Drug For Preterm Births Pulled From Market; More Eyedrops Are Recalled
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN's Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Stat:
Controversial Drug For Premature Birth Is Withdrawn By Manufacturer After Battle With FDA
After months of anticipation, the manufacturer of a controversial drug for premature births has agreed to withdraw its treatment, capping an unusual battle with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over its authority to have medicines removed from the market. (Silverman, 3/7)
AP:
FDA: Two More Eyedrop Brands Recalled Due To Risks
U.S. health officials are alerting consumers about two more recalls of eyedrops due to contamination risks that could lead to vision problems and serious injury. ... The Food and Drug Administration posted separate recall notices for certain eyedrops distributed by Pharmedica and Apotex after the companies said they are voluntarily pulling several lots of their products from the market. Both companies said the recalls were conducted in consultation with the FDA. (3/7)
Reuters:
U.S. FDA Clears Abbott's Blood Test For Concussions
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Abbott Laboratories' blood test that would help doctors assess traumatic brain injury (TBI), commonly known as concussions, the company said on Tuesday. The clearance marks the first commercially available laboratory blood test for TBI, according to the company, helping the doctors to rule out need for a CT scan in patients with mild TBI. (3/7)
Reuters:
FDA Says No Indication Contaminated Cough Syrups Have Entered U.S. Supply Chain
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday there was no indication that contaminated cough and paracetamol syrups that caused deaths of children in Gambia last year have entered the U.S. drug supply chain. This comes after an investigation led by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Gambian scientists reported on Thursday that these medicines contaminated with toxic levels of diethylene and ethylene glycol led to acute kidney injury among 78 children in Gambia. (3/3)
The Virginian-Pilot:
As Adderall Shortage Continues, DEA Plans To Limit Some Telemedicine Prescriptions
The Food and Drug Administration added Adderall to its drug shortage website in October 2022. Five of the eight listed drug manufacturers still report partial or complete shortages.This is not the nation’s first Adderall shortage. The FDA announced a similar shortage in 2011, and some of the same concerns raised now were raised then. (Nadeau, 3/2)
Stat:
BridgeBio Drug For Cause Of Dwarfism Speeds Growth In Small Study
A novel drug for the most common cause of dwarfism accelerated children’s growth in a small but closely watched clinical trial, the company BridgeBio said Monday, advancing the latest treatment in what has been a polarizing field of study. (Garde, 3/6)
CIDRAP:
Cost Of China-Made Drug Ingredients More Than Doubled During Pandemic
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, prices of some active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) exported from China have more than doubled, The Times of India reports.(Van Beusekom, 3/3)
CIDRAP:
US Analysis Finds Antibiotic Prescribing Common In Kids Hospitalized With COVID
An analysis of surveillance data found that US children commonly received antibiotics for severe COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic, despite a low prevalence of bacterial infections, researchers reported today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 3/6)
