Off-Label Marketing Is
Free Speech, Court Rules.
In
continuing coverage, the American Medical News (12/24, Gallegos)
reported, "The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 3 ruled that
blocking drug companies from promoting truthful statements about off-label drug
uses violates the First Amendment," clearing the way for so-called
"off-label marketing." The Medical News notes that "some medical
experts are concerned that the court decision will encourage drug companies to
mislead physicians about the benefits of their medications."
Pharma Companies Target
Self-Destructing Cancer Cells.
On its
front page, the New York Times (12/23, A1, Kolata,
Subscription Publication) reported that Merck, Roche, and Sanofi are about to
conduct tests for what "many scientists see...as the beginning of a new
genetic age in cancer research." The pharmaceutical companies will
investigate "whether new drugs can work against a wide range of
cancers" by targeting "an aberration involving a cancer gene
fundamental to tumor growth." The tests will be the first of their kind
and "great uncertainties remain," but all three companies "are
racing to develop their own versions of a drug they hope will restore a
mechanism that normally makes badly damaged cells self-destruct and could
potentially be used against half of all cancers."
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