Merck

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Congress to Probe 'Misleading' Drug Ads

Cholesterol, anemia drugs in spotlight

(Newser) - A congressional panel will examine three ad campaigns as part of a move to tighten regulations on drug companies' direct-to-consumer marketing, the Wall Street Journal reports. The committee will focus on ads for cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Lipitor, and anemia drug Procrit, which has been promoted as an anti-fatigue drug...

Investors Cagey, Stocks Mixed as Fed Meets

Bad economic news takes its toll

(Newser) - Stocks ended mixed but mostly down today as cautious investors digested bad economic news while the Fed met, presumably to discuss further rate cuts. "In many ways, the economy seems fundamentally weaker now" than during the last official recession in 2001, an economist told the Wall Street Journal. The...

Serious Side Effects Linked to Avandia, Fosamax

Heart trouble, brittle bones tied to drugs

(Newser) - Two new studies have linked the popular prescription drugs Fosamax and Avandia to serious side effects, Reuters reports. Fosamax, prescribed for osteoporosis, has been tied to a type of abnormal heartbeat that can cause dizziness and fatigue. Another study links Avandia, used to treat diabetes, to a double or even...

Merck Used Ghostwriters to Draft Rosy Vioxx Studies

Company downplayed risks in medical articles on drug found to be a killer

(Newser) - Merck used its own ghostwriters to draft articles minimizing risks of its drug Vioxx, then found medical researchers to lend their names to the research, the Wall Street Journal reports. Merck, which pulled the painkiller from shelves four years ago over heart-attack risks, rejects the claims as "misleading."...

Doc: Merck Fudged Minutes of Meeting

Vytorin probe challeges firm's account of delay in trial results

(Newser) - Merck's "minutes" of a meeting of heart doctors discussing cholesterol drug Vytorin were created a month after the meeting and distorted the viewpoints of the experts, one panel member changes. The drug company submitted the document to congressional investigators probing its two-year delay in releasing a report saying the...

Slow Day Sees Modest Losses
 Slow Day Sees Modest Losses 
MARKETS
Apr 2, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Slow Day Sees Modest Losses

Stocks end mostly lower after Bernanke testimony

(Newser) - The markets slid into negative territory after Ben Bernanke's Congressional testimony on the state of the economy today, but trading was generally low-key. "Flat is good," an economist told the Wall Street Journal. "People are getting their nerve back." The Dow ended down 45.44 at...

Firms Hid Bad News on Heart Drugs 2 Years: Doc

Merck and Schering-Plough delayed trial results on Vytorin, Zetia

(Newser) - A scientist hired by two drug companies to conduct trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs accused the firms of deliberately delaying release of the results, the New York Times reports. The results for the Vytorin and Zetia trials—which showed the drugs don't work to reduce plaque in arteries—were not released...

2 Top Cholesterol Drugs, Vytorin and Zetia, Don't Work

Cardiologists urge prescribing statins over Vytorin, Zetia

(Newser) - Two top-selling cholesterol drugs  proved in a recent study to be largely ineffective in slowing the clogging of arteries, a panel of cardiologists said yesterday. Doctors should only prescribe Vytorin and Zetia if other medications don't work, and should rely instead on statins such as Lipitor and Zocor, they said....

FDA Probes Suicide Link to Asthma Drug

Merck adds new warnings on nervous system side effects

(Newser) - The FDA has opened an investigation of anecdotal links between the popular asthma and allergy drug Singulair and suicidal thoughts. In the past year, manufacturer Merck has added warnings of several possible side effects of  the pill related to the nervous system, including anxiety, depression, tremors, and suicidal thinking. The...

Merck Will Pay $650M to End Discount Probes

Drug company alleged to have kept Medicaid in dark on lowest prices

(Newser) - Drug company Merck will dish out $650 million to resolve lawsuits and probes into marketing schemes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Central to the investigations is the company’s “nominal pricing,” which slashed some drug prices by 90% for hospitals but hid the discounts from Medicaid, even though...

