When Richard Clark was named CEO and president of Merck in 2005, the drug behemoth was reeling in the wake of the Vioxx scandal, which in 2004 forced the company to withdraw the blockbuster painkiller for safety reasons.
Americans think about health care every time they open the plastic container of pills ordered by their doctor.
Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein's death last month was an accident caused by "acute intoxication" from a combination of cocaine and prescription drugs, the New York medical examiner said Tuesday.
Despite a reputation as "a tough guy," he says he couldn't beat prescription drugs on his own
This is the fifth installment in a series of health-care columns by Fortune's Shawn Tully.
More coverage. More choice. Better care.
Daniel Buruca had a bad experience the first time he took drugs.
One of the largest Internet search engines is being accused of violating both federal and state laws by accepting advertising from online pharmacies it should have known were selling drugs without valid prescriptions.
One of the most telling things about China's health care is a quote I once read from a construction worker who earns about $150 a month: "If you get cancer in China, don't bother going to the hospital. They might not cure you, but you will go broke."
No one knows what the CEOs of the biggest drug companies dream about, but their nightmares probably look a little like this:
When Richard Clark was named CEO and president of Merck in 2005, the drug behemoth was reeling in the wake of the Vioxx scandal, which in 2004 forced the company to withdraw the blockbuster painkiller for safety reasons.
Americans think about health care every time they open the plastic container of pills ordered by their doctor.
Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein's death last month was an accident caused by "acute intoxication" from a combination of cocaine and prescription drugs, the New York medical examiner said Tuesday.
Despite a reputation as "a tough guy," he says he couldn't beat prescription drugs on his own
This is the fifth installment in a series of health-care columns by Fortune's Shawn Tully.
More coverage. More choice. Better care.
Daniel Buruca had a bad experience the first time he took drugs.
One of the largest Internet search engines is being accused of violating both federal and state laws by accepting advertising from online pharmacies it should have known were selling drugs without valid prescriptions.
One of the most telling things about China's health care is a quote I once read from a construction worker who earns about $150 a month: "If you get cancer in China, don't bother going to the hospital. They might not cure you, but you will go broke."
No one knows what the CEOs of the biggest drug companies dream about, but their nightmares probably look a little like this:
Kenny Morrison soaked in life from his beachfront home. A top chef at a trendy L.A. restaurant, he served dinner to the Hollywood stars, including A-listers.
If rising medical expenses are making it difficult for you and you can't afford to wait for our new health care policy, here a some options for lowering your health care costs today.
People who abuse prescription drugs often do so believing the pills are safe because they are prescribed by doctors and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, addiction experts tell CNN.
It was not surprising that investigators found bottles of prescription drugs in Michael Jackson's home, the singer's dermatologist said, as two sources told CNN that Jackson's sister Janet attempted an intervention two years ago.
When Michael Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion last month, the singer's arms were riddled with marks and their veins had collapsed -- both characteristics found in intravenous drug users, sources told CNN on Tuesday.
A government advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend eliminating prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with narcotics -- such as Vicodin and Percocet -- because of their risk for overdose and for severe liver injury.
With an autopsy inconclusive, Michael Jackson's father tells PEOPLE the family "is trying to find out" what happened
Questions swirled Friday about the possible role prescription medications may have played in the death Thursday of pop idol Michael Jackson, people close to him said.
Fund manager Paul Abel has one warning for investors looking to delve into pharmaceutical and biotech stocks: Don't think you'll spot the next Amgen.
President Obama on Monday strongly praised a decision by the nation's pharmaceutical industry to agree to a deal cutting drug costs for elderly Americans, calling it an example of the kind of compromise required for successful national health care reform.
In a sign of progress in overhauling health care, the nation's pharmaceutical industry has agreed to a deal that will reduce drug costs for elderly Americans.
Each morning that he unlocks the doors of Cottage Pharmacy, owner Ken Villani fights a losing battle.
Paying for prescription drugs is getting harder. New drugs are more expensive than they used to be and consumers are shouldering more of the out-of-pocket costs. Here's how you can cut the cost of prescription drugs.
