Industry Briefs

Bristol-Myers Squibb to Pay $19.5M for Off-Label Promotion of Abilify

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has agreed to pay $19.5 million to settle multistate allegations that it improperly promoted the antipsychotic Abilify, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced last week.

The deal with 42 states and the District of Columbia resolves claims that the company marketed Abilify for children and elderly patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, when neither use was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. According to the attorney general, the company also violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the risks of Abilify, including weight gain and metabolic side effects.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has denied any wrongdoing.

Phase 1 Trial of Wearable Transcranial Electromagnetic Treatment for AD is Under Way

NeuroEM Therapeutics Inc. has announced that it is conducting a phase 1 trial of its wearable head device that delivers electromagnetic waves to patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the company, transcranial electromagnetic treatment (TEMT) is able to deliver electromagnetic waves to the entire brain. Studies in mice suggested that the technique may help to break down amyloid oligomers inside brain cells and enhance mitochondrial function in cells affected by Alzheimer’s disease, they said.

“The NeuroEM 1000 head device, worn twice daily for one-hour treatments, allows complete mobility of the patient for doing in-home activities,” the company stated in a press release.

The trial is scheduled to end in 2017. ■