BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[AstraZeneca and Abbott Labs Receive FDA Response]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/03/30/astrazeneca-and-abbott-labs-receive-fda-response/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/03/30/astrazeneca-and-abbott-labs-receive-fda-response/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/03/30/astrazeneca-and-abbott-labs-receive-fda-response/#commentsFiled under:

AstraZeneca (AZN) and Abbott Laboratories (ABT) announced this morning they received a complete response letter from the Food and Drug Administration regarding their new drug application for Certriad capsules. The FDA requested more information. The companies stated that they are currently evaluating the FDA's letter and will continue discussions with the agency to see what the next step will be with the drug. AZN and ABT will then respond to the FDA's request for further information.

Certriad is for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia, a combination of two or more lipid abnormalities including the "bad" cholesterol (LDL), high triglycerides, and low "good" cholesterol (HDL). The active ingredients in Certirad are Crestor and Trilipix from ABT and AZN.

Continue reading AstraZeneca and Abbott Labs Receive FDA Response

AstraZeneca and Abbott Labs Receive FDA Response originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Abbott LaboratoriesABTAstraZenecaazncholesterolcholesterol drugsFDAfeaturedinthenewsTue, 30 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Spokesperson fiasco #9: Robert Jarvik isn't really a doctor but plays one on TV]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/07/20/spokesperson-fiascos-9-robert-jarvick-isnt-really-a-doctor-bu/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/07/20/spokesperson-fiascos-9-robert-jarvick-isnt-really-a-doctor-bu/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/07/20/spokesperson-fiascos-9-robert-jarvick-isnt-really-a-doctor-bu/#commentsFiled under:

This post is part of a series on celebrity spokespeople who ended up doing serious harm to the brands they were hired to promote, or vice versa. See how we rank the 20 top spokesperson fiascos.

Remember the early part of 2008? Britney Spears was nuts. The economy was not in the toilet as much and commercials for Pfizer's (NYSE:PFE) anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor blanketed the nation's broadcast and cable airwaves. Good times.

Those Lipitor commercials -- in case you have forgotten -- featured medical scientist Dr. Robert Jarvik Jarvick speaking about the heart disease that killed his father and urging the public to ask their doctor about the pill. Jarvick, Jarvik, the "inventor" of the artificial heart, looked healthy and vigorous as he rowed on a sunny lake. As the New York Times pointed out, the ad was a pack of lies.
Jarvick Jarvik is a medical doctor who is not licensed to practice medicine and who may have exaggerated his role in developing the artificial heart. Plus, he does not even row. Talk about truth in advertising. After members of Congress balked, Pfizer pulled the campaign that reportedly cost it $256 million. Pfizer is going to have to figure another way to bolster sales of Lipitor before it comes off patent in 2010. Maybe James "Tony Soprano" Gandolfini can be persuaded to urge people to "whack" their cholesterol. Just a suggestion.

The sad thing is that Jarvik Jarvick is not the sleaziest pitchman in the drug industry. Those would be the celebrities who go on TV to "raise awareness" about a disease. Drug companies often pay them too. It's hardly surprising the U.S. is the only country to allow drug companies to sell directly to consumers. Whatever benefits these ads create are outweighed by the problems they cause.

Read the entire series

Continue reading Spokesperson fiasco #9: Robert Jarvik isn't really a doctor but plays one on TV

Spokesperson fiasco #9: Robert Jarvik isn't really a doctor but plays one on TV originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cholesterolcholesteroldrugsjarviklipitorPFEpfizerRobert JarvickRobertJarvickSun, 20 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Dr. Robert Jarvik pressured for not rowing his own boat for Lipitor]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/08/dr-robert-jarvik-pressured-for-not-rowing-his-own-boat-for-lipi/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/08/dr-robert-jarvik-pressured-for-not-rowing-his-own-boat-for-lipi/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/08/dr-robert-jarvik-pressured-for-not-rowing-his-own-boat-for-lipi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Pfizer logoTalk about your tempest in a teapot, here's a good one for you. It seems that a congressional committee has taken up arms against Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, because he didn't row his own boat in his recent appearance in a Lipitor television advertisement. The concern is over whether the doctor should be represented as rowing a boat when the person in the boat pictures isn't actually him. Next, Congress will be exposing the fact that M & M's don't really talk to Santa Claus. Dang it, I hate when that happens.

Further noise is being made because the good doctor is apparently not licensed to practice medicine. That makes some people question his worthiness to crow for Lipitor. That's funny, I don't remember him claiming that he'd prescribed the stuff to anyone himself. Does it really matter in the final analysis if the man isn't licensed to work in a hospital? Not to me. He's a doctor who knows hearts and he wants people to know how they might better care for their own. He apparently uses the product, it works for him, and he's willing to talk about it. That's kind of the basics of simple endorsement, isn't it?

I'll tell you what I think this is all about. I think some of those good old boys in the halls of Congress probably sold short on Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) , and they're probably mad because Dr. Jarvik's endorsement isn't allowing Lipitor to be crushed by Zocor, its cheaper generic competition. You can almost see their smug bipartisan grins as you read the whole story from Stephanie Saul in The New York Times. I think they want to muddy the waters just long enough for their short bets to come in, regardless of the cost to Dr. Jarvik's reputation. Those Washington stuffed shirts sure got their committees all whipped up in a big hurry on this one, didn't they. That's kind of telling, isn't it.

