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The introduction of abuse-deterrent OxyContin, couple with the removal of propoxyphene from the US prescription marketplace may have played a role in decreasing opioid prescribing and overdoses, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

After an extensive review, researchers said they were unsure whether the risks of prescription opioids outweighed the potential benefits for managing chronic pain.

FDA has approved ivabradine (Corlanor, Amgen) to reduce hospitalization due to worsening heart failure. Corlanor is an antianginal agent approved for use in patients who have chronic heart failure caused by the lower-left part of the heart not contracting well.

FDA has approved changes to the hepatitis C antiviral simeprevir (Olysio, Janssen) label to include new warnings about serious symptomatic bradycardia-slowing of the heart rate-when co-administered with antiarrhythmic drug amiodarone and antiviral sofosbuvir (Solvaldi, Gilead).

The FDA today approved the first generic version of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) for treating patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) on April 16.

Ibrutinib, a newly approved drug for Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia, a rare form of lymphoma, continued to control the rare blood cancer, with 95% of patients surviving for 2 years, according to a new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE) are accruing specialty drug treatment costs of more than $300,000 annually on average, according to a study presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 27th Annual Meeting and Expo, in San Diego.

Onglyza, the diabetes medication manufactured by AstraZeneca, may be associated with an increased death rate, according to a preliminary review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A Louisiana senator is calling for a closed drug formulary for the state’s Worker’s Compensation program, to help combat the overutilization of opioids and compounded drugs.

The pricing of oncology drugs is not necessarily based on their novelty or effectiveness, according to a new JAMA Oncology study. Instead, researchers found, “current pricing models are not rational but simply reflect what the market will bear.”

In a large, mutli-center study, researchers discovered potential biomarkers for accurately assessing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) disease progression. The study, published in the March 11 issue of The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, was led by R. Gisli Jenkins, PhD, with the Division of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. The PROFILE study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline R & D and the Medical Research Council.

Antibiotic-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) exposed to cigarette smoke become even more resistant to killing by the immune system, according to a study published in Infection and Immunity.

Initiating antipsychotics may elevate a child’s risk not only for significant weight gain, but also for type 2 diabetes by nearly 50%, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics. Moreover, among children who are also receiving antidepressants, the risk may double.

Actavis plc on Friday said it filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Ambrisentan Tablets, a generic version of Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s Letairis®, a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension.