Drug Companies News
Drugmakers Continue to Advertise Dangerous Products While Lawsuits Pile Up
In a recent poll among doctors, Boehringer Ingelheim’s print ads for Pradaxa (dabigatran) were ranked the most effective of 2011, according to Medical Marketing & Media. However, the amount of money a pharmaceutical company spends on selling its product doesn’t necessarily make it better or safer. For example, Pradaxa’s manufacturer spent an estimated $464 million [...]
Diabetes Increases Risk of Heart Attack; Global Life Expectancy Increases
A look at some of the week’s top news includes diabetes and heart attack risk, Pfizer’s deceptive marketing practices and longer global life expectancy. The Guardian reported that one of the largest studies conducted by England’s NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre found that diabetes increases the risk of heart attack by 48 percent. [...]
Investigation Shows Advair Inappropriately Used for Mild Asthma
A news investigation has found that growth of a blockbuster asthma drug linked to serious risks came after doctors who received money from the manufacturer issued new treatment recommendations. GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair has been prescribed for millions of asthma patients — including children — despite medical records and independent doctors indicating it isn’t the correct treatment. [...]
Court: Off-Label Drug Marketing Protected as Free Speech
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit voted 2-to-1 this week to throw out a conviction against a drug salesman for promoting a drug for off-label use. The court stated that the salesman’s freedom of speech had been violated. Legal experts say the government will most likely ask for a rehearing before taking the [...]
GlaxoSmithKline to Pay $90 Million in Avandia Settlement
The manufacturer of popular diabetes drug Avandia agreed to settle lawsuits from 38 states by paying $90 million in fines — without admitting guilt. GlaxoSmithKline was accused of downplaying the risks of heart attacks and stroke associated with the blockbuster drug. “When aggressive pharmaceutical marketing misrepresents known risks of a drug or deceptively markets positive [...]
U.S. House Committee Investigates Meningitis Outbreak
With 451 people sickened and 32 people dead from steroid shots contaminated by meningitis, the U.S. House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing Wednesday to investigate how the tragedy might have been avoided. The outbreak, which began in September, affected people receiving steroid shots manufactured by the New [...]