From 27 East (NY):
Hoping to convince East Hampton Town lawmakers not to switch town employees’ health benefits to a state-administered insurance plan, leaders of the Civil Service Employees Association have proposed turning to a Canadian mail-order prescription drug supplier to cut costs.
Representatives from the Civil Service Employees of America and CanaRx, a firm that provides name-brand prescription drugs from Canada at a deep discount, claim that using the Canadian company could save the town some $490,000 a year, based on town employees’ current number of prescriptions, and allow the town to continue self-insuring its civil service employees.
But Supervisor Bill McGintee said the prescription drug savings proposed are not enough to match the potential savings that changing medical plans would bring the cash-strapped town. He said that switching from the current self-insured medical benefits to a plan offered by Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a state-administered health insurance organization, could save the town $1.5 million in 2009. ...more
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Union says medicine from Canada could save East Hampton big bucks
While the city of Boston is cutting off their Canadian drug program, the town of East Hampton, New York is investigating the possibility of setting up a Canadian importation program of their own. It's a bit hard to believe that a government would be looking at doing this now. I think this town is four or five years behind the curve.
Province to offer vaccine at clinics for Catholics
From the Calgary Herald:
Alberta medical officials said Monday they will likely offer the human papillomavirus vaccine at public health clinics for local Catholic students and others in the province whose schools have banned the controversial shots.
Dr. Gerry Predy, acting chief medical officer of health, said Alberta Health must ensure all Grade 5 girls have equitable and free access to the HPV vaccine, which is designed to prevent cervical cancer.
"We need to look at how we can offer it in parts of the province where school districts won't offer it, and come up with a consistent way of doing it," said Predy.
"That's probably how it will be pursued . . . at clinics."
Health officials have been discussing how to deliver the vaccine to students in the separate system after two Catholic school districts in the province voted last week against participating in the province's new HPV vaccination program. ...more
Alberta medical officials said Monday they will likely offer the human papillomavirus vaccine at public health clinics for local Catholic students and others in the province whose schools have banned the controversial shots.
Dr. Gerry Predy, acting chief medical officer of health, said Alberta Health must ensure all Grade 5 girls have equitable and free access to the HPV vaccine, which is designed to prevent cervical cancer.
"We need to look at how we can offer it in parts of the province where school districts won't offer it, and come up with a consistent way of doing it," said Predy.
"That's probably how it will be pursued . . . at clinics."
Health officials have been discussing how to deliver the vaccine to students in the separate system after two Catholic school districts in the province voted last week against participating in the province's new HPV vaccination program. ...more
2 Twin Cities pharmacists blow whistle on Walgreens' Medicaid billing
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Walgreens has paid the United States and Minnesota and three other states nearly $10 million to resolve allegations of falsely billing Medicaid, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday, with some of that money going to two Twin Cities pharmacists who turned in the industry giant.
The United States initiated the investigation in response to a lawsuit brought by pharmacists Daniel Bieurance and Neil Thompson.
As a result of the settlement, the pharmacists will divide $1.44 million out of the $9.9 million recovery. An attorney for the pharmacists said that Thompson still works part time for Walgreens on Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis; Bieurance left Walgreens for another job in pharmacy. Thompson also has a law practice in Minneapolis. ...more
Walgreens has paid the United States and Minnesota and three other states nearly $10 million to resolve allegations of falsely billing Medicaid, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday, with some of that money going to two Twin Cities pharmacists who turned in the industry giant.
The United States initiated the investigation in response to a lawsuit brought by pharmacists Daniel Bieurance and Neil Thompson.
As a result of the settlement, the pharmacists will divide $1.44 million out of the $9.9 million recovery. An attorney for the pharmacists said that Thompson still works part time for Walgreens on Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis; Bieurance left Walgreens for another job in pharmacy. Thompson also has a law practice in Minneapolis. ...more
Monday, September 29, 2008
Layton pledges $1B to help families with prescription drugs
From the Vancouver Province:
NDP Leader Jack Layton is promising $1 billion a year to help patients pay for prescription drugs.
"The cost of prescription drugs is hurting families across Canada," Layton said at BCIT's Burnaby campus Friday morning.
The plan would support patients who spend more than $1,500 annually on medication, and is based on the Romanow report on the future of health care.
Layton also wants to set up a national program to bulk-buy medications, and to replace patent drugs with lower-cost generic drugs. ...more
NDP Leader Jack Layton is promising $1 billion a year to help patients pay for prescription drugs.
"The cost of prescription drugs is hurting families across Canada," Layton said at BCIT's Burnaby campus Friday morning.
The plan would support patients who spend more than $1,500 annually on medication, and is based on the Romanow report on the future of health care.
Layton also wants to set up a national program to bulk-buy medications, and to replace patent drugs with lower-cost generic drugs. ...more
Canadian prescription drug supplier ending Hub program
From the Boston Globe:
Four years after Mayor Thomas M. Menino bucked federal regulators and made Boston the biggest city nationally to offer low-cost Canadian prescription drugs to employees and retirees, the program has fizzled, never having attracted more than a few dozen participants.
In late July, the Canadian supplier for the program, Winnipeg-based Total Care Pharmacy, sent a letter to city officials saying the firm was terminating its agreement because there were so few participants. When the last Canadian drugs from the company are shipped to Boston retirees in December, it will mark the quiet end to an initiative that generated headlines for Menino.
Menino administration officials blamed the end of the program on a lack of interest from city retirees eligible to participate.
"If things are grossly underenrolled, that's the market saying they're not really interested in that product," said Meredith Weenick, the city's associate director of administration and finance. ...more
Four years after Mayor Thomas M. Menino bucked federal regulators and made Boston the biggest city nationally to offer low-cost Canadian prescription drugs to employees and retirees, the program has fizzled, never having attracted more than a few dozen participants.
In late July, the Canadian supplier for the program, Winnipeg-based Total Care Pharmacy, sent a letter to city officials saying the firm was terminating its agreement because there were so few participants. When the last Canadian drugs from the company are shipped to Boston retirees in December, it will mark the quiet end to an initiative that generated headlines for Menino.
