FDA approved Warner Chilcott’s Atelvia (risedronate sodium) delayed release tablets, billed as a next generation Actonel. Atelvia contains the same active ingredient as Actonel, but a different delivery mechanism.
The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of 123 women in Minnesota who developed breast cancer after taking hormone replacement treatments, allowing those women to sue pharmaceutical manufacturers responsible for developing the treatments in a state court. Companies being sued by the women include Pfizer, Teva, J&J, Novartis, Abbott and Watson.
Abbott Laboratories pulled its Meridia (sibutramine) diet pill off the market due to increased risk of heart and stroke. “Meridia’s continued availability is not justified when you compare the very modest weight loss that people achieve on this drug, to their risk of heart attack or stroke,” said John Jenkins, director of the office of new drugs in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Meridia had been on the market for nearly 13 years.
