March 1st 2022
Despite the promise of savings billions of dollars in the United States, adoption of biosimilars has been slow. A roundtable discussion among employers highlighted some of the barriers, including formulary design and drug pricing and rebates.
Pharmacologic management of chronic hepatitis B
July 1st 2007Chronic hepatitis B is a common disease worldwide with significant morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis is essential but difficult, as most patients with chronic hepatitis B do not have specific symptoms until the symptoms of advanced disease occur. The main goal of therapy is to prevent cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma by suppressing hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels. The decision to treat and the choice of therapy require careful consideration of both patient and drug characteristics, as stated in both an expert panel consensus recommendation and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) treatment guidelines. Lamivudine, once the mainstay of oral antiviral treatment, has been supplanted by newer agents such as adefovir, entecavir, and telbivudine, which produce less drug resistance overall; these oral agents often require long-term treatment. Pegylated interferon alfa-2a, which has a predefined treatment course but is often poorly tolerated, is now the main option in..
FDA pipeline preview, July 2007
July 1st 2007The latest FDA action (through July 2007) related to tramadol (Labopharm), SPD465 (Shire), continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator (Roche), fosaprepitant (Merck), ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine (Acambis), repository corticotropin injection (Questcor), rimonabant (Sanofi-Aventis), tamibarotene (Innovive), mycophenolate (Aspreva), romidepsin (Gloucester), aripiprazole (Otsuka/Bristol-Myers Squibb), AMT 011 (Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics), aminolevulinic acid (Dusa), cyclosporine A (Novagali), and ARD-07 (Ardana)
Use of acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and aspirin linked to increased risk of hypertension in men
June 1st 2007Men who use acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs), or aspirin are at an increased risk of developing hypertension, compared with nonusers, according to a large, retrospective, case-controlled study.