New Drugs

American consumers may be seeing far fewer television ads sponsored by big pharma companies, if recent developments in the industry are any indication.  One of the first clear signals that a change is underway, may have been Bristol Meyers Squibb's announcement last week that it is suspending DTC advertising for its new drugs for their first year on the market. Although some critics have portrayed BMS' motives for the decision as a noble one, the rationale for the decision may have …

The National Institutes of Health says it will fund clinical trials on drugs the pharma industry isn't interested in pursuing, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal this morning. The agency is considering funding early stage trials for new drugs designed to treat conditions for which there are few effective medicines available. The NIH program is already underway, with government money already having gone to help fund an early stage trial for a Schizophrenia drug …

Pharma companies taking part in the Food and Drug Administration's accelerated approval process for new drugs routinely fail to complete post-marketing studies required by the agency, a Congressional review has found. The review, conducted by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), looked at studies required under the program between 1993 and October 2004. Markey's staff found 46 of the 91 clinical trials ordered during that period had not yet been completed. Markey is a sponsor of legislation …