Menino administration officials blamed the end of the program on a lack of interest from city retirees eligible to participate.
"If things are grossly underenrolled, that's the market saying they're not really interested in that product," said Meredith Weenick, the city's associate director of administration and finance. ...more
Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform blockbuster drug
From the Vancouver Sun:
Italian researchers are testing a promising alternative to Viagra that they're calling 3,7-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-icaritin - or more simply put, "horny goat weed."
In lab experiments, a semi-synthetic derivative of the active compound in Epimedium brevicornum, an ancient Chinese herbal remedy for impotence, performed as well as Viagra but with the potential for fewer side effects, the researchers say.
It's an ironic finding: Health Canada has issued a string of warnings on Chinese herbal products for erectile dysfunction because they contain undeclared sildenafil - the active ingredient in Viagra.
Now, a Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform the blockbuster drug.
The study is scheduled for the Oct. 24 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products. ...more
Italian researchers are testing a promising alternative to Viagra that they're calling 3,7-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-icaritin - or more simply put, "horny goat weed."
In lab experiments, a semi-synthetic derivative of the active compound in Epimedium brevicornum, an ancient Chinese herbal remedy for impotence, performed as well as Viagra but with the potential for fewer side effects, the researchers say.
It's an ironic finding: Health Canada has issued a string of warnings on Chinese herbal products for erectile dysfunction because they contain undeclared sildenafil - the active ingredient in Viagra.
Now, a Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform the blockbuster drug.
The study is scheduled for the Oct. 24 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products. ...more
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Statin use in seniors linked to higher risk of delirium after surgery
From CBC News:
Elderly people who take cholesterol-lowering statins may be at higher risk for delirium after surgery, say Canadian researchers who suggest temporarily stopping use of the drugs before surgery to prevent the complication.
People over 70 commonly show delirium or confusion after elective surgery, such as to repair hip fractures. Doctors now recognize delirium as a complication that should be prevented, recognized and treated.
Delirium not only causes anxiety for patients and their families, it also contributes to longer hospital stays, prolongs the need for intensive care and may disrupt or delay care, the researchers said.
In Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Donald Redelmeier of Ontario's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and his colleagues concluded the use of statins is associated with a 28 per cent increased risk of delirium in elderly patients who had surgery between 1992 and 2002.
To come to that conclusion, the researchers reviewed hospital and outpatient pharmacy records of more than 280,000 patients aged 65 or older who were admitted for elective surgery.
Among the seven per cent of patients taking statins, 3,195 experienced delirium after surgery, the researchers said. ...more
Elderly people who take cholesterol-lowering statins may be at higher risk for delirium after surgery, say Canadian researchers who suggest temporarily stopping use of the drugs before surgery to prevent the complication.
People over 70 commonly show delirium or confusion after elective surgery, such as to repair hip fractures. Doctors now recognize delirium as a complication that should be prevented, recognized and treated.
Delirium not only causes anxiety for patients and their families, it also contributes to longer hospital stays, prolongs the need for intensive care and may disrupt or delay care, the researchers said.
In Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Donald Redelmeier of Ontario's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and his colleagues concluded the use of statins is associated with a 28 per cent increased risk of delirium in elderly patients who had surgery between 1992 and 2002.
To come to that conclusion, the researchers reviewed hospital and outpatient pharmacy records of more than 280,000 patients aged 65 or older who were admitted for elective surgery.
Among the seven per cent of patients taking statins, 3,195 experienced delirium after surgery, the researchers said. ...more
Pharmacists give wrong advice to almost half of customers, watchdog claims
From the Telegraph (UK):
An undercover investigation has found that many pharmacies – especially independent outlets – are relying on poorly-trained staff and failing to give the correct information to customers.
Which?, the consumer watchdog, sent investigators to visit 101 pharmacies across the UK and got unsatisfactory advice on a third of visits, according to an expert panel.
Independent pharmacies fared particularly poorly, giving unsatisfactory advice on around half – 48 per cent – of visits compared to 38 per cent of national and regional chains and 26 per cent of the biggest players and supermarkets.
The outlets failed to give the correct advice to the mystery shopper, who pretended to have traveller's diarrhoea in 14 out of the 32 visits. They failed to ask whether the patient had been abroad or for how long they had been suffering.
In many cases the advice was given by a sales assistant who failed to consult the qualified pharmacist, a decision which "astounded" the expert panel.
Which? magazine editor Neil Fowler said: "People are increasingly turning to pharmacies for the sort of advice they might have gone to their GP for in the past, but we're concerned that in some cases they're getting advice that is unsuitable and potentially unsafe. ...more
An undercover investigation has found that many pharmacies – especially independent outlets – are relying on poorly-trained staff and failing to give the correct information to customers.
Which?, the consumer watchdog, sent investigators to visit 101 pharmacies across the UK and got unsatisfactory advice on a third of visits, according to an expert panel.
Independent pharmacies fared particularly poorly, giving unsatisfactory advice on around half – 48 per cent – of visits compared to 38 per cent of national and regional chains and 26 per cent of the biggest players and supermarkets.
The outlets failed to give the correct advice to the mystery shopper, who pretended to have traveller's diarrhoea in 14 out of the 32 visits. They failed to ask whether the patient had been abroad or for how long they had been suffering.
In many cases the advice was given by a sales assistant who failed to consult the qualified pharmacist, a decision which "astounded" the expert panel.
Which? magazine editor Neil Fowler said: "People are increasingly turning to pharmacies for the sort of advice they might have gone to their GP for in the past, but we're concerned that in some cases they're getting advice that is unsuitable and potentially unsafe. ...more
ADHD drugs should be last resort: new guidelines
From CTV News:
Drugs such as Ritalin should be a last resort for treating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and should never be prescribed to kids of preschool age, new guidelines suggest.
The new guidelines, issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom, recommend that parents and other caregivers receive training in the care and management of the disease as a first line of treatment.
If parental management proves ineffective for ADHD patients between the ages of 11 and 18, group or individual counselling should be the next option considered for treatment, the guidelines suggest.
"Drug treatment is not indicated as the first-line treatment for all school-age children and young people with ADHD," the guidelines say.