As drug companies race to develop new vaccines to combat novel forms of influenza, such as the H1N1 swine flu, some medical experts say help might already be here.
The World Health Organization said it will convene a meeting of experts next week to discuss the possibility of manufacturing a vaccine for swine flu as the number of confirmed cases of the virus nears 1,900.
Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend appears in court as his attorney blasts the felony charges
The husband-and-wife team that built the first franchise to advise clients on health-care deals is reuniting. Frederick Frank and Mary Tanner joined Peter J. Solomon Co. this week to launch a new pharmaceutical and life sciences practice, just in time for the current wave of deal making that's sweeping Big Pharma.
Dr. Jack Rodman's heart sank when he heard the news: One of his elderly patients with a heart condition had a stroke because she couldn't afford the medicines he'd prescribed her.
"This case should not be tried in the court of public opinion," the attorney says after Stern is charged with felonies
The reality star's former boyfriend surrenders to police to face felony charges; two doctors also are charged
Dangerous cocktails of prescription drugs were pumped into Anna Nicole Smith "almost to the point of stupefaction" and eventually led to her death, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said Friday.
When Merck's $41 billion acquisition of Schering-Plough was announced Monday, it confirmed a major trend toward consolidation in Big Pharma.
A Vermont musician who lost an arm to gangrene after being given a common prescription medication won the right to collect nearly $7 million when the Supreme Court ruled in her favor Wednesday.
President Obama will ask wealthy Americans to deal with a tax increase and pay higher Medicare premiums to help fund a $634 billion health care "reserve fund" aimed at reforming the system, according to senior administration officials familiar with the budget being unveiled Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it has stopped reviewing drug applications from an India-based pharmaceutical plant, alleging that officials there falsified data and test results in applications, some of which the agency has already approved.
The pilot of a tanker that crashed into the San Francisco Bay Bridge in 2007, causing a major oil spill, was under the influence of multiple prescription medications that impaired his judgment, federal officials said in a report Wednesday.
Dr. John Di Saia was playing baseball with his son a few weeks ago, and just as he rounded second base, he tumbled to the ground, breaking his fall with his elbow.
There are some things you just can't live without. But here's how you can pay less for your essentials.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of marketing one of its medicines for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, authorities said.
Not content to wait for relief from Washington, Massachusetts lawmakers drove past the gridlock with a plan that in mid-2007 effectively forced businesses to provide health insurance to workers. All employers with more than 10 full-time workers are now required to make a "fair and reasonable" contribution to the cost of employees' coverage - or face penalties of up to $295 per worker per year.
Wall Street analysts have been urging pharma giant Pfizer to do something big and something soon. So that's what Pfizer did. The company's proposed acquisition of Wyeth in a deal valued at $68 billion is big, in fact the biggest pharma deal in almost a decade. But is it the right thing to fix Pfizer's particular set of problems? The New York City-based company has faced increased scrutiny as the looming expiration of its blockbuster statin drug Lipitor, which brings in about a quarter of Pfizer's revenue, is set to expire in 2011. What's more, the flow of new drugs through the company's pipeline has slowed considerably.
Eli Lilly and Company, the giant American drug company, agreed to pay nearly $1.5 billion in fines for marketing one of its medicines for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Many older adults in the United States are taking a confusing combination of medications, some prescribed by doctors and others picked up over-the-counter or in health food stores.
As well as their potential for creating effective therapies for debilitating diseases, embryonic stem cells could open the door to improved pharmaceutical drug testing, according to a leading British stem cell researcher.
When the 2008 holiday shopping season wraps up next week, analysts expect to see far more retail losers than winners this year.
Jo-Lynne Shane is furiously looking for ways to spend $500 in the next three weeks. If she doesn't, that money will disappear at the stroke of midnight December 31.
Peppermint oil, soluble fiber, and antispasmodic drugs can indeed help people with irritable bowel syndrome, according to an analysis of 25 years of research on the condition, which is characterized by bouts of diarrhea and constipation.
