Product News and Recalls

Study raises cancer concern for Byetta, Januvia

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, adds to growing evidence that a class of diabetes drugs including Merck’s Januvia and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Byetta carries a risk of pancreatic cancer.

A Bloomberg story says the researchers noted “marked” cell proliferation and damage — with a potential for evolution into cancer — in people with Type 2 diabetes who were taking that type of drug, called incretin ...

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Bonuses cut for executives at troubled J&J

According to a story on the Huffington Post, Johnson & Johnson has lowered its planned bonuses for the company’s top executives by 10 percent.

A statement from the company acknowledges “disappointments” from 2012, and resultant damage to the company’s public reputation.

Johnson & Johnson’s annual proxy statement says, in part: “We worked to address several reputational challenges and continue to strive toward regaining the reputational standings that we expect of ourselves and ...

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Supreme Court considers generic drugs lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that may determine the extent to which manufacturers of generic drugs are liable for injuries their medications cause.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the case stems from the $21 million that a jury awarded to a woman who suffered from a severe form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome after taking a generic anti-inflammatory drug called Sulindac.

Stevens Johnson syndrome, which can cause ...

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Buffett sours on Johnson & Johnson

Health care giant Johnson & Johnson’s legal troubles are apparently giving investor Warren Buffett pause, according to a blog item for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Buffett recently released his annual letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, and it shows that Berkshire had dropped its holdings of Johnson & Johnson stock to below $1 billion for the first time since the end of 2005.

The blog item notes that Johnson & Johnson has gone ...

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Stevens-Johnson syndrome case of interest to industry

The New York Times says pharmaceutical companies and federal regulators are closely watching a Supreme Court case involving a woman previously awarded $21 million after suffering through a bout of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

The case hinges on the question of whether manufacturers of generic medications can be held responsible for side effects that their drugs cause.

According to the New York Times, the plaintiff at the center of the case took an ...

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Another recall from compounding pharmacy

A Georgia compounding pharmacy called Clinical Specialties is recalling syringes of the drug Avastin, following reports that they may have caused eye infections.

Compounding pharmacies prepare specialty drugs from components provided by other sources, in response to individual orders from physicians. CBS News reports that Avastin is approved as a cancer drug. But compounding pharmacies such as Clinical Specialties have been repackaging it into small vials so eye doctors can ...

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