April 2012 Drug Information Update - Pharmacy Benefits ...

low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a
phase 2 clinical trial.
Article link: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=662137
Source website: http://consumer.healthday.com/
Sleeping Pills Linked to Raised Risk of Death, Cancer: Study
February 27, 2012
Researchers warn against chronic use, but one expert said underlying health woes could also be a
Factor. Prescription sleeping pills may help you get some much needed rest at night, but using
them routinely might also make it more likely that you will die or develop certain types of
cancer, research suggests.
Article link: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=662186
Source website: http://consumer.healthday.com/
Merck Warned by FDA on Failure to Study Januvia Treatment for Side Effects
February 28, 2012
Merck & Co. may face fines after being almost a year late with a post-market study of its
diabetes drugs Januvia and Janumet to determine if the pills inflame the pancreas, U.S. regulators
said. A letter posted today on the Food and Drug Administration’s website warned a subsidiary
of the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based company that the diabetes medications are
considered misbranded because Merck hasn’t completed a 3-month pancreatic safety study in
rodents. Merck agreed to the study to gain expanded approval of the drugs and committed to
completing it by March 15, 2011, according to the letter dated Feb. 17.
Article link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/merck-warned-by-fda-on-failuretostudy-januvia-treatment-for-side-effects.html
Source website: http://www.bloomberg.com
Forest, Richter Schizophrenia Drug Met Clinical Trial Goals
February 28, 2012
Gedeon Richter Nyrt. and Forest Laboratories Inc. said that the experimental antipsychotic drug
cariprazine met the goals of two late-stage clinical trials for the treatment of schizophrenia. The
companies plan to seek approval for the drug this year to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania,
they said in a statement today. Richter and Forest previously reported successful late-stage trials
for bipolar mania.
Article link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/forest-richter-schizophrenia-drugmetclinical-trial-goals-2-.html
Source website: http://www.bloomberg.com/
New Drug May Help Fight Rare Bone Marrow Disorder
February 29, 2012
Jakafi won't cure myelofibrosis, but it improves quality of life, studies find. Two new studies
confirm that the new drug ruxolitinib can help people with the rare bone marrow disorder called
myelofibrosis. While the drug, marketed in the United States under the brand name Jakafi, won't
cure myelofibrosis, it can help ease symptoms, improve quality of life, and possibly improve
survival according to the studies.
Article link: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=662268
Source website: http://consumer.healthday.com/
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