Treatment with Ritalin or other drugs, "should be reserved for those with severe symptoms and impairment," or for those who have refused or not responded to parent training or psychological treatment.
For children with severe ADHD, medication is still recommended as a first-line treatment, with parent management as a supplementary treatment. ..more
Drugs such as Ritalin should be a last resort for treating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and should never be prescribed to kids of preschool age, new guidelines suggest.
The new guidelines, issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom, recommend that parents and other caregivers receive training in the care and management of the disease as a first line of treatment.
If parental management proves ineffective for ADHD patients between the ages of 11 and 18, group or individual counselling should be the next option considered for treatment, the guidelines suggest.
"Drug treatment is not indicated as the first-line treatment for all school-age children and young people with ADHD," the guidelines say.
Treatment with Ritalin or other drugs, "should be reserved for those with severe symptoms and impairment," or for those who have refused or not responded to parent training or psychological treatment.
For children with severe ADHD, medication is still recommended as a first-line treatment, with parent management as a supplementary treatment. ..more
Clement open to drug plan but sees other options
From CTV News:
Conservative Health Minister Tony Clement says he's open to creating a catastrophic-illness drug plan such as the one promised by the Liberals and the New Democrats, but a brand new initiative isn't the only solution.
Speaking to CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday, Clement said there is already money in the health care system that could go towards prescription drugs if the provinces and feds could work together on the issue.
"What I've said to my provincial counterparts is I'm willing to go forward with a new initiative, but there's money in the system now," Clement said from Huntsville, Ont.
"If we work together to do bulk purchasing of pharmaceutical products, if we work together to reduce our generic drug costs -- because our costs are 25 to 30 per cent higher than they have in the U.S -- then we can find the money to put to new, innovative drugs or drugs for rare diseases." ...more
Conservative Health Minister Tony Clement says he's open to creating a catastrophic-illness drug plan such as the one promised by the Liberals and the New Democrats, but a brand new initiative isn't the only solution.
Speaking to CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday, Clement said there is already money in the health care system that could go towards prescription drugs if the provinces and feds could work together on the issue.
"What I've said to my provincial counterparts is I'm willing to go forward with a new initiative, but there's money in the system now," Clement said from Huntsville, Ont.
"If we work together to do bulk purchasing of pharmaceutical products, if we work together to reduce our generic drug costs -- because our costs are 25 to 30 per cent higher than they have in the U.S -- then we can find the money to put to new, innovative drugs or drugs for rare diseases." ...more
Apotex Inc. donates $1.5 million to college of pharmacy
From the Saskatoon Star Phoenix:
The University of Saskatchewan's college of pharmacy received its largest-ever single donation on Tuesday.
Apotex Inc., the country's largest pharmaceutical company, announced a $1.5-million gift to the college.
The bulk of the money will help fund research and provide support for graduate students, but $250,000 has been earmarked for an improved practice laboratory for pharmacy students.
"The lab is great," said Jessica Gagatek, a pharmacy student entering her second year at the college.
"It's a non-invasive way of gaining experience that gives students the confidence to go into a workplace setting."
On Tuesday, Gagatek helped demonstrate the kind of hands-on learning that occurs in the lab by showing Apotex president Jack Kay how to properly take a prescribed dose of penicillin. ...more
The University of Saskatchewan's college of pharmacy received its largest-ever single donation on Tuesday.
Apotex Inc., the country's largest pharmaceutical company, announced a $1.5-million gift to the college.
The bulk of the money will help fund research and provide support for graduate students, but $250,000 has been earmarked for an improved practice laboratory for pharmacy students.
"The lab is great," said Jessica Gagatek, a pharmacy student entering her second year at the college.
"It's a non-invasive way of gaining experience that gives students the confidence to go into a workplace setting."
On Tuesday, Gagatek helped demonstrate the kind of hands-on learning that occurs in the lab by showing Apotex president Jack Kay how to properly take a prescribed dose of penicillin. ...more
Litigation train keeps rolling on
From the Financial Post:
Harry Radomski of the law firm Goodmans in Toronto is lead generic drug counsel for Apotex inc. He's driving a litigation train.
Notice of compliance cases -- a method pharmaceutical companies use for obtaining approval of a new drug -- constitute some 90% of the firm's IP litigation, generating between $10-and $20-million in annual billings for Mr. Radomski and his colleagues.
The truth is that pharmaceutical litigation of the kind known as generic drug litigation is a docket hog. Such cases make up at least 60% of all patent cases in the Federal Court and consume at least 75% of the legal fees. Indeed, on one summer day, 17 of the 20 motions on the Federal Court list in Toronto were pharmaceutical cases.
"IP litigation lawyers should erect a monument to Barry Sherman," says Scott Jolliffe, managing partner of Gowling Lafleur Henderson in Toronto.
Mr. Sherman is the founder of Apotex, Canada's largest pharmaceuticals manufacturer and a maker of generic drugs that fill some 50 million prescriptions in Canada annually -- "the devil incarnate to the brands," as one lawyer calls the company. With costs of $100-million to $1-billion to bring a drug to market, brand-name drugmakers, known as innovators, have a huge investment to recoup. ...more
Harry Radomski of the law firm Goodmans in Toronto is lead generic drug counsel for Apotex inc. He's driving a litigation train.
Notice of compliance cases -- a method pharmaceutical companies use for obtaining approval of a new drug -- constitute some 90% of the firm's IP litigation, generating between $10-and $20-million in annual billings for Mr. Radomski and his colleagues.
The truth is that pharmaceutical litigation of the kind known as generic drug litigation is a docket hog. Such cases make up at least 60% of all patent cases in the Federal Court and consume at least 75% of the legal fees. Indeed, on one summer day, 17 of the 20 motions on the Federal Court list in Toronto were pharmaceutical cases.
"IP litigation lawyers should erect a monument to Barry Sherman," says Scott Jolliffe, managing partner of Gowling Lafleur Henderson in Toronto.
