Posted on April 29th, 2010 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
The FDA today approved Provenge (sipuleucel-T), a new cancer “vaccine” made by Dendreon for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men with an estimated 192,000 new cases and 27,000 deaths in 2009.
This is an important event that marks the approval of the [...]
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Posted on July 16th, 2009 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
A recent survey of 367 healthcare executives–representing payers, providers, and pharmaceutical companies–suggests that most of them are not prepared for the changing economic conditions and the evolving prospects for reform:
Only 30 percent of executives representing the health care industry in the United States say their companies are ready for reform and changing economic conditions… 76 [...]
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Posted on July 12th, 2009 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
Pfizer’s Plavix, the second best-selling drug in the world, now has a formidable rival on the market. The more potent antiplatelet prasugrel, made by Eli Lilly & Co., was just approved by the FDA and Lilly’s shares rose 32 cents, or 1%, to $33.32. As I had written in my previous blog entry on this [...]
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Posted on April 14th, 2009 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
In the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Eric G. Campbell, Ph.D., writes about “The Future of Research Funding in Academic Medicine.”
The premise:
Medical schools and teaching hospitals in the United States are essential producers of basic scientific and clinical knowledge that drives our supply of new medicines, devices, and other health care [...]
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Posted on March 9th, 2009 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
It costs drug companies about $800 million to develop a new drug that may not even be approved by the regulators. The rising costs of drug development coupled with a stagnant pipeline has urged Merck to buy Schering-Plough for an impressive $41.1 billion in cash and stock, making them the second largest drug company in [...]
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Posted on January 22nd, 2009 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
It’s been over a month since my last blog post. A lot has happened since then. Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, not once, but twice! Our medical practice was featured on CNN in a segment called “You won’t go in to see the doctor,” showcasing a [...]
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Posted on July 16th, 2008 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
The antiplatelet agent Plavix (Clopidogrel Bisulfate; BMS/Sanofi Aventis) is the second best selling drug on the market, with sales nearing $8 billion in 2007. Plavix will go generic in 2011 and a much more potent antiplatelet drug called prasugrel (Lilly/Daiichi Sankyo) may soon take its place, or at least that’s what the developers hope to [...]
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Posted on June 4th, 2008 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
HDL has long been praised as the “good cholesterol,” as opposed to its evil twin LDL, aka the “bad cholesterol.” Low levels of HDL and high levels of LDL are associated with increased risk of heart disease. High levels of HDL are thought to be protective against heart disease and can offset some of the [...]
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Posted on April 8th, 2008 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
Since the controversy over the ENHANCE trial and the drug Vytorin, Schering-Plough’s stock has taken a hit. On April 2nd, the company announced the launch of their productivity and transformation program to confront their new challenges. “We are taking the tough actions that are needed to respond to a tough situation,” said Fred Hassan, Chairman [...]
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Posted on February 14th, 2008 by Sean Khozin, MD, MPH
A US congressional committee is investigating whether the makers of Vytorin knew about the negative results of a key study showing that their expensive drug is no more effective than a cheaper generic.
Vtyorin, a cholesterol drug made by Merck and Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals is a combination of ezetimibe [...]
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