I suppose next they'll be telling us that geckos don't really talk about car insurance. Could that even be possible?

Dr. Robert Jarvik pressured for not rowing his own boat for Lipitor originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artificial heartArtificialHeartboatcholesterolDr. Robert JarvikDr.RobertJarvikfeaturedhealthheartJarvikLipitorPfizerrowingscullingZocorFri, 08 Feb 2008 10:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Kroger's new milk, it's not just for strong bones anymore]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/02/krogers-new-milk-its-not-just-for-strong-bones-anymore/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/02/krogers-new-milk-its-not-just-for-strong-bones-anymore/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/02/krogers-new-milk-its-not-just-for-strong-bones-anymore/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Last week, Kroger (NYSE: KR), the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, launched its new milk brand to highlight its cholesterol-reducing ability. The milk, sold under the Kroger Active Lifestyle brand is considered the first national launch of cholesterol-cutting milk.

"There's a major trend toward health and wellness in the country," Linda Severin, Kroger's vice president for corporate brands told the USA Today. "Managing cholesterol is just a key need for many of our customers. This is a way we can help our customers be proactive with their heart health." The trend has shown lower-fat and fat-free milk sales to increase, while whole-milk sales have been on a decline, according to U.S. agriculture statistics.

The milk uses an ingredient with plant sterols, found naturally in some vegetables, fruits, nuts and other foods, and is recognized by the FDA as potentially helping reduce the risk of heart disease.

Continue reading Kroger's new milk, it's not just for strong bones anymore

Kroger's new milk, it's not just for strong bones anymore originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cholesterolcoca-colacokegrocerykevin shultKevinShultkokrkrogermilkoleansterolstheflyonthewall.comusa todayUsaTodayMon, 02 Jul 2007 20:10:00 EST<![CDATA[All hope isn't lost for Merck]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/31/all-hope-isnt-lost-for-merck/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/31/all-hope-isnt-lost-for-merck/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/31/all-hope-isnt-lost-for-merck/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) fourth-quarter results could have been much worse. Instead they may indicate that there is some hope for the drug maker to improve its results despite the huge liability it faces because of Vioxx and the expiration of the patent on Zocor, which had been its top seller.

Net income plunged to $473.9 million, or 22 cents per share, versus $1.12 billion, or 51 cents, a year earlier. Revenue jumped 4.8 percent. to $6.04 billion, boosted by strong sales of allergy and asthma. Excluding charges, profit was 50 cents, matching the consensus forecasts. Wall Street was expecting revenue of $5.37 billion. It repeated guidance for the year of $2.51 to $2.59 per share.

A potential bright spot for the Whitehouse New Jersey-based company may be in its $1.1 billion purchase of the biotech firm Sirna. WBB Securities analyst Steve Brozak told the Associated Press that "If it harms this quarter or next quarter, that is not a big deal."

Increased sales of drugs such as Singulair and Vytorin along with gains in the vaccine business softened the blow from the drop off in Zocor revenue.

The company has raised its earnings forecasts three times last year and investors are expecting it to happen again. Merck's shares barely moved after the earnings were issued yesterday. Considering all of the challenges this company is facing, that's saying something.

Also check out some other earnings reports that we're following, and let us know what you're expecting.

All hope isn't lost for Merck originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cholesterolcholestoradrugmakersmerckpharmavioxxWed, 31 Jan 2007 08:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Pfizer's problems with cholesterol drugs and patent expiry]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/01/pfizers-problems-with-cholesterol-drugs-and-patent-expiry/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/01/pfizers-problems-with-cholesterol-drugs-and-patent-expiry/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/01/pfizers-problems-with-cholesterol-drugs-and-patent-expiry/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced that its experimental drug for lowering cholesterol also raises blood pressure.

A Prudential analyst wrote in a note on the problem that he does not think "it will effect the overall risk versus benefit of the drug in the long run." Goldman Sachs had a different take: "The concerns about blood pressure risk with torcetrapib will be reinforced by these data, however preliminary the data are."

The market seemed to side with Goldman, as Pfizer's shares dropped from a price of $27.22 on Monday to an intraday low of $26.44 yesterday.

The problem that Pfizer has with torcetrapib reflects a much larger concern in the market. As patents on the large money makers at Big Pharma expire, moving some share to generic drug makers, the larger companies must come up with new, patented products.

IMS Health, a research firm, says that $23 billion worth of drugs will go "off patent" this year based on the annual sales of the products. Another $16 billion worth move out of the patented category next year.

Pfizer's new cholesterol drug may be having trouble, but that could be the least of the company's problems.

Douglas McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Pfizer's problems with cholesterol drugs and patent expiry originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cholesterolgoldman sachsGoldmanSachshigh blood pressureHighBloodPressurelipitorpatentpatent expiryPatentExpirypfepfizerprudentialWed, 01 Nov 2006 09:29:00 EST