 for each treatment of either drug and the associated costs of the drug program, including a $132 injection fee, travel, administration and storage.
While the reimbursement rates for the two drugs are the same, their costs are very different.
Doctors buy Lucentis at a cost of $1,575 per vial, which is split into four treatments. Avastin costs from $300 to $375 per vial and can be split into 20 treatments.
So, doctors purchasing and prescribing Avastin will put out $300 to $375 per vial, but could be paid as much as $10,600. The potential payout is less attractive for Lucentis, with its higher price tag. ...more
British Columbia's plan to fund two new drugs gives doctors more choices in treating age-related macular degeneration, but it comes with a potential conflict of interest.
Last week, the government started covering Lucentis and Avastin, two chemically similar drugs that stop the damage done by age-related macular degeneration.
The disease attacks the retina and affects an estimated 3,500 British Columbians annually. It is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
Under the government's new plan, retinal specialists will be reimbursed $530 for each treatment of either drug and the associated costs of the drug program, including a $132 injection fee, travel, administration and storage.
While the reimbursement rates for the two drugs are the same, their costs are very different.
Doctors buy Lucentis at a cost of $1,575 per vial, which is split into four treatments. Avastin costs from $300 to $375 per vial and can be split into 20 treatments.
So, doctors purchasing and prescribing Avastin will put out $300 to $375 per vial, but could be paid as much as $10,600. The potential payout is less attractive for Lucentis, with its higher price tag. ...more
Hospital pharmacists overworked, provide little advice: survey
From Taiwan News Online:
Pharmacists working in Taiwan hospitals tend to have too heavy a workload, which leaves them little time to advise patients, according to the results of a survey released Saturday by the Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation.
The survey, conducted from Jan. 19-21 at 20 medical centers around Taiwan, found that, on average, the pharmacists served 450 patients per day during the three-day period leading up to the Lunar New Year holiday this year.
The results revealed that more than one quarter of pharmacists are so busy that they cannot provide any verbal information to patients.
Among those who could do so, 80 percent only spoke if the patients asked them questions, with the conversations averaging just 35 seconds, the results showed.
Also, 6.3 percent of pharmacists do not verify the identities of patients before distributing medicines to them, which could increase the chances of mistakes, the poll found.
Meanwhile, approximately 60 percent of the patients surveyed thought that pharmacists should explain to them matters such as possible side effects of the medicines and whether there is likely to be any interaction with other drugs or food. However, only about one quarter of pharmacists offer such information verbally to patients, the survey showed. ...more
Pharmacists working in Taiwan hospitals tend to have too heavy a workload, which leaves them little time to advise patients, according to the results of a survey released Saturday by the Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation.
The survey, conducted from Jan. 19-21 at 20 medical centers around Taiwan, found that, on average, the pharmacists served 450 patients per day during the three-day period leading up to the Lunar New Year holiday this year.
The results revealed that more than one quarter of pharmacists are so busy that they cannot provide any verbal information to patients.
Among those who could do so, 80 percent only spoke if the patients asked them questions, with the conversations averaging just 35 seconds, the results showed.
Also, 6.3 percent of pharmacists do not verify the identities of patients before distributing medicines to them, which could increase the chances of mistakes, the poll found.
Meanwhile, approximately 60 percent of the patients surveyed thought that pharmacists should explain to them matters such as possible side effects of the medicines and whether there is likely to be any interaction with other drugs or food. However, only about one quarter of pharmacists offer such information verbally to patients, the survey showed. ...more
Ottawa seizing Mexican cancer drug
From the National Post:
Cancer patients desperate enough to order cheaper, unlicensed versions of the drug thalidomide from Mexico now face another challenge to getting treatment: Federal authorities have reportedly begun seizing supplies of the life-extending medicine at the border.
"Health Canada is stopping every single box of thalidomide," said an official with a Mexican company that makes the pills, who asked not to be named. "Patients are starting to die because of this."
Patient advocates said they had also heard reports that Health Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency have instituted a crackdown on shipments of thalidomide from Mexico and other developing countries.
Health Canada officials would not comment directly on whether they had stepped up seizures, but said their policy has always been to bar unsanctioned imports of such drugs into the country.
The development has nevertheless heightened calls on provincial governments to reimburse the steep costs of the one permitted brand of thalidomide and a similar, newer drug, both of which can add years to the lives of people with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. ...more
Cancer patients desperate enough to order cheaper, unlicensed versions of the drug thalidomide from Mexico now face another challenge to getting treatment: Federal authorities have reportedly begun seizing supplies of the life-extending medicine at the border.
