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Hip & Thigh Injuries
Injury Expert Marc Bernier explains physiotherapy exercises for Hip Arthritis pain relief. Hip Labrum Tear Treatment. Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon Richard Villar has played a major

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California bill will prod national decision makers, serve in lieu of federal policy if Congress fails to act

SACRAMENTO—The California Assembly Health Committee passed the Pharmaceutical Drug Information and Safety Act, SB 606 (Scott), today with all members present voting in favor of the bill. The measure will require pharmaceutical companies to disclose the results of clinical studies, meaning that doctors, patients, researchers and even industry competitors will gain access to information on the side effects and effectiveness of medicine currently on the market.

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California bill will prod national decision makers, serve in lieu of federal policy if Congress fails to act

SACRAMENTO—The California Assembly Health Committee passed the Pharmaceutical Drug Information and Safety Act, SB 606 (Scott), today with all members present voting in favor of the bill. The measure will require pharmaceutical companies to disclose the results of clinical studies, meaning that doctors, patients, researchers and even industry competitors will gain access to information on the side effects and effectiveness of medicine currently on the market.

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Statement of CALPIRG Health Care Advocate Emily Clayton on the prescription drug discount agreement

“CALPIRG is pleased to join a broad coalition of organizations representing consumers, seniors, working families and communities of color in supporting SB 1702 and AB 2911 by Senator Perata and Speaker Nez. This legislation is a crucial step forward in the ongoing fight to bring affordable medicine to all Californians.

“The discounts provided by this legislation will lower the cost of prescription drugs for more than five million low and moderate income uninsured Californians. The plan gives the pharmaceutical industry three years to voluntarily offer meaningful discounts. If they refuse, the state may, just as all large insurers do, use the weight of its purchasing power to induce discounts. The legislation also includes a series of strong consumer protections that ensure no Medi-Cal patient will be denied access to a medically necessary drug.

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The German chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA had its profits rise for the final quarter of last year by 34 per cent to 109.5 million euros. The growth was said to be down to increased demand for liquid crystals for computer displays.

For 2005 as a whole, sales rose 9.9 per cent and profits were almost unchanged at 659 million euros. Merck executive board chairman Dr Michael Roemer said: “The year 2005 was very successful for Merck thanks to innovative products and the hard work of our employees. “As we see this level of success continuing, we expect our top and bottom lines for 2006 - excluding exceptional items - will improve by a high single-digit rate. In fact, we see no reason why this development should not continue beyond this year.”
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Washington, DC — In a victory for consumers, the Senate today passed the “Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act” sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) by a vote of 93 to 1.

The bill attempts to please both the powerful pharmaceutical industry and consumer groups. It increases the amount of money the FDA receives in fees from drug makers to speed the approval of new drugs, and includes language to protect consumers from unsafe prescription drugs.

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Doctors and patients one step closer to getting information on side effects of medicine

SACRAMENTO—The California Senate passed the Pharmaceutical Drug Information and Safety Act, SB 606 (Scott), yesterday. The bill requires pharmaceutical companies to disclose the results of the clinical studies so that doctors and patients have additional information on the side effects and effectiveness of drugs.

“Our doctors need complete information when they make prescribing decisions, and many consumers want the same information before filling a prescription,” said Steve Blackledge. “After Vioxx and the latest news on Avandia, doctors and patients know they need more information, and this bill provides it.”

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Supporters vow to keep fighting for measure this year

SACRAMENTO—Doctors, patients, consumer groups and health care advocates were dealt a setback by the state Senate this week when it failed to advance the Pharmaceutical Drug Right-to-Know Act. The legislation, SB 1683 by Senator Jack Scott (Altadena), would have required pharmaceutical companies to disclose the results of all their health studies, good and bad. It was introduced in response to the VIOXX tragedy, which was worsened by drug giant Merck's cover-up of its own negative health studies, and other drug safety tragedies like it.

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Health boards across Scotland are looking into introducing registers for all medical staff to allow them to declare if they have any links with drug companies. The news comes following fears that some of the world’s pharmaceutical giants have too much influence over what drugs some doctors prescribe. NHS Greater Glasgow has told the Herald that following a consultation it hopes to have a register, which would be publicly available, in place by June.
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New figures show that the UK boom in medicines research could be under threat, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). ABPI figures show that total expenditure on research and development (R&D) on new medicines by the UK-based pharmaceutical industry fell by two per cent in real terms to ?3,244 million in 2004 - unchanged in cash terms from the 2003 figure of ?3,241 million.
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