Drug Companies

RLS Anti-Ad Video is as Bad as Drug Company DTC

A Consumer Reports video of the Requip DTC ad (another drug used to treat RLS, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline) has been published. Let me first state that I’ve seen the Requip ad in question many times when I watch TV, and each time I have the same negative reaction to the ad. This means I have [...]

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Stronger Warnings on Heart Failure Risk for Avandia and Actos Type Drugs

Update: “FDA Adds Boxed Warning for Heart Attacks to Anti-Diabetes Drug Avandia. Agency says drug to remain on market, while safety assessment continues” The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring some Type 2 diabetes drugs to change its product label to include a heart failure risk warning. This “boxed” warning emphasizes that the [...]

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Is Restless Leg Syndrome Bullshit?

This past week’s Sunday “Post Secrets” had a postcard that said, “I don’t care what you said, I still think RLS IS BULLSHIT” sent on a postcard made from a Mirapex (prescription drug for restless leg syndrome or RLS) ad. This generated a flurry of comments in the Post Secret discussion forum, where people talked [...]

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Device Companies Post How Much They Paid Orthopedic Surgeons

Major device companies that have been investigated by the government and entered into settlement were required to post how much they paid to orthopedic surgeons for consulting services. Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog posted the links to the company websites disclosing payment sums: Stryker Consulting Payments (check out Richard Harrison Rothman in Philly) J&J’s DePuy [...]

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DTC Advertising: Doctors Still Hate It But Industry Continues to Use It

New England Journal of Medicine recently published a paper looking at “A Decade of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs”, where the study authors looked at pharma company spending on DTC advertising and physician promotion in the past 10 years (1996-2006). The authors also looked at the FDA regulation of drug advertising during this time. While [...]

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