"Health Canada is stopping every single box of thalidomide," said an official with a Mexican company that makes the pills, who asked not to be named. "Patients are starting to die because of this."
Patient advocates said they had also heard reports that Health Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency have instituted a crackdown on shipments of thalidomide from Mexico and other developing countries.
Health Canada officials would not comment directly on whether they had stepped up seizures, but said their policy has always been to bar unsanctioned imports of such drugs into the country.
The development has nevertheless heightened calls on provincial governments to reimburse the steep costs of the one permitted brand of thalidomide and a similar, newer drug, both of which can add years to the lives of people with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. ...more
Canada backs drug financing mechanism
From the National Post:
Jim Flaherty, the Minister of Finance, helped cut the ribbon on Friday in Italy on a largely unheralded initiative that could represent one of Canada's most significant contributions ever to improving global health.
The $1.5-billion initiative is known as the Advance Market Commitment, or AMC, and Canadian officials as well as those involved in improving global public health say it will save nearly a million lives by 2030 in the world's poorest countries.
"It is novel. This hasn't been done before," Mr. Flaherty said before leaving for Italy and a weekend meeting of G8 finance ministers.
The finance ministers gathered in Lecce to discuss some of the world's most pressing financial problems but Mr. Flaherty, along with the finance ministers from Italy and other countries, held a brief ceremony ahead of those talks to officially launch AMC, a culmination of more than two years of work. ...more
Jim Flaherty, the Minister of Finance, helped cut the ribbon on Friday in Italy on a largely unheralded initiative that could represent one of Canada's most significant contributions ever to improving global health.
The $1.5-billion initiative is known as the Advance Market Commitment, or AMC, and Canadian officials as well as those involved in improving global public health say it will save nearly a million lives by 2030 in the world's poorest countries.
"It is novel. This hasn't been done before," Mr. Flaherty said before leaving for Italy and a weekend meeting of G8 finance ministers.
The finance ministers gathered in Lecce to discuss some of the world's most pressing financial problems but Mr. Flaherty, along with the finance ministers from Italy and other countries, held a brief ceremony ahead of those talks to officially launch AMC, a culmination of more than two years of work. ...more
Flu drugs relatively safe for pregnant, breastfeeding women, should be used: study
From the Canadian Press:
The antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are relatively safe for use in pregnant and breastfeeding women, say the authors of review of data that includes previously unpublished evidence.
The analysis, published electronically on Monday by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggested Tamiflu is the best bet for pregnant women, but either drug can be used safely by breastfeeding women who come down with influenza.
The review may assuage concerns of women who contract swine flu and are worried about whether or not to use antiviral drugs. Pregnant women are at higher risk of complications than their non-pregnant peers when they catch seasonal flu. Evidence from some previous pandemics suggests they can be hit disproportionately hard by a strain of pandemic influenza.
"During the current pandemic, we shouldn't hesitate to treat those patients at increased risk," said senior author Dr. Shinya Ito, head of the division of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. ...more
The antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are relatively safe for use in pregnant and breastfeeding women, say the authors of review of data that includes previously unpublished evidence.
The analysis, published electronically on Monday by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggested Tamiflu is the best bet for pregnant women, but either drug can be used safely by breastfeeding women who come down with influenza.
The review may assuage concerns of women who contract swine flu and are worried about whether or not to use antiviral drugs. Pregnant women are at higher risk of complications than their non-pregnant peers when they catch seasonal flu. Evidence from some previous pandemics suggests they can be hit disproportionately hard by a strain of pandemic influenza.
"During the current pandemic, we shouldn't hesitate to treat those patients at increased risk," said senior author Dr. Shinya Ito, head of the division of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. ...more
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Pfizer oral drug may shake up arthritis market
From Reuters:
An experimental oral drug from Pfizer could shake up the rheumatoid arthritis market, after impressive results were presented at a medical meeting in Denmark this week.
The drug, known only by the code CP-690,550, is likely to prove a cheaper and more convenient alternative to costly anti-TNF biotech treatments, which have led the field in the past decade, medical experts and industry analysts said.
"The next wave of drugs will be oral. I think what companies are trying to develop are oral agents that can be at least as effective or almost as effective as an anti-TNF," said lead investigator Roy Fleischmann of University of Texas, Dallas.
"Having a compound that is more convenient and cheaper, with a similar risk-benefit ratio to a more expensive biologic, is very important, particularly in these tough economic times," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. ...more
An experimental oral drug from Pfizer could shake up the rheumatoid arthritis market, after impressive results were presented at a medical meeting in Denmark this week.
