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Snigdha Prakash Pieces by National Desk reporter Snigdha Prakash can be heard on NPR's All Things Considered and Morning Edition. The majority of Snigdha's past reports have focused on topics related to entrepreneurship, business, banking and the economy.
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Snigdha Prakash

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Saturday

Wednesday

Law

Leaked Documents Spur First-Amendment Debate

A federal court will hear a first-amendment debate over online postings. The case revolves around a liability case involving drugmaker Eli Lilly. Documents sealed from public inspection wound up on the Internet.

Leaked Documents Spur First-Amendment Debate

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Tuesday

Business

Drug Industry Enters Business Doldrums

In 2006, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has its best performance since 2003. But it was a tough year for the drug industry -- one of the nation's most profitable industries. And it doesn't look as though the rough patch will end anytime soon.

Drug Industry Enters Business Doldrums

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Friday

National

Produce Industry Moves Toward Safety Rules

In response to a string of safety scares this year, large supermarket chains and food service suppliers are demanding that the industry adopt uniform safety practices for handling fruits and vegetables.

Produce Industry Moves Toward Safety Rules

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Tuesday

Business

Pfizer Problems Emblematic of Industry Obstacles

The cancellation of Pfizer's drug torcetrapib highlights the difficulties facing an industry that has been extraordinarily successful over the past decade. A slew of blockbusters are losing patent protection, pipelines for new drugs are empty and the companies are struggling to refill them.

Pfizer Problems Emblematic of Industry Obstacles

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Wednesday

Science

Study Finds Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research

Conflicts of interest in clinical research tests are common, and not always disclosed, according to a large national survey of academics on institutional review boards. The first-of-its-kind review of the boards will likely fuel the debate over how research integrity is affected when clinical investigators have financial ties to companies that pay for testing.

Study Finds Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research

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Thursday

Health Care

System Sees Rise in Medicare Drug Prices, Profits

As debate continues over whether the U.S. government should negotiate directly with drug makers over Medicare drug prices, we measure how well Americans have been served by the market so far. Medicare drug prices and premiums have gone up during the first year of the benefit, as have profits for drug companies and insurers.

System Sees Rise in Medicare Drug Prices, Profits

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Tuesday

Business

Wall Street Doubts Benefits of CVS-Caremark Deal

If the proposed CVS-Caremark deal goes through, it would create the biggest drug-dispensing business in the country. But, it's not clear that the combined company would make more money than the two businesses did separately.

Wall Street Doubts Benefits of CVS-Caremark Deal

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Saturday

Business

Spinach Growers Look to Win Consumers Back

Regaining consumer confidence will be an uphill task for spinach growers because of the publicity surrounding the E. coli outbreak. It will require reassuring consumers that the industry is actually doing what it can to prevent future outbreaks.

Spinach Growers Look to Win Consumers Back

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Tuesday

Business

Bristol-Myers Board Urged to Fire CEO Dolan

A federal monitor overseeing drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has urged the firing of CEO Peter Dolan and the company's general counsel, according to a source familiar with the situation. Bristol-Myers' board is expected to consider cutting the company's hefty dividend Tuesday, according to sources.

Bristol-Myers Board Urged to Fire CEO Dolan

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Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Health

The Plot Thickens with a Generic Blood Thinner

A small Canadian firm takes on two of the largest drug companies in the world with its surprise launch of a generic copy of the best-selling blood thinner Plavis. Apotex began shipping its generic version to U.S. stores today. The makers of Plavix sold $6 billion of the popular heart drug last year.

The Plot Thickens with a Generic Blood Thinner

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Friday

Law

Merck Fights Vioxx Cases One at a Time

Thousands of people have sued pharmaceutical giant Merck over Vioxx, its one-time blockbuster painkiller. The company is fighting the lawsuits one case at a time, instead of settling with large groups of plaintiffs. Observers are debating Merck's strategy.

Merck Fights Vioxx Cases One at a Time

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Friday

Law

Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry on Generic Drug Deal

The Justice Department is investigating a deal between two large brand-name drug makers and a generic company. The deal allegedly was made to keep a cheaper, generic form of Plavix off the market for several months. The drug, used to prevent blood clots after heart attacks, has annual sales of more than $3 billion. The charges of collusion potentially involve more than $1 billion in revenue for the brand-name makers.

Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry on Generic Drug Deal

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Wednesday

Health Care

Questions Surround Safety of FDA-Approved Antibiotic

Questions have arisen about the FDA's approval of the antibiotic Ketek. The drug, which was released in 2004, can cause liver failure and may have been responsible for at least four deaths.

Questions Surround Safety of FDA-Approved Antibiotic

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Friday

Health Care

FDA Warns Antibiotic Can Damage Liver

The Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors about Ketek, an antibiotic used to treat common respiratory infections. Four deaths from liver failure have been attributed to the drug.

FDA Warns Antibiotic Can Damage Liver

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Tuesday

Vioxx: The Downfall of a Drug

Medical Journal Publishes Correction on Vioxx Study

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a correction to a Vioxx study that has figured prominently in Merck's legal defense of the drug. The medical journal says that a reinterpretation of the study shows Vioxx increases cardiovascular risk soon after patients start taking the painkiller. Merck says the study continues to show Vioxx was safe for the first 18 months of use.

Medical Journal Publishes Correction on Vioxx Study

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Monday

Vioxx: The Downfall of a Drug

Medical Journal Issues Vioxx Study Correction

A correction published today on the New England Journal of Medicine's Web site undermines a key feature of Merck's defense against the thousands of lawsuits filed over its painkiller Vioxx.

Medical Journal Issues Vioxx Study Correction

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Thursday

Health

VIOXX Inquiry, Part Two

Documents obtained by NPR show that five years before Vioxx was pulled off the market, doctors monitoring the safety of the drug knew that it increased the risk of heart attacks. These doctors were part of a panel overseeing a study of Vioxx. Independent experts tell NPR that the study should have been stopped at the first sign that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes. They say that would have prevented tens of thousands of deaths. The safety panel and Merck say it wasn't clear whether Vioxx was causing the problems. A report from NPR's Snigdha Prakash continues.

VIOXX Inquiry, Part Two

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Vioxx: The Downfall of a Drug

Conflicted Safety Panel Let Vioxx Study Continue

Merck pulled its painkiller Vioxx from the market in 2004 after a study showed the drug caused heart problems, strokes and death. But documents obtained by NPR reveal that early results from a 1999 study showed similar problems. Yet Merck didn't stop that study and tell the public.

Conflicted Safety Panel Let Vioxx Study Continue

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Thursday

Vioxx: The Downfall of a Drug

Data: Vioxx Heart Risks Began Earlier than Thought

New data obtained by NPR about the painkiller Vioxx show that all patients who took the drug were at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and other complications -- even those who took it for short periods of time. About 20 million Americans are estimated to have taken Vioxx before it was withdrawn in 2004.

Data: Vioxx Heart Risks Began Earlier than Thought

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Friday

Vioxx: The Downfall of a Drug

Study: Health Risk Remains a Year After Quitting Vioxx

New results from a large scientific study show that the risk of heart problems and death from the painkiller Vioxx are long-lasting. An increased risk continued even one year after patients stop taking the drug.

Study: Health Risk Remains a Year After Quitting Vioxx

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