Mr. Sherman is the founder of Apotex, Canada's largest pharmaceuticals manufacturer and a maker of generic drugs that fill some 50 million prescriptions in Canada annually -- "the devil incarnate to the brands," as one lawyer calls the company. With costs of $100-million to $1-billion to bring a drug to market, brand-name drugmakers, known as innovators, have a huge investment to recoup. ...more
Canadian to ship AIDS drugs to Rwanda for first, perhaps last time
From the Vancouver Sun:
Seven million pills will leave Toronto Wednesday bound for Rwanda, the first and perhaps the last shipment of generic, low-cost drugs to treat HIV-AIDS produced under Canada's Access to Medicine Regime (CAMR).
This is the first time any manufacturer in any country has used such a licensing framework to get essential medicine to people in the developing world.
But Apotex, the drug manufacturer that produced the pills, says the Canadian legislation - and the World Trade Organization regulations it's based on - has created such a complicated, costly system, the company won't be doing it again unless the regulations are changed.
"It took us more than four years just to get to this point," says Elie Betito, director of public affairs for Apotex, the generic-drug manufacturer supplying the pills. "It's a huge process, with huge costs involved.
"We will not be doing this again."
The process began when humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres asked Apotex to produce a generic version of several costly, brand-name antiretroviral medications - treatments easily accessible to patients in the developed world and proven to prolong the life of most AIDS patients for years. ...more
Seven million pills will leave Toronto Wednesday bound for Rwanda, the first and perhaps the last shipment of generic, low-cost drugs to treat HIV-AIDS produced under Canada's Access to Medicine Regime (CAMR).
This is the first time any manufacturer in any country has used such a licensing framework to get essential medicine to people in the developing world.
But Apotex, the drug manufacturer that produced the pills, says the Canadian legislation - and the World Trade Organization regulations it's based on - has created such a complicated, costly system, the company won't be doing it again unless the regulations are changed.
"It took us more than four years just to get to this point," says Elie Betito, director of public affairs for Apotex, the generic-drug manufacturer supplying the pills. "It's a huge process, with huge costs involved.
"We will not be doing this again."
The process began when humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres asked Apotex to produce a generic version of several costly, brand-name antiretroviral medications - treatments easily accessible to patients in the developed world and proven to prolong the life of most AIDS patients for years. ...more
Lung drug linked to heart risks: study
From CBC News:
An inhaled lung medication used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchitis may slightly increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from coronary disease, researchers said Tuesday.
The increased risks were found in people who took tiotropium, sold in Canada and the U.S. as Spiriva, or the older medication ipratropium, available generically and under the brand name Atrovent, for at least a month.
The findings, which appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, mean that for every 40 patients using either drug for one year, there would be one extra death linked to the medication, said study author Dr. Sonal Singh of Wake Forest University's medical school.
The drugs are taken to relax muscles and open airways in the lungs.
The researchers analyzed data from 17 international studies involving more than 14,700 people to compare health risks of people who took the drugs to treat symptoms of COPD to those who took other inhaled medications for the same symptoms or a placebo. ...more
An inhaled lung medication used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchitis may slightly increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from coronary disease, researchers said Tuesday.
The increased risks were found in people who took tiotropium, sold in Canada and the U.S. as Spiriva, or the older medication ipratropium, available generically and under the brand name Atrovent, for at least a month.
The findings, which appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, mean that for every 40 patients using either drug for one year, there would be one extra death linked to the medication, said study author Dr. Sonal Singh of Wake Forest University's medical school.
The drugs are taken to relax muscles and open airways in the lungs.
The researchers analyzed data from 17 international studies involving more than 14,700 people to compare health risks of people who took the drugs to treat symptoms of COPD to those who took other inhaled medications for the same symptoms or a placebo. ...more
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
India's Ranbaxy hit by reports of Canada drug review
From AFP:
Shares of Indian generics giant Ranbaxy hit an 18-month low Tuesday on reports Canada was looking into the safety of the firm's drugs as well as on fears about its revenue outlook, analysts said.
Ranbaxy shares have been under pressure since the US Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of over 30 of the New Delhi-based company's drugs last week, saying they failed to meet manufacturing standards.
On Tuesday, India's business daily Mint quoted the Canadian health ministry as saying a "regulatory letter" was sent to Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada requesting an action plan and a response to the FDA's move.
The company, which is being bought by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo in a deal valued at up to 4.6 billion dollars, closed down 11.05 percent or 38.35 rupees at 308.85 rupees, its lowest level since March 2007.
"We're not responding to any media reports," said a spokesman for Ranbaxy when asked about the Canadian letter. ...more
Shares of Indian generics giant Ranbaxy hit an 18-month low Tuesday on reports Canada was looking into the safety of the firm's drugs as well as on fears about its revenue outlook, analysts said.
Ranbaxy shares have been under pressure since the US Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of over 30 of the New Delhi-based company's drugs last week, saying they failed to meet manufacturing standards.
On Tuesday, India's business daily Mint quoted the Canadian health ministry as saying a "regulatory letter" was sent to Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada requesting an action plan and a response to the FDA's move.
The company, which is being bought by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo in a deal valued at up to 4.6 billion dollars, closed down 11.05 percent or 38.35 rupees at 308.85 rupees, its lowest level since March 2007.
"We're not responding to any media reports," said a spokesman for Ranbaxy when asked about the Canadian letter. ...more
Forget your meds at home while travelling? Pharmacies, walk-in clinics can help
From the Canadian Press:
Talk about injecting some unwelcome anxiety into a holiday or business trip.
You go to Manhattan and your checked luggage heads to Moose Jaw - with your medication inside it. Or you arrive at your destination and realize the pill organizer you planned to pack is still sitting on your dresser back home. Or your trip gets extended and you don't have enough drugs to cover the extra time.
Arnie Salmon, of Beechwood, N.B., knows too well the sinking feeling that comes with finding yourself in one of these scenarios.
Salmon, 47, takes two pills daily to control his blood pressure. Early this year he set off for Slave Lake, Alta., to take a job working on a pipeline. Snowstorms turned Salmon's journey into a marathon, forcing layovers in Montreal, Toronto and Saskatoon.
