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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.

FDA actions in brief, priority review, breakthrough therapy designation, fast-track designations, orphan drug designations, first-time generic approvals

Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen said this week that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must stop direct-to-consumer advertisements that market several “dangerous” diabetes medications for weight loss or blood pressure reduction.

Sarepta Therapeutics CEO Chris Garabedian resigned earlier this week, a move that may be linked to a dispute with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the approval process for its new drug, according to The Wall Street Journal.