Peanut Butter News

Full Story at CNN.com

Two small research firms, Legitscript.com and KnujOn.com, say that during a three-month period in the spring and early summer of 2009, Yahoo routinely accepted ads from dozens of online pharmacies that dispensed drugs without a valid prescription.

The allegation is included in a new report by the two firms, which said their researchers used “blind” buys — purchases made without disclosing their identities — to obtain a wide range of prescription drugs from nearly a dozen online pharmacy sites that advertised on Yahoo. The researchers, the companies said, often had real-time interaction with online pharmacy employees.

“If search engines continue to knowingly facilitate illegal prescription drug sales, then we will continue to issue these reports,” said Garth Bruen, president of KnujOn.com.

Full Story At CNN.com

Amid the frenzy of confusing and conflicting information that has followed the death of Michael Jackson, Wednesday began with clarity on two fronts. The day ended, however, with more questions than answers.

A federal law enforcement official said Wednesday night that the Drug Enforcement Administration had joined Jackson’s death investigation, once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon’s passing.

Earlier in the day, the Jackson family said they would not hold a public or private viewing of his body at Neverland Ranch, as had been reported. They didn’t indicate where else or when such a ceremony would be held.

And though Jackson’s will, made public Wednesday, placed his entire estate in a family trust, the document that described the trust was not filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Full Story At msnbc.com

BASEL, Switzerland – Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis AG said Friday it has successfully produced a first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations.

The vaccine was made in cells, rather than grown in eggs as is usually the case with vaccines, the company said.

The announcement comes a day after the World Health Organization declared swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, a pandemic. The move indicates that a global outbreak is under way. WHO says drugmakers will likely have vaccines approved and ready for sale after September.

Full Story At  msnbc.com

PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Joanne Devlin needs about 20 prescription drugs to regulate her blood pressure, keep her arthritic joints limber and pain-free and control her asthma.

She counts on financial help from Rhode Island when her Medicare Part D insurance plan maxes out and no longer pays her drug bills, which can reach $3,000 every three months. But that state help may no longer be an option after Jan. 1.

Full Story At  news.Yahoo.com

WASHINGTON – Inching closer to a swine flu vaccine, the government is beginning to analyze two candidates for the key ingredient to brew one.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes to deliver one or both to vaccine manufacturers by the end of next week so scientists can begin the months-long process of producing shots.

Friday, the government set aside $1 billion for crucial testing of the first pilot doses and stockpiling of key vaccine ingredients — in case world health authorities decide that people indeed need to be vaccinated starting sometime next fall. The stockpile will allow for quick production of shots to protect health workers and other people at high-risk from flu.

Full Story At  msnbc.com

Federal scientists testing for pharmaceuticals in water have been finding significantly more medicine residues in sewage downstream from public treatment facilities that handle waste from drugmakers.

Early results from two pivotal federal studies compare wastewater at treatment plants that handle sewage from drugmakers with those that do not. The studies cover just a small fraction of the 1,886 pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities counted in a 2006 U.S. Census report.

Full Story At news.yahoo.com

LOS ANGELES – Anna Nicole Smith’s boyfriend Howard K. Stern and two doctors were charged Thursday with giving thousands of prescription drugs to the former Playboy Playmate in the years leading up to her fatal drug overdose in 2007.

Stern and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were each charged with three felony counts of conspiracy and several other charges of fraudulent prescriptions.