Some 40 hours later, Salmon finally arrived in Edmonton. But his suitcases did not. Unfortunately, Salmon had packed his medication in his checked luggage, figuring in the post 9-11 world he wouldn't be allowed to carry them onboard. ...more
Talk about injecting some unwelcome anxiety into a holiday or business trip.
You go to Manhattan and your checked luggage heads to Moose Jaw - with your medication inside it. Or you arrive at your destination and realize the pill organizer you planned to pack is still sitting on your dresser back home. Or your trip gets extended and you don't have enough drugs to cover the extra time.
Arnie Salmon, of Beechwood, N.B., knows too well the sinking feeling that comes with finding yourself in one of these scenarios.
Salmon, 47, takes two pills daily to control his blood pressure. Early this year he set off for Slave Lake, Alta., to take a job working on a pipeline. Snowstorms turned Salmon's journey into a marathon, forcing layovers in Montreal, Toronto and Saskatoon.
Some 40 hours later, Salmon finally arrived in Edmonton. But his suitcases did not. Unfortunately, Salmon had packed his medication in his checked luggage, figuring in the post 9-11 world he wouldn't be allowed to carry them onboard. ...more
First batch of AIDS meds leaves for Africa
From the Winnipeg Sun:
The first batch of Canadian-made AIDS drugs will leave for Africa this week, four years after the federal government established a program to get cheaper medications into the hands of patients in poor countries.
The shipment from generic drug giant Apotex Inc., will likely start its journey to Rwanda on Wednesday.
Apotex says it plans to send another batch of medication to Africa next year, but says the company won’t participate in the program any more until the government fixes laws that have left the initiative bogged down in red tape.
Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime was passed in 2004 with much fanfare and heralded internationally as an opportunity for Canada to be a major player in the global fight against disease in poor countries.
The government promised access to first-world therapies at reduced prices by getting brand-name pharmaceutical firms to negotiate with generic drug makers and allow the generics to manufacture cheaper AIDS drugs. ...more
The first batch of Canadian-made AIDS drugs will leave for Africa this week, four years after the federal government established a program to get cheaper medications into the hands of patients in poor countries.
The shipment from generic drug giant Apotex Inc., will likely start its journey to Rwanda on Wednesday.
Apotex says it plans to send another batch of medication to Africa next year, but says the company won’t participate in the program any more until the government fixes laws that have left the initiative bogged down in red tape.
Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime was passed in 2004 with much fanfare and heralded internationally as an opportunity for Canada to be a major player in the global fight against disease in poor countries.
The government promised access to first-world therapies at reduced prices by getting brand-name pharmaceutical firms to negotiate with generic drug makers and allow the generics to manufacture cheaper AIDS drugs. ...more
Monday, September 22, 2008
BCMA sounds alarm on pharmacists' new powers
From the Vancouver Sun:
A new provincial policy that will give pharmacists the power to renew and adapt prescriptions without prior approval from a doctor could be dangerous for patients, according to the B.C. Medical Association.
Starting Jan. 1 next year, pharmacists across B.C. can exercise a new authority to renew customers' prescriptions and make limited changes to them based on their own judgment, and without consulting the patients' doctors.
The policy was initiated by the Health Ministry last spring, and announced in the throne speech.
It came up again Thursday after a B.C. Pharmacists Association document detailing discussions over fees for the services was leaked to media.
B.C. Pharmacy Association chief executive Marnie Mitchell said pharmacists will be given the authority to renew prescriptions for up to one year and to change a prescribed dosage if they judge it's appropriate. ...more
A new provincial policy that will give pharmacists the power to renew and adapt prescriptions without prior approval from a doctor could be dangerous for patients, according to the B.C. Medical Association.
Starting Jan. 1 next year, pharmacists across B.C. can exercise a new authority to renew customers' prescriptions and make limited changes to them based on their own judgment, and without consulting the patients' doctors.
The policy was initiated by the Health Ministry last spring, and announced in the throne speech.
It came up again Thursday after a B.C. Pharmacists Association document detailing discussions over fees for the services was leaked to media.
B.C. Pharmacy Association chief executive Marnie Mitchell said pharmacists will be given the authority to renew prescriptions for up to one year and to change a prescribed dosage if they judge it's appropriate. ...more
McCain, Obama rethink drug reimportation: aides
From Reuters:
U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are reviewing their support for allowing individuals to import cheaper prescription drugs in light of tainted medicines and other goods made in other countries, their advisers said on Thursday.
Reimportation, as the practice is known, has been controversial for years, even as some supporters have arranged trips to Canada and Mexico for patients to stock up on cheaper medications.
But recent scares involving chemical-laced batches of baby formula and the blood thinner heparin -- both made in China -- have raised new concerns that safely bringing in additional medical products from overseas could be tougher than expected.
"Both candidates were in favor of reimportation and sort of subsequent to the heparin incident (there's) a lot less enthusiasm," said Dora Hughes, a health policy adviser to Democratic candidate Obama. ...more
U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are reviewing their support for allowing individuals to import cheaper prescription drugs in light of tainted medicines and other goods made in other countries, their advisers said on Thursday.
Reimportation, as the practice is known, has been controversial for years, even as some supporters have arranged trips to Canada and Mexico for patients to stock up on cheaper medications.
But recent scares involving chemical-laced batches of baby formula and the blood thinner heparin -- both made in China -- have raised new concerns that safely bringing in additional medical products from overseas could be tougher than expected.
"Both candidates were in favor of reimportation and sort of subsequent to the heparin incident (there's) a lot less enthusiasm," said Dora Hughes, a health policy adviser to Democratic candidate Obama. ...more
Utah justices: Pharmacists could be negligent if they dispense withdrawn drugs
From the Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah pharmacists could be considered negligent for dispensing drugs that have been withdrawn from the market, the Utah Supreme Court said in an opinion Tuesday, opening the possibility their job duties will be redefined in a trial court.
The court revived a 2004 lawsuit that accused Hyland Pharmacy in Salt Lake City of negligence. Third District Judge Tyrone E. Medley had dismissed the case in 2006.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving reports of valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension in people who had been using for long periods of time the appetite suppressant drug combination fen-phen - short for fenfluramine and phentermine.
