Rats On Antidepressants Showed Signs Of Autism
Yet another study suggests the possibility of a link between antidepressant use and autism. This time, rats given Celexa just before and after birth showed what researchers describe as substantial brain abnormalities and behaviors. Celexa is an SSRI, or serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor, a popular class of antidepressants that includes Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro. […]
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Congress Blasts FDA Over Heparin Scandal, Again
In their latest clash with the FDA over the four-year-old heparin scandal, several Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have blasted the agency for failing to pursue a pair of so-called workshops in China that allegedly sold tainted supplies that led to more than 80 deaths in the US back in 2007 and […]
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Occupy Novartis? Protesters Target Job Cuts
First, it was Occupy Wall Street. Then came, Occupy Pfizer. Now, we have Occupy Novartis. Thanks to an ongoing stream of job cuts by the Swiss drugmaker – including 2,000 announced earlier this week (see here) – a trade union and the youth faction of the Socialist Party are planning a demonstration outside the comfy […]
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Pfizer Advertising Blunder for the Ages
Here is a blunder for the history books, or perhaps a case study for a business school. With just one racy advertisement, Pfizer has taken a venerable product that has been widely used by who-knows-how-many millions of people for more than 100 years and damaged its reputation by alienating a huge swath of the consumer-buying […]
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Celesio’s new CEO unveils radical shakeup
Celesio may sell Manufacturer Solutions division Celesio’s new Chief Executive Markus Pinger announced a radical shakeup of the drugs distributor, two months after taking the helm amid sliding earnings and discord with its biggest shareholder. Celesio said on Wednesday it may sell its Manufacturer Solutions division to focus on distribution, would slash costs to improve […]
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Amgen Takes $780M Charge For Marketing Probes
In an effort to rid itself of several nagging civil and criminal investigations, as well as several whistleblower lawsuits, Amgen has reached an agreement to settle charges that certain sales and marketing pratices were illegal. As part of the move, the biotech is taking a $780 million in its third quarter, although talks are still […]
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Pfizer sued over drug recall
The animal health wing of the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is being sued by a Chinese specialty veterinary medicine manufacturer after the company stopped selling its 3-Nitro anti-coccidial product in June following concerns over arsenic residues in meat. Zhejiang Rongyao Chemical is claiming a breach of contract as the Chinese company had an exclusive multi-year […]
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Novartis To Eliminate Another 2,000 Jobs
n a bid to grapple with its pipeline and pricing pressures, Novartis is going to cut 1,100 from Switzerland, where its operations are headquartered, and another 900 jobs from the US. The move extends a round of layoffs that began a year ago with the elimination of 1,400 US sales reps and another 550 jobs […]
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Shocking! Lilly Pulls Xigris Drug After Study Fails
In the latest setback for Eli Lilly, the drugmaker is withdrawing its 10-year-old Xigris treatment for septic shock after a study found the medication failed to help patients live longer in a clinical trial. Specifically, the study did not find a statistically significant reduction in 28-day all-cause mortality in patients with septic shock. The study, […]
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FDA Updates Warnings on Methylene Blue, Linezolid, and Serotonergics
FDA has fine-tuned a warning issued in July to avoid prescribing either methylene blue or linezolid (Zyvox, Pfizer) in combination with serotonergic agents because of the potential to cause serotonin syndrome. Today, the FDA announced that the risk for this harmful interaction appears to be confined, in general, to 2 specific types of serotonergic drugs: […]
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