News Archives
Large US Study links Osteoporosis Drug Fosamax to Jaw Bone Death
A new U.S. study released in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) indicates that even short term use of oral bisphosphonates including Fosamax may lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), commonly referred to as jaw bone death. Previous studies suggested said that patients taking oral bisphosphonates...
Wyeth's Use of Alleged Medical Ghostwriting Questioned by U.S. Senator
As a part of the Senate Finance Committee’s ongoing investigation into medical ghostwriting and specifically referring to documents produced in the ongoing hormone replacement litigation, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters today to drug giant Wyeth and DesignWrite, Inc. (a medical communications company) asking for information about...
Study Shows Most Male Cancer Deaths Caused by Smoking
A recent study funded by UC Davis, the Health Research Board (Ireland), and the National Cancer Institute suggests that more than 70% of cancer deaths are caused by smoking, a much higher percentage than previous estimates of 34% in 2001. Data was analyzed from the National Center for Health Statistics to compare lung cancer death rates to the...
Florida Attorney General Sues Merck Over Vioxx
Following a three year investigation, a lawsuit was filed by Florida ’s Attorney General on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, against pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc., to reimburse the State of Florida over payments Medicaid and other state agencies made for the prescription medication Vioxx. The lawsuit claims that Merck hid crucial...
New Medicare Rules Mean No Reimbursement for "Hospital Acquired" Medical Complications
New Rules effective October 1, 2008, will mean that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) will no longer reimburse for medical expenses that are a result of hospital-acquired medical complications or medical errors, and this is expected to bring a significant increase in litigation between hospitals, patients, physicians alike....
U.S. Senate to Keep Close Tabs on Medical Device Ads
A group of U.S. Senators may be calling for new restrictions on consumer-directed advertisements on new medical devices including products like artificial joints and heart stents due to concerns that the ads mislead consumers. Data presented at a recent hearing on medical device ads showed that medical device manufacturers spent almost $200 million...
A revision to the Physician Payment Sunshine Act would establish a national database to be maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will track the names and addresses of every physician who receives a gift valued at more than $25 from pharmaceutical and medical device companies with $100 million or more in annual...
Health "Credit Reports" Used by Health and Life Insurance Companies Prompt Privacy Concerns
According to a report yesterday in the Washington Post, databases containing prescription drug records kept by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on more than 200 million Americans are being used by insurance companies to judge an applicant’s risk. Usually, insurance companies gather an applicant’s medical records from physicians’...
A recent study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine identified intra-articular pain pump catheters as the likely cause of irreversible cartilage damage and a condition known as Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Condrolysis (or PAGCL). PAGCL is the deterioration of the cartilage within the shoulder joint following the use of a pain pump...
Yesterday, the Federal Aviation Administration banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using the smoking cessation drug Chantix due to emerging data on the drug’s potential side effects. Chantix, a non-nicotine prescription medication manufactured by the drug giant Pfizer, is used to help people stop smoking. The drug was fast-tracked...
