Pharmaceutical Animation Medical

National Drug Company Pays $7 Million To State's Medicaid Program To Settle Improper Drug Pricing Allegations, USA
Attorney General Martha Coakley's Office has reached a settlement agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical USA, Inc. (Teva), a North Wales, PA, based pharmaceutical manufacturer to settle a False Claims Act case pending in United States District Court in Boston. Pursuant to the settlement, Teva has paid $7 million to the Massachusetts Medicaid Program.

Writing Chemotherapy Orders On The Day Of Administration And Improved Communication Could Reduce Medication Errors
Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications, according to a new study led by Kathleen E. Walsh, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and published in the January 1, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Attorney General Martha Coakley's Office Recovers $4.65 Million For Massachusetts Medicaid Program In Cephalon Off-Label Marketing Investigation
Attorney General Martha Coakley's Office has reached an agreement with Cephalon, Inc. (Cephalon), based in Pennsylvania, to settle allegations of improper off-label marketing of three pharmaceutical products. Under the terms of the settlement, Cephalon has paid $4,659,461.

Iran Asked To Free AIDS Doctors Held For Six Months On Illegitimate Charges
On the sixth-month anniversary of Iran's detention of Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei -- Iranian brothers who are known worldwide as HIV/AIDS physicians--international NGOs, academic institutions, and medical leaders from across the globe are asking Iran to free them immediately. The doctors have been held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since late June 2008.

Federal Lawsuit Alleges Department Of Defense Improperly Denied Medical, Disability Benefits To Veterans
A class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., alleges that the Department of Defense illegally denied medical and disability benefits to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Californian Files Consumer Fraud Class Action Against Advanced Medical Optics For Falsely Advertising Contact Lens Solution
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and Moscone, Emblidge & Quadra announced that Southern California-based Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. ("AMO") was named as the defendant in a consumer fraud and false advertising class action lawsuit. The case, Maria Ruiz v. Advanced Medical Optics, et al., was filed today in California State Superior Court in Orange County.

Elsevier To Investigate Medical Journal Articles Allegedly Ghostwritten By Wyeth
Elsevier officials on Friday announced plans to investigate recent allegations by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that one of the medical journals published by the company included an article improperly ghostwritten by

Indiana Grand Jury To Investigate Video Secretly Filmed By Antiabortion Advocate At Planned Parenthood
A grand jury in Marion County, Ind., will investigate whether an undercover video filmed at an Indianapolis clinic operated by Planned Parenthood of Indiana contains evidence of any criminal violations, the county prosecutor's office announced last week, AP/Google.com reports.

Illinois Supreme Court Orders Circuit Court To Consider Lawsuit By Pharmacists Objecting To EC
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a circuit court must consider a lawsuit brought by two Illinois pharmacists objecting to a rule that requires pharmacies to dispense emergency contraception, the AP/Google.com reports. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in 2005 issued a rule prohibiting pharmacies from refusing to dispense EC.

Doctor-Patient Communication Is Key To Good Health And Patient Consent Forms Should Educate Not Intimidate
It's time patient consent forms came back full circle to a tool for patient education, rather than the waiver of liability they have become. The original purpose of the consent forms was for a surgeon or doctor to inform the patient of common or serious risks associated with the procedure to be performed.

Engenex Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System - KCI Files Patent Infringement Suit Against Convatec And Boehringer
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI), announced today that, together with Wake Forest University Health Sciences, it has filed a patent infringement suit against Convatec Inc., Boehringer Wound Systems, LLC and Boehringer Technologies, L.P. in Federal District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina. KCI filed the lawsuit against Convatec and Boehringer for the commercialization of the Engenex negative pressure wound therapy system.

West Virginia Medicaid Program Sued For Reducing Benefits For 90% Of Children Enrolled
Mountain State Justice -- a public interest law firm based in Charleston, W.Va. -- is planning to file a lawsuit against the state's Medicaid office, alleging it has violated federal law by reducing benefits for children whose parents do not sign a "personal responsibility" statement that allows them to receive enhanced benefits, the

Federal Judge Rejects Request By Veterans Groups To Require VA To Process Disability Claims Within 90 Days
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington, D.C., has ruled that the court does not have the authority to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to accelerate efforts to process disability claims, the AP/Washington Post reports. The

FTC Sues Ovation Over Alleged Monopoly On Prescription Drugs For Infants
The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis over allegations that Ovation Pharmaceuticals sought to form a monopoly on the two medications for patent ductus arteriosus, a life-threatening heart condition in infants, and increased the price of the treatments by 1,300%,

Grassley Requests Information About HRT Drug Prempro Journal Articles
As part of a broader congressional investigation into the possible influence of the pharmaceutical industry on physicians and the health care industry, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday sent separate letters to Wyeth and the medical communication company DesignWrite about the hormone-replacement therapy drug Prempro, the