Tag: Pharmalot

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far, and remember there are only a few more days until the weekend arrives. So keep plugging away. After all, what are the alternatives? While you ponder the possibilities, we invite you to join us for a needed cup of stimulation, which we hope to find shortly since we are on the road. Perhaps we can meet? Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you on your way. We hope you conquer the world and have a wonderful day. And as always, please do stay in touch. We appreciate feedback, tips, and criticism. …

Martin Shkreli is back, but the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is not happy, STAT says. The agency and seven states asked a U.S. court to hold Shkreli in contempt for “flagrantly and repeatedly” violating a court order banning him from working in the pharmaceutical industry. Shkreli, known as “pharma bro” for imperiously defending his decision to raise the price of a drug by 5,000%, was sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding investors in 2018. Before his release in 2022, a court banned him from ever working in the industry again, saying he illegally tried to prevent generic competition to the drug. Since then, he became a prolific trader in pharma stocks, broadcasting his analysis in posts and livestreams on X and other platforms.

European Union antitrust regulators accepted concessions from Sanofi to settle an investigation into an allegedly “misleading” campaign that disparaged the only rival flu vaccine recommended for vulnerable patients at risk for developing the illness, STAT tells us. In doing so, the company avoided being fined. The European Commission had suggested that Sanofi portrayed the Fluad vaccine marketed by CSL Seqirus as inferior to its own Efluelda vaccine in a communication campaign that primarily targeted health care professionals in Germany and France. Sanofi holds a dominant position in both countries, according to the EC.

Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. And it is getting off to a pleasant start here on the Pharmalot campus, where clear blue skies and comfy breezes are greeting us. As for the official mascots, they are happily snoozing in their respective corners. As for us, we are firing up the trusty kettle for another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is butter pecan. Of course, you are invited to join us. For the full experience, we are now hawking replicas — take a look. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. As always, do keep in touch. We appreciate feedback, criticism, and tips. …

Two months after the release of an open letter on potential safety issues tied to a rare disease drug sold by Neurocrine Biosciences, patient advocates and some experts are expressing growing alarm over the perceived risks of the therapy, STAT reports. The drug, approved to treat Prader-Willi syndrome, which can cause an insatiable feeling of hunger, has been linked to the deaths of seven people and the  hospitalization of nearly 100 others — all since the treatment, called Vykat XR, was approved 18 months ago. Case reports on those deaths and hospitalizations that were submitted to regulators do not prove causality; many of the Vykat cases involved complex medical issues and multiple medications. But some experts say the evidence is sufficient to conclude Vykat is causing unacceptable harm.

The gifts and payments that doctors receive from drugmakers increased inappropriate prescribing and the number of prescriptions written, likely leading to rising health care costs, STAT writes, citing a Cochrane review of dozens of previous studies that have explored the influence the pharmaceutical industry has on medical practice. In addition, pharmaceutical advertising or education aimed at doctors may also increase inappropriate prescribing, probably increases the number of prescriptions written, and may increase the costs of prescriptions. But conflict-of-interest policies that restrict or manage interactions between companies and doctors probably improved prescribing practices.