drug

Prescription Drug Prices Keep Growing Strong

Prescription-drug prices have been outpacing the growth in prices for other medical products and services, according to a study from the Government Accountability Office this week. Which drugs have seen the biggest hikes?

FDA Approves First New Lupus Drug in Half a Century

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first new drug to treat lupus in 56 years. It's not terribly effective: It only worked for 35% of the patients tested. But experts say the approval could prompt the development of more effective drugs.

Pfizer Shrinks Its Drug Pipeline Amid R&D Cuts

In an update Tuesday, Pfizer said it is discontinuing 15 of the projects in its development pipeline. The news comes a month after the world's largest pharmaceutical company announced large research and development cuts were on the way.

Why Samsung Electronics Should Say No to Drugs

Samsung Electronics is known for its smartphones, TVs and memory chips. Now it wants to tackle biopharmaceuticals, on Friday announcing a new joint venture to produce drugs to treat cancer and arthritis. Here's why the move could prove an ill-needed distraction for the electronics giant.

Confirmed: Why Merck Halted Its Stroke-Victim Study

When Merck halted a late-stage study of its potential clot-preventing drug vorapaxar in stroke victims last week, it didn't explain why. Now, the company has confirmed it stopped the study after concerns that the drug increased the risk of bleeding in some patients.

Johnson & Johnson Recalls More Children's Medicines

Just days after Johnson & Johnson's Children's Tylenol started returning to store shelves, the health care giant has recalled about four million packages of Children's Benadryl allergy tablets and some 800,000 bottles of Junior Strength Motrin, citing manufacturing problems.

Amgen, J&J Recall Procrit, Epogen for Possible Glass Issue

Drug-makers Amgen and Johnson & Johnson are voluntarily recalling two brands of an injectable anemia medication because of the possibility that vials of it may also contain tiny glass flakes. The drug, Epoetin alfa, is marketed under the brand names Epogen and Procrit.

Bristol-Myers Squibb to Buy ZymoGenetics for $885 Million

Drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb plans to buy ZymoGenetics, its partner in developing a hepatitis C treatment, for $885 million. The move is part of a trend of pharmaceutical acquisitions as several big patents face expiration soon.

FDA Panel Rejects Weight-Loss Drug Qnexa

Pharmaceutical company Vivus and investors waited anxiously Thursday for the vote of an FDA advisory panel on the weight-loss drug Qnexa. The verdict is in, and by a vote of 9 to 7, panelists didn't support approving the drug as an obesity treatment.