By September of that year, the FDA asked the manufacturers of fenfluramine to voluntarily withdraw it from the market.
But patient Steve Downing, who began taking fen-phen in February 1996, continued to get his prescriptions for both drugs filled at Hyland through September 2000, according to the court's decision.
As a result, Downing suffered damage to his heart valves, said his Provo attorney, D. David Lambert, and he brought the negligence claims against Hyland. ...more
Utah pharmacists could be considered negligent for dispensing drugs that have been withdrawn from the market, the Utah Supreme Court said in an opinion Tuesday, opening the possibility their job duties will be redefined in a trial court.
The court revived a 2004 lawsuit that accused Hyland Pharmacy in Salt Lake City of negligence. Third District Judge Tyrone E. Medley had dismissed the case in 2006.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving reports of valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension in people who had been using for long periods of time the appetite suppressant drug combination fen-phen - short for fenfluramine and phentermine.
By September of that year, the FDA asked the manufacturers of fenfluramine to voluntarily withdraw it from the market.
But patient Steve Downing, who began taking fen-phen in February 1996, continued to get his prescriptions for both drugs filled at Hyland through September 2000, according to the court's decision.
As a result, Downing suffered damage to his heart valves, said his Provo attorney, D. David Lambert, and he brought the negligence claims against Hyland. ...more
Doctors and pharmacists join smartcard critics
From E-Health Europe:
With its rollout coming closer, critics of the German smartcard project are once again becoming louder. Three regional political representative bodies of doctors, dentists and pharmacists are now supporting an anti-smartcard alliance.
The “Stoppt die e-Card” alliance was launched in January this year and is a rather diffuse conglomerate of civil rights organisations, regional interest groups and patient organisations, most notably the German AIDS-aid.
As a reaction to recent headlines about poor data privacy protection among health insurance companies, the alliance has stepped up pressure against the smartcard project.
And its latest statement has been publicly supported by the Kassenzahnärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KZVH), the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KVH) and the Apothekerkammer Hamburg. The KZVH represents all dentists in Hamburg. The KVH represents all doctors in private practice in Hamburg. And the Apothekerkammer is Hamburg’s chamber of pharmacists. ...more
With its rollout coming closer, critics of the German smartcard project are once again becoming louder. Three regional political representative bodies of doctors, dentists and pharmacists are now supporting an anti-smartcard alliance.
The “Stoppt die e-Card” alliance was launched in January this year and is a rather diffuse conglomerate of civil rights organisations, regional interest groups and patient organisations, most notably the German AIDS-aid.
As a reaction to recent headlines about poor data privacy protection among health insurance companies, the alliance has stepped up pressure against the smartcard project.
And its latest statement has been publicly supported by the Kassenzahnärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KZVH), the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KVH) and the Apothekerkammer Hamburg. The KZVH represents all dentists in Hamburg. The KVH represents all doctors in private practice in Hamburg. And the Apothekerkammer is Hamburg’s chamber of pharmacists. ...more
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Vioxx shows miracle drugs not always what they seem
From the Vancouver Sun:
If medications had personalities, Vioxx would be that macho guy in a Hummer who just took your parking space (and the one next to it), who then gets out, smiling and talking on his cellphone.
Touted as a "super aspirin," Vioxx was, for a time, the No. 1 pain medication in the world, backed by aggressive marketing to physicians and the public.
How it got to be "the single greatest drug safety catastrophe in the history of the world," in the words of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official, is a fascinating story that's about to be told for the first time in a new book. Its author, Tom Nesi, is a medical industry insider, having been director of public affairs of the Squibb Corp., not far from the New Jersey headquarters of Merck & Co. Inc.
Merck's fortunes rose and fell on its superstar Vioxx, which had reached $2.5 billion in annual sales before being voluntarily withdrawn from the worldwide market on Sept. 30, 2004. That day, Dr. Peter Kim, then president of Merck Research Laboratories, announced that data from clinical trials "suggested an increased risk of confirmed cardiovascular events beginning after 18 months of continuous therapy." ...more
If medications had personalities, Vioxx would be that macho guy in a Hummer who just took your parking space (and the one next to it), who then gets out, smiling and talking on his cellphone.
Touted as a "super aspirin," Vioxx was, for a time, the No. 1 pain medication in the world, backed by aggressive marketing to physicians and the public.
How it got to be "the single greatest drug safety catastrophe in the history of the world," in the words of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official, is a fascinating story that's about to be told for the first time in a new book. Its author, Tom Nesi, is a medical industry insider, having been director of public affairs of the Squibb Corp., not far from the New Jersey headquarters of Merck & Co. Inc.
Merck's fortunes rose and fell on its superstar Vioxx, which had reached $2.5 billion in annual sales before being voluntarily withdrawn from the worldwide market on Sept. 30, 2004. That day, Dr. Peter Kim, then president of Merck Research Laboratories, announced that data from clinical trials "suggested an increased risk of confirmed cardiovascular events beginning after 18 months of continuous therapy." ...more
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Canada lags in publicly funded drug spending, study finds
From CBC News:
Canada lags far behind most of the developed world when it comes to covering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and low-income families, a study suggests.
The Wyatt Health International Comparison report, funded by pharmaceutical companies, ranks 18 countries on access to new drug therapies.
Canada ranked 17th in public spending on pharmaceuticals, behind Finland, Portugal, Australia and Denmark, the review found.
“It is surprising that Canada ranks so low in comparison to these OECD countries,” said George Wyatt, the report's author. “This study raises several questions about limited access to and choice of medicines."
The findings underscore the need for a publicly funded, national pharmaceutical plan, Wyatt said. The group received a grant from drug companies to do the study, which he said did not influence the research. ...more
Canada lags far behind most of the developed world when it comes to covering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and low-income families, a study suggests.
The Wyatt Health International Comparison report, funded by pharmaceutical companies, ranks 18 countries on access to new drug therapies.
Canada ranked 17th in public spending on pharmaceuticals, behind Finland, Portugal, Australia and Denmark, the review found.