The drug, known only by the code CP-690,550, is likely to prove a cheaper and more convenient alternative to costly anti-TNF biotech treatments, which have led the field in the past decade, medical experts and industry analysts said.
"The next wave of drugs will be oral. I think what companies are trying to develop are oral agents that can be at least as effective or almost as effective as an anti-TNF," said lead investigator Roy Fleischmann of University of Texas, Dallas.
"Having a compound that is more convenient and cheaper, with a similar risk-benefit ratio to a more expensive biologic, is very important, particularly in these tough economic times," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. ...more
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Ontario tests paperless prescription system in two communities
From the Canadian Press:
Barely legible handwritten prescriptions could become a pharmacists' headache of the past in Ontario as the provincial government on Tuesday introduced its first phase of a paperless prescription process.
The system, called ePrescribing, lets doctors forgo handwritten prescriptions, instead sending instructions to pharmacists electronically through a private computer network.
Doctors say patient safety will be enhanced because the prescriptions will be legible and clear.
"Messy handwriting, it's a huge concern," said Dr. Lewis O'Brien, a family physician in Sault Ste. Marie, one of two communities testing the electronic prescription system.
"It's a natural occurrence of people that are too busy and trying to do too much."
Instead of filling out a prescription on a notepad, a specially designed program allows O'Brien to complete a prescription in the patient's medical chart that also contains the patient's medical history. A safety mechanism warns physicians if they prescribe unsafe drug combinations or inadvertently try to prescribe medication that a patient is allergic to. ...more
Barely legible handwritten prescriptions could become a pharmacists' headache of the past in Ontario as the provincial government on Tuesday introduced its first phase of a paperless prescription process.
The system, called ePrescribing, lets doctors forgo handwritten prescriptions, instead sending instructions to pharmacists electronically through a private computer network.
Doctors say patient safety will be enhanced because the prescriptions will be legible and clear.
"Messy handwriting, it's a huge concern," said Dr. Lewis O'Brien, a family physician in Sault Ste. Marie, one of two communities testing the electronic prescription system.
"It's a natural occurrence of people that are too busy and trying to do too much."
Instead of filling out a prescription on a notepad, a specially designed program allows O'Brien to complete a prescription in the patient's medical chart that also contains the patient's medical history. A safety mechanism warns physicians if they prescribe unsafe drug combinations or inadvertently try to prescribe medication that a patient is allergic to. ...more
Ont. health-care professionals to get new powers under government bill
From the Canadian Press:
Ontario wants to broaden the scope of practice for many health-care professionals as part of a strategy to address the chronic shortage of doctors, proposing new rules that would allow nurse practitioners to set broken bones and give dental hygienists the power to write prescriptions and sell medicine.
Under legislation introduced Monday, dentists would be able to fill prescriptions, pharmacists would be allowed to write refills for prescriptions, and physiotherapists would be given the power to order X-rays and treat injuries.
The proposed changes will make Ontario's health-care system more efficient and more accessible, Premier Dalton McGuinty said.
"It will free up doctors to do those kinds of things which only doctors can do," McGuinty said. "There's a number of things doctors are doing on their own right now that we think other health-care professionals can do as well." ...more
Ontario wants to broaden the scope of practice for many health-care professionals as part of a strategy to address the chronic shortage of doctors, proposing new rules that would allow nurse practitioners to set broken bones and give dental hygienists the power to write prescriptions and sell medicine.
Under legislation introduced Monday, dentists would be able to fill prescriptions, pharmacists would be allowed to write refills for prescriptions, and physiotherapists would be given the power to order X-rays and treat injuries.
The proposed changes will make Ontario's health-care system more efficient and more accessible, Premier Dalton McGuinty said.
"It will free up doctors to do those kinds of things which only doctors can do," McGuinty said. "There's a number of things doctors are doing on their own right now that we think other health-care professionals can do as well." ...more
Bigger role for pharmacists worries doctors
This article could replace every reference of New Zealand and change it to Canada and it could be published in a Canadian paper. The issues seem to be the same around the world.
From the New Zealand Herald News:
Pharmacists' calls for more healthcare responsibility could have dangerous consequences if patients stopped seeing their GP, the head of the Medical Association has warned.
Peter Foley's comments follow the Pharmacy Guild's push for more funding, as part of a review of its district health board contracts, to act as a first point of contact in administering some health care.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said this week the Government was in talks with pharmacists about them playing a bigger role in tending to the sick.
