GLG News by Pediatricians in Private Practice (US)

Sanofi's Gardisil, the first-to-market HPV vaccine for adolescent females, has been fairly widely accepted in the US, albeit with some concerns regarding adverse reactions and cost.  It is likely that EU sales will gradually increase as the vaccine is accepted in Europe as well.

OK, so now to peddle pharmaceuticals to doctors in D.C., a drug company will have to license their reps.  This will be a pain in the neck to the reps and those who supervise them, and will probably result in a small increase in the cost of doing business for detail people -- but I don't see how...

Before addressing all the practical obstacles that might face Ophena, it might be helpful to acknowledge all the problems already faced by established drugs that are similar to it. The most similar would be Evista, another selective estrogen receptor modulator used primarily for osteoporosis, which...

Intranasal desmopressin is rarely used now for nocturnal enuresis.  Most pediatricians have already converted to oral formulations.

Meridian's new RSV and Influenza A/B testing should provide new weapons for pediatricians during the upcoming flu and upper respiratory infection season.

Novartis should be applauded for completing the earliest stages of a conjugated meningococcal vaccine for infants and young toddlers.  However, it is conceivable that Novartis' Menveo may be cannibalized in the market by sanofi's Menactra. Menactra is an already FDA-approved conjugated meningococcal...

Aprotinin, a complex bovine protein with effects on clot dissolution, coagulation and enzymatic digestion, is without a doubt an innovative product. But innovation alone should not be the standard when the purpose of a drug is to improve patient outcomes. And so, whereas aprotinin is undoubtedly...

Epilepsy patients who have already failed to achieve control on two or three different regimens (be they single or multiple drug regimens) are unlikely to find success with any new regimen -- that's just the nature of the disease, unfortunately.  Failure on seizure medications is more a prognostic...

The United States Veterans Administration is probably the best HMO in the country, provided you are measuring the attainment of good clinical outcomes at reasonable cost.  Believe it or not, the VA, which has the unenviable task of providing healthcare to a relatively sick and historically disenfranchised...

From the standpoint of what is clinically practical, Avamys is not a new drug: it is fluticasone in a nasal spray, available for years as Flonase, now off patent and available in the U.S. generically and as Veramyst (the same product as Avamys). Despite claims that Avamys/Veramyst is the first drug...