“It is surprising that Canada ranks so low in comparison to these OECD countries,” said George Wyatt, the report's author. “This study raises several questions about limited access to and choice of medicines."
The findings underscore the need for a publicly funded, national pharmaceutical plan, Wyatt said. The group received a grant from drug companies to do the study, which he said did not influence the research. ...more
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Dion vows $900-million for catastrophic drug plan
It was inevitable that one of the parties would promise a national pharmacare plan of some sort. This might have some appeal in the Atlantic provinces, which appears to be behind the rest of the country when it comes to providing a comprehensive provincial drug plan. However, this issue never really seems to go anywhere. I think it's because there isn't a huge demand for it among most Canadians, who typically have existing drug coverage through the government or their employer.
From the Globe and Mail:
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion promised a national program to fund high-cost drug treatments for people who suffer from serious and chronic illnesses, a program aimed at extending coverage to provinces in Atlantic Canada that don't have provincial drug plans.
The Liberals said the plan would cost $900-million over four years, and ensure people in all provinces can afford expensive drugs like kidney-cancer treatments that can run as much as $7,000 per month.
Most Canadian provinces already have drug plans of some kinds, but the four Atlantic Canadian provinces have far less coverage, especially for middle-income people under 65. ...more
Pharmacies suspected of selling free samples
From CBC News:
The P.E.I. Pharmacy Board is looking for help from the public to find out if some pharmacies on the Island are selling for full price drugs that were provided as samples to doctors.
The doctors get the samples for free from drug companies. The pharmacy board hasn't been able to prove it, but board registrar Neila Auld has heard enough stories to convince her samples are being sold.
Auld told CBC News on Monday she wants the public to be aware of what to look for.
"They aren't supposed to be sold through pharmacies; they're supposed to be provided through physicians as a sample," said Auld.
"I think it's happening. I think it's happening here and I think it's happening elsewhere." ...more
The P.E.I. Pharmacy Board is looking for help from the public to find out if some pharmacies on the Island are selling for full price drugs that were provided as samples to doctors.
The doctors get the samples for free from drug companies. The pharmacy board hasn't been able to prove it, but board registrar Neila Auld has heard enough stories to convince her samples are being sold.
Auld told CBC News on Monday she wants the public to be aware of what to look for.
"They aren't supposed to be sold through pharmacies; they're supposed to be provided through physicians as a sample," said Auld.
"I think it's happening. I think it's happening here and I think it's happening elsewhere." ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart targets 50 new stores a year
From Reuters:
Shoppers Drug Mart expects to boost its real estate portfolio across Canada by at least 10 percent over the next five years, both by expanding existing stores and building new ones, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Canada's biggest pharmacy chain expects to open at least 50 new stores during that period, Jurgen Schreiber, president and CEO, told an industry conference.
The company, which opened with one store in 1962, currently operates more than 1,110 stores under the Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix banners.
Schreiber said there is considerable room to expand in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, where there is one store for every 60,000 people. This compares with an average of 24,000 people per store in Ontario. ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart expects to boost its real estate portfolio across Canada by at least 10 percent over the next five years, both by expanding existing stores and building new ones, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Canada's biggest pharmacy chain expects to open at least 50 new stores during that period, Jurgen Schreiber, president and CEO, told an industry conference.
The company, which opened with one store in 1962, currently operates more than 1,110 stores under the Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix banners.
Schreiber said there is considerable room to expand in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, where there is one store for every 60,000 people. This compares with an average of 24,000 people per store in Ontario. ...more
That's a mountain to climb
From the Vancouver Province:
History is full of leaders and thinkers who have experienced world-changing visions at the summit of peaks from the Alps to the Himalayas.
Pharmasave Drugs boss Sue Paish may be the world's first CEO to seek visions half-way up a notoriously awful mountain trail, hundreds of lung-busting metres shy of the top.
Paish, 50, puts in long hours at the office, in the boardroom and on the road meeting her Langley-based company's owner-members.
She does some of her best thinking, however, scrambling up the Grouse Grind -- the steep, 853-metre path up Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.
Schedule permitting, Paish climbs the Grind five times a week. Don't press her to reveal how many minutes she takes to do the climb. ...more
History is full of leaders and thinkers who have experienced world-changing visions at the summit of peaks from the Alps to the Himalayas.
Pharmasave Drugs boss Sue Paish may be the world's first CEO to seek visions half-way up a notoriously awful mountain trail, hundreds of lung-busting metres shy of the top.
Paish, 50, puts in long hours at the office, in the boardroom and on the road meeting her Langley-based company's owner-members.
She does some of her best thinking, however, scrambling up the Grouse Grind -- the steep, 853-metre path up Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.
Schedule permitting, Paish climbs the Grind five times a week. Don't press her to reveal how many minutes she takes to do the climb. ...more
Generic medicine shortage causing hardship for many
From the Weekend Post (South Africa):
A crippling shortage of generic medicine in the Eastern and Southern Cape is a bitter pill for consumers to swallow, with many now having to pay up to 2000 per cent more for original medication that would normally have cost a fraction of the price.
National pharmaceutical companies and generic medicine manufacturers say the shortage has come in the wake of the Beijing Olympics and the subsequent Paralympics.
China, the largest producer of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals in the world, temporarily stopped chemical production in Beijing during the build-up to the Games.
According to the department of trade and industry, South Africa imports nearly 100% of its raw pharmaceutical ingredients from China.
The production halt, which lasted more than a month, has caused havoc for pharmacists in the Eastern and Southern Cape, who‘ve had to bear the brunt of patients‘ frustration. ...more
A crippling shortage of generic medicine in the Eastern and Southern Cape is a bitter pill for consumers to swallow, with many now having to pay up to 2000 per cent more for original medication that would normally have cost a fraction of the price.
National pharmaceutical companies and generic medicine manufacturers say the shortage has come in the wake of the Beijing Olympics and the subsequent Paralympics.
China, the largest producer of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals in the world, temporarily stopped chemical production in Beijing during the build-up to the Games.
According to the department of trade and industry, South Africa imports nearly 100% of its raw pharmaceutical ingredients from China.