FDA Mandates Suicide Risk Assessment in Drug Trials

Danger doesn't lie only in antidepressants

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration is now requiring drug companies to monitor suicide warning signs in clinical trials for experimental drugs, the New York Times reports. In the wake of studies showing that antidepressants might increase the risk of self-harm in children and teens, the agency is showing an awareness...

Dow Plummets 306.95 Points
Dow Plummets 306.95 Points
MARKETS
Jan 17, 2008 3:42 PM CST

Dow Plummets 306.95 Points

Manufacturing, home starts news send markets way down

(Newser) - The Dow plunged 306.95 points to 12.159.21 today, its third straight sell-off and worst loss of the new year, as rough numbers put investors in a bearish mood. The key index has now fallen more than 1,000 points since 2008 began. Merrill Lynch posted a huge...

Generic Beats Pricey Pill on Cholesterol

Pharma stocks fall after in-house study hails 3-cent drug

(Newser) - A cheap generic drug cuts arterial buildup as well as a pricey pill and may threaten the growth of two drug companies, Bloomberg reports. Vytorin is produced by Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. and costs $2.84 per dose; simvastin, a generic, costs 3 cents a pill and works...

Merck May Pay $700M for Schizophrenia Drug

Pharma giant restocks pipeline by snapping up Swiss psychotherapy

(Newser) - Merck today finalized a deal worth as much as $700 million to license a schizophrenia drug from Swiss biotech firm Addex Pharmaceuticals. Addex will get $22 million up front, and qualify for another $680 million in milestone payments. Such licensing deals are growing commonplace, Reuters reports, as big pharma turns...

Merck Recalls 1M Doses of Vaccine for Kids

Drug company finds contamination at its Pennsylvania factory

(Newser) - Merck is recalling almost a million doses of a childhood vaccine after it found evidence of contamination at one of its factories, the AP reports. The pharmaceutical giant says no children have been harmed after taking Hib, which prevents meningitis and pneumonia, but the company is recalling its 10 lots...

Big Pharma Faces Big Plunge
Big Pharma Faces Big Plunge
Dec 6, 2007 4:50 AM CST

Big Pharma Faces Big Plunge

Profits will drop as patents expire, and chemical-based therapies are eclipsed by biotech

(Newser) - Patent protections on some of the pharmaceutical industry's best-selling drugs, like Lipitor, Plavix and Singulair, are due to expire in the next several years, and drug manufacturers have little in the pipeline to replace them. The drug companies will lose billions—as much as half their combined revenue—to generic...

Merck to Settle Suits for $4.85B
Merck to Settle Suits for $4.85B
Nov 9, 2007 5:19 AM CST

Merck to Settle Suits for $4.85B

Deal will be official once 85% of plaintiffs agree

(Newser) - Merck has agreed to shell out $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 Vioxx lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who argued that the pain medication damaged health and caused deaths. The agreement, one of the largest in history, must still be approved by 85% of the plaintiffs, but it's likely to...

Cold Virus Foiled AIDS Vaccine
Cold Virus Foiled AIDS Vaccine
Nov 8, 2007 1:08 PM CST

Cold Virus Foiled AIDS Vaccine

Study subjects with immunity to common virus saw increased risk with vaccine

(Newser) - A promising AIDS vaccine that failed in trials—actually increasing rather than reducing risk of infection—turned out to be ineffective in people who had immunity to a common cold virus, developers reported yesterday. The Merck vaccine contained an altered version of that virus, and study subjects with existing immunities...

Experimental AIDS Vaccine May Increase HIV Risk

Hundreds of trial volunteers being notified in South Africa

(Newser) - A once-promising AIDS vaccine being developed by Merck may actually increase the risk of contracting HIV, the Washington Post reports. In South Africa, 19 people who received the vaccine in a trial contracted the virus, as opposed to 11 who received a placebo. South  African researchers have begun warning hundreds...

Merck News Gives Markets Shot in the Arm

Dow rises 92.34 on component's earnings, big oil merger

(Newser) - Stocks rallied across the board today, after a number of major buyouts and earnings reports diverted traders' attentions from the foundering subprime market and an enervated dollar once again. The Dow was up 2.34 to 13943.42 after drug-maker Merck, a major component of the index, reported its best...

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