New Drugs news from FierceHealthcare

Merck has agreed to a $58 million settlement with 29 states and the District of Columbia to settle allegations that it downplayed heart risks created by Vioxx in direct-to-consumer advertising. Under Read more...

In today's newsletter, we included a link to a sly pharmaceutical marketing parody for a fictional drug. The drug, dubbed "Panexa," is said to be good for Read more...

In most cases, biotech firms turn to venture capital, public stock offerings and traditional financing to fund their medical research efforts. However, in Massachusetts at least, biotechs are turning Read more...

It looks like the prescription data miners have won another victory. After successfully challenging a similar law in New Hampshire, Wolters Kluwer Health, IMS Health and Verispan have won an action Read more...

With dangers from antidepressant use in children, Read more...

Pharma lobbyists are facing new challenges this month as the House of Representatives takes on a new FDA overhaul bill which could limit consumer drug advertising. Critics have suggested that such advertising can boost spending unnecessarily, but observers--including some not on the pharmas' payroll--suggest that the ads help educate consumers about new treatment options.

The Senate version of the bill had imposed a ban on consumer drug advertising during the first two years a drug …

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On the one hand, everyone would like to see potentially beneficial drugs approved as soon as possible. On the other, no one wants to see the FDA speed heedlessly through the approval process either. As scandals blow up on Capitol Hill over Avandia and other drugs, critics are beginning to question whether the FDA is striking the right balance between speed and safety. Evidence increasingly suggests that the FDA has a habit of silencing internal and external critics--and that safety may be …

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How often do you see the insurance industry petition the government to set up another federal agency? Well, in this case, this most unlikely of events has actually occurred. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the association representing health insurers, has asked Congress to create an agency dedicated to comparing the effectiveness of existing medical treatments, drugs and devices with new ones. (It would be intriguing to see whether some doctors' instincts are correct that snazzy …

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> UnitedHealth has created a new claims submission website allowing physicians to file claims in real time. The health plan says the system can confirm patient costs within 10 seconds. Article

> A group of California lawmakers and consumer advocates are pushing for state regulation of medical insurance rates, similar to rules that already govern auto insurance. …

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Doctors taking more than $50,000 from a drug or medical device company would be banned from voting on approval for that company's products if a new FDA rule becomes final. Physicians with such strong financial ties to a company whose products are under consideration--or ties to a competitor--would not be allowed to serve on the committees that make approval decisions. This represents a significant change from existing rules which, while they bar advisers holding $100,000 or more of stock …

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