Study: Lab test can prevent severe blood clots in testosterone patients
September 30, 2011
A recent study finds that a blood test can prevent disastrous blood clots in men receiving testosterone therapy.
Actos has little to worry about Avandia lawsuits
May 10, 2011
Glaxo May Settle 1,000 More Lawsuits Over Avandia, Patients’ Lawyer Says | www.bloomberg.com
The FDA has practically eliminated Avandia based on either an analysis considered by everybody faulty or on data that were never released to the public. Actos has a different cardiovascular safety profile and Takeda should not and probably will not settle any lawsuits concerning risk of heart attack.
Aspirin cuts heart attack but not strokes, but not in everybody
April 24, 2011
Aspirin cuts heart attacks, but not deaths or strokes: study | www.reuters.com
Aspirin is a great drug to take for prevention of heart attacks but is not for everybody: - In women aspirin prevents strokes but not heart attacks - In patients with diabetes and no heart disease it does not seem to work - In patients with poor circulation to the legs it is not strong enoughThe lack of prevention of death might be due to the fact that the patient studied had less heart attacks but did not oblige the investigators by dying for them. Given the right patient aspirin remains a great drug.
Analysis of most prescribed drugs is no surprise
April 24, 2011
What Drug Did Doctors Prescribe Most Last Year? | blogs.wsj.com
In times of cost constrains this is no concern. There are additional factors to explain the numbers, some of them related to FDA wisdom:- Multiple new drug applications in metabolic area have been turned down- Propoxiphene was withdrawn increasing dramatically the use of hydrocodone- Atorvastatin is already generic in other countries Others are related to strategy of the Pharmaceuticals:- Lipitor keeps the market share against simvastatin by issuing $4.00 coupons- Advair and Plavix are heavily advertized directly to the consumer As fewer drugs are approved and many drugs are getting old the overall picture is a logical consequence.
September 30, 2009
Controls to blood sugar 'cuts stroke risk' | www.barchester.com
There have been many epidemiologic studies showing a very tight correlation between baseline A1c and cardiovascular mortalityDespite this, five major randomized prospective studies have failed to show any macrovascular benefit for tighter glucose controlThe logical conclusion is that glucose is, therefore, a marker for increased mortality but not a modifiable risk factor thereofThis is why FDA has mandated cardiovascular safety for new antidiabetic agentsData dredging persists, however
November 13, 2008
CRESTOR Demonstrates Dramatic CV Risk Reduction in a Large Statin Outcomes Study | www.astrazeneca.com
1:Crestor is the most potent statin in the market,yet is 3d in sales behind Zocor and Lipitor.2:The efficacy supriority together with its capacity to lower CRP levels led to the highest rate of ASCVD prevention in the shortest period of time evr documented in statin trials.3:The trial in near 18,000 patients with otherwise lower risk of ASCVD offered $0% reduction y many ascvd endpoints.4:There were no statistical differences in side effect compared to placebo.5:The dosage was 20 mg /day (an intermediate dose below the approved max dose of 40 mg/day
September 29, 2008
Many Trial Reports on FDA-Approved Drugs Go Unpublished | www.washingtonpost.com
This article is not news for clinical researchers like myself that have performed hundreds of clinical trials in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Industry. Some of the most common reasons for that are: A)Negative studies are difficult to get published.B)Negative results for the dug of the sponsor company are of potentially damaging financial for the sponsor.C)There is no FDA regulation that prohibits a sponsor to deny access to data and freedom of publication to Investigators of the trial not employed by them. Some of the possible solutions for these problems are:A)Complete freedom of access and publication of data by investigators.B)Sponsors of studies be obligated to submit result regardless of outcome,to FDA.C)Studies shall be easily searchable in a Google style manner at FDA files,by naming a company ,a drug ,a condition,etc,etc.
June 23, 2008
After One Year, Type 2 Diabetes Patients Taking Exenatide Once Weekly Sustained Improvements in Glycemic Control and Weight; DURATION-1 Presented at ADA 2008 | newsroom.lilly.com
More than 50% of patients have the 3 ccomponents to qualify for diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome.Twwo of the components,Diabetes and Obesity are present in 20-25% of them and are difficult to control.Exenatide seems to provide that benefit.
February 19, 2008
China Plant Played Role | online.wsj.com
1:Most of our legislators are forcefully endorsing generic drug usage and importing cheaper drugs.2:As a physician specialist in Clinical Pharmacologist I am fully aware or the safety and efficacy pitfalls of poorly manufactured drugs and have done clinical research documenting the risks of patients treated with them.3:For that reason I strongly advised my patients to buy branded drugs by reputable Pharmaceutical Companies who have much to loose if found to manufacture poorly made drugs.
January 23, 2008
No right to experimental drugs for dying patients: Supreme Court | news.yahoo.com
One, twenty years ago I was the chairman of the government affairs committee of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; under that role my committee was successful lobbying for approval new investigational drugs for possible treatment of AIDS. We were successful in getting the FDA to approve the testing of those drugs to dying AIDS patients. Such approval led to the discovery and successful drugs we have available today for the treatment of AIDS. Two, This scenario can be easily applied to patients that are dying from any other incurable diseases where drugs that have the potential for serious toxicity cannot be ethically tested in human volunteers or patients with the same disease but not yet at a terminal stage.
February 7, 2012
What do the cloud, collaboration and virtualization have in common?
January 27, 2012
Clinical diagnostic acquisitions dominate 2011 top ten list
January 12, 2012
Gene therapy success threatens drugs for hemophilia and rare diseases
December 13, 2011
Medtech M&A activity accelerates in 2011
November 30, 2011