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British woman loses Herceptin court battle

A mother of three in the UK suffering from the early-stage of an aggressive form of breast cancer, has lost her high court battle to force her health authority to pay for the potentially life-saving drug Herceptin.

16 Feb 2006

So much for openness and enhanced oversight at FDA drug safety board!

The Drug Safety Oversight Board, created in February 2005, was originally introduced as a measure to speed up and help regulators respond to signs of unexpected side effects following a new drug hitting the market.

13 Feb 2006

Acne drug which causes birth defects too hard to monitor

According to the birth watchdog group the March of Dimes, preventing birth defects from a widely used acne drug is too heavy a burden on doctors, patients and pharmacists.

13 Feb 2006

Genzyme launches test to monitor Gleevec resistance

Genzyme Corporation has announced the availability of an important new test to monitor drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who are treated with Gleevec (imatinib mesylate).

13 Feb 2006

FDA affirms safety of Aspartame

The Calorie Control Council has stated that a rat study conducted by Italy's Ramazzini Institute is totally contradictory to the extensive scientific research and regulatory reviews conducted on aspartame. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has said they are not recommending any changes in the use of aspartame.

13 Feb 2006

Heart risk warning wanted on ADHD drugs

A U.S. advisory panel has recommended that drugs used by millions to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), should carry a warning of the risk of heart problems.

12 Feb 2006

Sanofi pasteur delivers more H5N1 vaccines to U.S. Government

Sanofi pasteur has delivered more H5N1 vaccine to the U.S. government including investigational doses formulated with an adjuvant.

7 Feb 2006

FDA grants fast track status for ViroPharma's Maribavir

ViroPharma Incorporated has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation for maribavir, an oral antiviral drug candidate for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in allogeneic bone marrow (stem cell) and solid organ transplant patients.

7 Feb 2006

Viragen reports on Multiferon anti-viral studies

Viragen, Inc today reported on the progression of anti-viral studies using Multiferon (multi-subtype, natural human alpha interferon) being conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID).

7 Feb 2006

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical announce availability of 2 mg Abilify (aripiprazole) tablet

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced two newly available options of Abilify (aripiprazole) -- a 2 mg tablet strength and a nonrefrigerated oral solution (1 mg/mL).

7 Feb 2006

Monotherapy phase I clinical trials of novel cytotoxics, targeted therapeutics, antimetastatic agents/angiogenesis inhibitors, and immunotherapeutics/vaccines

Numerous novel oncology agents are currently in phase I monotherapy trials. New Medicine's Oncology KnowledgeBASE (nm|OK) has updated the records of 92 such agents with preclinical or clinical results reported during the 2005 meetings of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

7 Feb 2006

Angina drug finally gets the ok

U.S. regulators have granted approval for the drug Ranexa in the treatment of chronic angina.

31 Jan 2006

Postcode decides whether women receive breast cancer drug Herceptin

A British woman is so desperate to be given access to the breast cancer drug Herceptin that she is prepared to protest at the government's Welsh assembly in the Welsh capital Cardiff.

30 Jan 2006

New inhaled drug for diabetics an alternative treatment option for some

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given it's approval for the sale of a new drug to treat diabetes.

29 Jan 2006

Aston Academy investigates macular oedema

Aston Academy of Life Sciences, the clinical research hospital of Aston University, has recently been commissioned to assess the efficacy and safety of a specialist drug, Posurdex (Allergan Ltd, UK), which is used in the treatment of patients who suffer from a sight threatening condition, called macular oedema.

26 Jan 2006