The problem with pills is that you have to take them to work. That may sound obvious, but it's estimated that half the people taking prescription medication fail to stick to the regimen laid out by their doctor.
A dozen old family photos were strewn across the table as Gary Neal picked them up one by one.
Seniors who switch between low-cost generic drugs and the original products based on who's footing the bill are likely driving up the cost of the government's Medicare drug plan, according to a new study.
About one in two American adults has borderline or high cholesterol levels, which increase one's risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease.
Overall, dealmaking may be in a slump, but Big Pharma has been buying up biotech firms at a record pace - it's now the fastest-growing M&A sector, with deal value up 87% this year.
The typical Medicare beneficiary can expect to see about a $3 increase in their monthly premiums for prescription drug coverage in 2009, federal officials said Thursday
A South Carolina program aimed at cutting drug costs by giving doctors unbiased data is even winning over conservatives
Western drug makers are increasingly outsourcing human clinical drug trials -- and India is getting the lion's share of the market. Is it putting millions at risk?
Before Amy Harned goes outside to work in her garden, she coats her face and neck with sunscreen, then puts on a hat, jacket and work gloves.
As Genentech's board weighs Monday's $43.7 billion merger proposal from Roche, the South San Francisco biotech has one overarching reason to fall deeper into the arms of the Swiss drug maker that already owns most of its stock: Genentech's "biological clock" is ticking.
Wall Street has been obsessing over financial stocks, sending the whole market on a wild ride.
Congress voted to halt planned cuts in Medicare payments to doctors Tuesday, overriding President Bush's veto in a battle that pitted health insurers against physicians.
All of 4 feet 9 inches tall, with a hook for a left hand and a résumé devoid of any time in elected office, aspiring U.S. Senator Steve Novick would be easy to write off as unelectable. That's clearly the view of the Democratic Party, which has put its weight behind his rival in the race to unseat Oregon Republican incumbent Gordon Smith in November.
Russia has one of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical markets in the world, but for foreign companies it's frustrating and filled with risks.
Eli Lilly & Co.'s incoming chief executive believes his background in the laboratory provides the formula needed to fill the drugmaker's dwindling pipeline.
The sales rate of prescription medications slowed by more than half in 2007 to levels not seen since the early 1960s, according to a report released Wednesday.
Democrats have long served as the traditional enemy of Big Pharma, but in this presidential campaign, the left is taking the lion's share of drugmaker money.
Insomnia sufferers have a lot to keep them awake at night: many of the available drugs are loaded with side-effects, and big drugmakers can't seem to get their act together on new treatments.
A flood of drug safety warnings from the Food and Drug Administration may have physicians and patients suffocating from information saturation. Experts say there are too many red flags for them to pay attention.
For years, Big Pharma has kept competition from generic drug makers at bay by essentially paying its would-be rivals to stay out of its business. Now government watchdogs have declared war on these financial deals - a move that could bring cheaper drugs to market faster while costing giant drug developers billions in lost revenue.
Smaller biotechnology companies are ready to take the lead away from big pharma in developing antibiotics that can take on a new generation of deadly "superbugs."
It's looking like the number of drugs that got an OK from the Food and Drug Administration plunged in 2007, even as Big Pharma faces a slew of patent expirations.
More big drugmakers are on tap this week to report strong 2007 earnings, but that's because 2006 was an easy act to follow.
Big Pharma, fueled by promising pipelines and cost-cutting, is poised for a strong 2008, analysts say, while projections are mixed for the biotech sector.
Eli Lilly's soon-to-be CEO John Lechleiter is an anomaly. As Lechleiter himself put it in a press conference on Tuesday: "Who would've thought that a kid who joined the company in 1979 as an organic chemist, wearing his whites, would be standing here today?"
Amgen, the nation's second-largest biotech, was once considered immune from the chronic problems facing old-line drugmakers. But these days Amgen has all the major symptoms of "Big Pharma disease:" regulatory run-ins, price competition from generic drugs, and a virtually empty pipeline of future medicines.
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