News

A 2-week course of rifaximin (Xifaxan, Salix Pharmaceuticals) relieved bloating and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome for more than 2 months after treatment ended, according to research published January 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Rifaximin is the first treatment that targets the underlying cause of IBS, rather than just treating the symptoms, researchers said.

FDA has approved the premix formulation of vancomycin injection, USP (750 mg/150 mL) (Baxter). Vancomycin is an antibiotic used to treat severe infections caused by susceptible strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and/or treat patients who are penicillin-resistant.

Severe liver injury, including 2 cases of acute liver failure leading to liver transplant in patients treated with the medication, has been associated with the use of dronedarone (Multaq), according to an FDA Drug Safety Communication announcement.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has announced a new community partner strategy that will focus on four key areas: healthy child development, education enrichment, healthy environments and family nutrition, and sustainable health care.

With new electronic medical records (EMR) rules taking effect by 2012 and the technology becoming necessary by 2015 for practices to receive tax benefits and subsidies, health plans are assessing their role in the electronic exchange of healthcare information.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has released a study of how ? and how well ? the cancer patient's transition from the hospital inpatient setting to outpatient oncology group is managed.

CVS Caremark Corporation, the second-largest drugstore chain in the U.S., plans to acquire the Medicare Prescription Drug business of Universal American for about $1.25 billion.

Severe liver injury, including 2 cases of acute liver failure leading to liver transplant in patients treated with the medication, has been associated with the use of dronedarone (Multaq), according to an FDA Drug Safety Communication announcement.

FDA has approved a label update to include a 200-mg formulation of etravirine (Intelence, Tibotec Therapeutics), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 in adults resistant to an NNRTI and other antiretroviral agents.

FDA has approved fentanyl (Abstral, ProStraken) transmucosal tablets to manage breakthrough pain for adults with cancer. Fentanyl immediate-release transmucosal medications are administered on the soft surfaces of the mouth (inside of the cheek, gum, tongue), or the nasal passages or throat where they dissolve and are absorbed.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America is set to release its first guidelines for the treatment of the increasingly common and potentially deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.

The impact of generic drugs-which now account for more than 70% of all prescriptions dispensed in the United States-will continue to increase as some of the world's most-prescribed products lose their patent protection in 2011 and begin facing generic competition.

FDA is asking manufacturers of prescription combination products that contain acetaminophen to limit the amount of acetaminophen to no more than 325 mg in each tablet or capsule.

FDA has approved fentanyl (Abstral, ProStraken) transmucosal tablets to manage breakthrough pain for adults with cancer.

In a guest editorial, 2 researchers highlighted the importance of the FDA approval in October of dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim), an oral thrombin inhibitor that provides an alternative to warfarin (Coumadin, Bristol-Myers Squibb) for long-term stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

The addition of bortezomib to the standard induction therapy before double autologous stem cell transplantation for patients with multiple myeloma appears to improve nearly threefold the rates of complete or near complete response, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

Patients who are newly treated with statin-fibrate concurrent therapy are slightly more likely to be hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis than those who take just one of the medications, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology, HealthDay News reported.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anticancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when updated drug labels, including boxed warnings, are required, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Daily aspirin taken for at least 5 years appears to greatly reduce mortality from gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal cancers, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of osteoporosis and related bone disease.

A combination of lapatinib, trastuzumab, and paclitaxel significantly improved tumor response rates in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancers, according to a new study presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, Texas.

Recent FDA action (through, December 2010) related to Ezogabine, Ticagrelor, Naltrexone SR/bupropion, Clostridium difficile vaccine, Elacytarabine, Glycerol phenylbutyrate, Perifosine, Cladribine Tablets, Florbetapir, ALS-AVP-21D9, Cyclosporine, PRX-8066, QLT091001.

New indication: Denosumab (Xgeva) has been approved for prevention of skeletal-related events from bone metastases from solid tumors.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are seen by a rheumatologist within 12 weeks of symptom onset were likely to experience less joint destruction and have a higher chance of achieving disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug-free remission, according to a new study published December 2010 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Parkinson's disease, which decreases the amount of dopamine in the brain, affects about 1 million Americans. Available medical therapy cannot modify the progression of the disease; medications have only been shown to alleviate its symptoms.

Generic drugs approved by FDA (through December 2010): Levocetirizine tablets

New combination: Saxagliptin and metformin extended release (Kombiglyze XR) was approved to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Antihypertensive therapy with an angiotensin receptor blocker is not associated with reductions in cardiovascular or all-cause mortality compared to non-ARB-based regimens in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.