Pharmacy Guild chief executive Annabel Young said pharmacists wanted to be given the right to help patients in managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma through health counselling and guidance on prescribed medicine use. They also wanted to be able to carry out medicine-use reviews, which involve monitoring patients' use of prescribed medication to ensure better results and cut the costs of unused medication. ...more
Automated telephone reminders pay off for blood pressure patients: study
From CBC News:
Automated telephone call reminders helped people with high blood pressure to lower their readings compared with people who did not receive the calls, researchers in Montreal found.
In the one-year study to be published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 223 patients with hypertension were randomly assigned to receive calls from a computer-based system at least once a week with high readings sent to their doctors or receive an educational booklet and usual medical care.
"Forty-six per cent were controlled, achieved the target, versus 28 per cent without the system," senior author Dr. Pavel Hamet, a professor of medicine, physiology and nutrition at the University of Montreal, said Tuesday.
The improvement was "highly significant," and the system worked as well as adding a new medication, Hamet said. ...more
Automated telephone call reminders helped people with high blood pressure to lower their readings compared with people who did not receive the calls, researchers in Montreal found.
In the one-year study to be published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 223 patients with hypertension were randomly assigned to receive calls from a computer-based system at least once a week with high readings sent to their doctors or receive an educational booklet and usual medical care.
"Forty-six per cent were controlled, achieved the target, versus 28 per cent without the system," senior author Dr. Pavel Hamet, a professor of medicine, physiology and nutrition at the University of Montreal, said Tuesday.
The improvement was "highly significant," and the system worked as well as adding a new medication, Hamet said. ...more
Drug Dispensing Machines May Change The Way You Fill Your Next Prescription
From City News Toronto:
Imagine being able to get your next prescription filled without having to go to a pharmacy. It's not such a bitter pill to swallow if you're in Ontario.
The government has introduced a bill that would allow you to receive your Rx from a special drug dispensing vending machine, making it easier to get your prescriptions renewed.
The idea would amend existing rules that require a pharmacist to be present when the pills are doled out. Under the new method, you'd run your prescription through a scanner (below), where a pharmacist would see it - and you'd see him or her via a video conferencing link and talk to them over a private closed circuit phone line. ...more
Imagine being able to get your next prescription filled without having to go to a pharmacy. It's not such a bitter pill to swallow if you're in Ontario.
The government has introduced a bill that would allow you to receive your Rx from a special drug dispensing vending machine, making it easier to get your prescriptions renewed.
The idea would amend existing rules that require a pharmacist to be present when the pills are doled out. Under the new method, you'd run your prescription through a scanner (below), where a pharmacist would see it - and you'd see him or her via a video conferencing link and talk to them over a private closed circuit phone line. ...more
Monday, May 11, 2009
Medication a defence for punching the boss
From the National Post:
A labour arbitrator has reversed the firing of a veteran elementary-school janitor who sucker punched his boss, ruling that an experimental arthritis drug the man was taking as part of a clinical trial helped trigger the angry outburst.
It may be the first time in a Canadian legal hearing that pharmaceutical adverse effects have been successfully invoked to justify violent behaviour.
The custodian, Alf Clayfield, had put in 22 years of generally exemplary service with an Ontario school board before the October incident with his manager.
He acted out of character partly because of the medicine's neurological side effects, the arbitrator said in replacing the dismissal with a three-month suspension.
Mr. Clayfield said the problems he attributes to the drug began with insomnia, headaches and dizziness. "I found that things that never bothered me before would irritate me very quickly," the Kitchener-Waterloo public school board employee said in an interview. ...more
A labour arbitrator has reversed the firing of a veteran elementary-school janitor who sucker punched his boss, ruling that an experimental arthritis drug the man was taking as part of a clinical trial helped trigger the angry outburst.
It may be the first time in a Canadian legal hearing that pharmaceutical adverse effects have been successfully invoked to justify violent behaviour.
The custodian, Alf Clayfield, had put in 22 years of generally exemplary service with an Ontario school board before the October incident with his manager.
He acted out of character partly because of the medicine's neurological side effects, the arbitrator said in replacing the dismissal with a three-month suspension.
Mr. Clayfield said the problems he attributes to the drug began with insomnia, headaches and dizziness. "I found that things that never bothered me before would irritate me very quickly," the Kitchener-Waterloo public school board employee said in an interview. ...more
Man fights to get cancer drug funded
From the Fredericton (NB) Daily Gleaner:
Frank Taylor may be fighting colon cancer, but he still has enough energy to pressure the province to cover the expensive colorectal cancer medication Avastin.
New Brunswick is one of only three Canadian provinces that don't pay for the medication - Prince Edward Island and Manitoba are the others.
That's forced Taylor to borrow about $35,000 from the bank to pay for his costly treatment sessions.