The production halt, which lasted more than a month, has caused havoc for pharmacists in the Eastern and Southern Cape, who‘ve had to bear the brunt of patients‘ frustration. ...more
Patients at care homes get pills they don’t need
From the Belfast Telegraph:
Over half of nursing home patients in Northern Ireland are prescribed inappropriate drugs for sedation when there is no medical need, research claimed today.
The study launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester, found some 51% of nursing home patients are taking inappropriate psychoactive drugs.
The BPC said psychotropic medications have historically been used in nursing homes to sedate residents with no clinical need, including night-time sedation.
A psychoactive drug, or psychotropic substance, acts mainly on the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behaviour.
Two pharmacy studies in Northern Ireland have focused on these drugs after the implementation of an adapted US model of pharmaceutical care, called The Fleetwood Northern Ireland Model. It takes a wider look at care in a nursing home setting and the impact of direct intervention from pharmacists. ...more
Over half of nursing home patients in Northern Ireland are prescribed inappropriate drugs for sedation when there is no medical need, research claimed today.
The study launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester, found some 51% of nursing home patients are taking inappropriate psychoactive drugs.
The BPC said psychotropic medications have historically been used in nursing homes to sedate residents with no clinical need, including night-time sedation.
A psychoactive drug, or psychotropic substance, acts mainly on the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behaviour.
Two pharmacy studies in Northern Ireland have focused on these drugs after the implementation of an adapted US model of pharmaceutical care, called The Fleetwood Northern Ireland Model. It takes a wider look at care in a nursing home setting and the impact of direct intervention from pharmacists. ...more
Monday, September 15, 2008
Prescription drug abuse grows
From the Nanaimo (BC) Daily News:
A longtime Nanaimo pharmacist says prescription drug abuse is so bad, some clients are only allowed a daily dose that they must consume before they leave.
The pharmacy fears the pills will end up on the streets.
Police do not know how widespread such prescription drug abuse is in Nanaimo, although they do not think the practice has declined. Police work within the medical industry to crack down on potential prescription drug abusers and high-risk individuals.
"Any time you have an increase in street level users there's going to be an issue," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien.
Nanaimo's Clearview Centre reports a 50% increase (in the past year to 18 months) in clients detoxifying from prescription drugs. In Vancouver, Downtown Eastside health workers say pharmacists offer methadone users cash kickbacks to fill their prescriptions. ...more
A longtime Nanaimo pharmacist says prescription drug abuse is so bad, some clients are only allowed a daily dose that they must consume before they leave.
The pharmacy fears the pills will end up on the streets.
Police do not know how widespread such prescription drug abuse is in Nanaimo, although they do not think the practice has declined. Police work within the medical industry to crack down on potential prescription drug abusers and high-risk individuals.
"Any time you have an increase in street level users there's going to be an issue," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien.
Nanaimo's Clearview Centre reports a 50% increase (in the past year to 18 months) in clients detoxifying from prescription drugs. In Vancouver, Downtown Eastside health workers say pharmacists offer methadone users cash kickbacks to fill their prescriptions. ...more
Clot buster may be given later for strokes: study
From CBC News:
Stroke patients can safely be given a clot dissolving drug within 4.5 hours, an extension of the conventional three-hour window, a European study suggests. The longer timeframe may help patients who can't reach a hospital quickly to access specialist care.
An ischemic stroke occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain and cuts off circulation, potentially causing death or permanent disability. Doctors give a drug called tissue plasminogen activator or tPA by intravenous to dissolve clogs lodged in the brain to treat the most common type of stroke.
Treatment guidelines in Canada, the U.S. and Europe set a three-hour time limit for giving tPA because of fears that it may cause dangerous bleeding or other complications.
Given safety concerns, European regulators requested further observational studies and a randomized clinical trial on tPA, also called alteplase.
In Monday's online issue of the medical journal The Lancet, Prof. Nils Wahlgren of the department of clinical neurosciences at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and his colleagues reported no significant differences between subjects who were given the drug after three hours compared to four hours. ..more
Stroke patients can safely be given a clot dissolving drug within 4.5 hours, an extension of the conventional three-hour window, a European study suggests. The longer timeframe may help patients who can't reach a hospital quickly to access specialist care.
An ischemic stroke occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain and cuts off circulation, potentially causing death or permanent disability. Doctors give a drug called tissue plasminogen activator or tPA by intravenous to dissolve clogs lodged in the brain to treat the most common type of stroke.
Treatment guidelines in Canada, the U.S. and Europe set a three-hour time limit for giving tPA because of fears that it may cause dangerous bleeding or other complications.
Given safety concerns, European regulators requested further observational studies and a randomized clinical trial on tPA, also called alteplase.
In Monday's online issue of the medical journal The Lancet, Prof. Nils Wahlgren of the department of clinical neurosciences at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and his colleagues reported no significant differences between subjects who were given the drug after three hours compared to four hours. ..more
Thyroid drug alternative here
From the Otago (NZ) Daily Times:
An unsubsidised alternative to a controversial thyroid drug went into pharmacies throughout the country yesterday, on the eve of a Medsafe announcement on its progress in finding a replacement medicine.
At noon today, Medsafe will report on its moves to find another drug as an alternative to Eltroxin, which is used by an estimated 70,000 people in the country who suffer from an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said yesterday in Parliament an alternative would be available within a few weeks.
Two had been offered.
More than 830 reports of side effects from Eltroxin had been received by the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring in Dunedin since the formulation of the drug was changed last year, although the active component was not altered. ...more
An unsubsidised alternative to a controversial thyroid drug went into pharmacies throughout the country yesterday, on the eve of a Medsafe announcement on its progress in finding a replacement medicine.
At noon today, Medsafe will report on its moves to find another drug as an alternative to Eltroxin, which is used by an estimated 70,000 people in the country who suffer from an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said yesterday in Parliament an alternative would be available within a few weeks.
Two had been offered.
More than 830 reports of side effects from Eltroxin had been received by the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring in Dunedin since the formulation of the drug was changed last year, although the active component was not altered. ...more