He said he's been drumming up support for the cause since he was diagnosed with colon cancer months ago, and he won't stop until every New Brunswicker is given the same access to the drug as other Canadians.
"We've got to do something about this," he said.
"My sister lives in Ottawa and she could walk in (to a doctor's office) and they'd look after her. I don't feel bad about that at all, but if I lived there, or in Amherst, I wouldn't have a problem." ...more
Frank Taylor may be fighting colon cancer, but he still has enough energy to pressure the province to cover the expensive colorectal cancer medication Avastin.
New Brunswick is one of only three Canadian provinces that don't pay for the medication - Prince Edward Island and Manitoba are the others.
That's forced Taylor to borrow about $35,000 from the bank to pay for his costly treatment sessions.
He said he's been drumming up support for the cause since he was diagnosed with colon cancer months ago, and he won't stop until every New Brunswicker is given the same access to the drug as other Canadians.
"We've got to do something about this," he said.
"My sister lives in Ottawa and she could walk in (to a doctor's office) and they'd look after her. I don't feel bad about that at all, but if I lived there, or in Amherst, I wouldn't have a problem." ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart looks to private-labels as customers hunt for deals
From the Canadian Press:
Retailers are shifting their focus to private-label brands as more Canadians search for low-cost shopping alternatives, and the chief executive of Shoppers Drug Mart wants to ensure that the company's popular Life brand and its other private-label products, aren't left in the dust.
Jurgen Schreiber told shareholders at the company's annual meeting Thursday that Canada's largest drug store chain by revenues (TSX:SC) is introducing three to five new private-label items each day, as part of long-term revamp of its private-label products across the entire store.
"There's so many more private-label (items) in the store," the CEO said in an interview after the meeting.
"Last year we had, I think, 1,800 new products coming in on private label."
Chances are, you probably didn't notice most of them the last time you visited their stores because, as Schreiber puts it, they were "silently introduced" onto the shelves, selling under relatively covert names like Nativa Organics, Quo cosmetics and Get office supplies. ...more
Retailers are shifting their focus to private-label brands as more Canadians search for low-cost shopping alternatives, and the chief executive of Shoppers Drug Mart wants to ensure that the company's popular Life brand and its other private-label products, aren't left in the dust.
Jurgen Schreiber told shareholders at the company's annual meeting Thursday that Canada's largest drug store chain by revenues (TSX:SC) is introducing three to five new private-label items each day, as part of long-term revamp of its private-label products across the entire store.
"There's so many more private-label (items) in the store," the CEO said in an interview after the meeting.
"Last year we had, I think, 1,800 new products coming in on private label."
Chances are, you probably didn't notice most of them the last time you visited their stores because, as Schreiber puts it, they were "silently introduced" onto the shelves, selling under relatively covert names like Nativa Organics, Quo cosmetics and Get office supplies. ...more
Pharmacists warn on abuse of antibiotics
From IPP Media:
Local and international pharmacists have expressed fears over the abuse of antibiotics, saying if the trend would continue at the present rate, curable infectious diseases, would be sending majority of the people to the grave early.
``In Tanzania the predicament of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is alarming,`` said Zaina Msami, a renowned pharmacist at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) project-Mission for Essential Medical Supplies (MEMS).
Addressing a press conference in Arusha yesterday, Msami said some of the causes of AMR were incorrect dispensing, failure to adhere to rules of antibiotics taking and misuse of the drugs in animal feeds such as chicken and pork to speed up their growth.
``You can`t imagine, nearly two thirds of people take antibiotics without medical doctors prescription or check up,`` she explained.
In northern Tanzania, for instance, the study has shown that 81.3 per cent of malaria patients had SP resistance, she said, adding that Ampicillin was defiant to treatment of urinary tract infections in 17.4 per cent of pregnant women. ...more
Local and international pharmacists have expressed fears over the abuse of antibiotics, saying if the trend would continue at the present rate, curable infectious diseases, would be sending majority of the people to the grave early.
``In Tanzania the predicament of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is alarming,`` said Zaina Msami, a renowned pharmacist at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) project-Mission for Essential Medical Supplies (MEMS).
Addressing a press conference in Arusha yesterday, Msami said some of the causes of AMR were incorrect dispensing, failure to adhere to rules of antibiotics taking and misuse of the drugs in animal feeds such as chicken and pork to speed up their growth.
``You can`t imagine, nearly two thirds of people take antibiotics without medical doctors prescription or check up,`` she explained.
In northern Tanzania, for instance, the study has shown that 81.3 per cent of malaria patients had SP resistance, she said, adding that Ampicillin was defiant to treatment of urinary tract infections in 17.4 per cent of pregnant women. ...more
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