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Government in Ontario will pay for three new cancer drugs

Canadian Health Minister George Smitherman has announced that the government will add three new and expensive cancer-fighting drugs to the list of medications it funds.

25 Jul 2005

Breast cancer drug Herceptin soon to be widely available on NHS

The British health secretary Patricia Hewitt has ordered a fast-track assessment of Herceptin, a drug which has shown great promise in treating the early stages of breast cancer.

23 Jul 2005

Provectus to begin clinical trials of new cancer treatment, PV-10

Provectus Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has obtained final clearance to begin the first Phase 1 clinical trial of PV-10, the Company's lead cancer treatment.

21 Jul 2005

ev3 announces FDA approval of treatment for brain vascular disorder

ev3 today announced that its majority-owned subsidiary Micro Therapeutics has received pre-market application (PMA) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercialize its Onyx Liquid Embolic System (Onyx) for the treatment of arterio-venous malformations (AVMs), a vascular disorder in the brain.

21 Jul 2005

Sale of abortion-pill threatened by U.S. lawmakers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new warning this week regarding the abortion pill RU-486 following the deaths of five women taking it, from bacterial infections.

21 Jul 2005

UK medical watchdog wants more proof on value of Alzheimer's drugs

In the UK the country's watchdog for cost-effectiveness in medical treatments, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has asked drug makers for more evidence about the benefits of their Alzheimer's medicines.

21 Jul 2005

Sanofi pasteur gear up for influenza pandemic with new plant

Work has officially begun on the construction of a new sanofi pasteur manufacturing facility that will expand the ability of the United States to produce influenza vaccine for both routine influenza immunization and in case of a global influenza pandemic.

21 Jul 2005

New program will help fill a drug-discovery void as pharmaceutical companies have largely abandoned natural products research

The natural world has been medicine's most effective arsenal, providing life-saving antibiotics and our most potent anti-cancer drugs.

20 Jul 2005

U.S. stockpile of anti-flu drugs is "totally inadequate"

The United States does not have nearly enough antiviral drugs on hand to fight a coming influenza pandemic, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

19 Jul 2005

Results demonstrate the safety and tolerability of ABthrax treatment for Anthrax infection

Human Genome Sciences has announced that results published in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases demonstrate that the first investigational agent against anthrax infection to be evaluated in a clinical study since the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, is safe, well tolerated and achieves the blood levels predicted by relevant animal models as necessary to afford significant protection from the lethal effects of the anthrax toxin

19 Jul 2005

Discount injectables bought offshore not worth the price

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) has announced that patients need to be wary of “bargain” injectables or other treatments that are not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Unregulated injectables or treatments can compromise patient health and put patient lives at risk.

19 Jul 2005

FDA fast tracks HIV protease inhibitor from Vertex and GSK

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has announced that its collaborator, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has received fast track designation for the HIV protease inhibitor (PI) 640385 (VX-385) from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

19 Jul 2005

FDA examines deaths of patients using pain patches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating reports of the deaths of patients who were using pain patches that contain the narcotic fentanyl.

18 Jul 2005

Way now clear for FDA approval of Plan B "morning-after" pill

Now that senators Patty Murray of Washington and Hillary Clinton of New York, have dropped their objections to acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford becoming the permanent commissioner, approval for the sale of the Plan B "morning-after" contraceptive without a prescription should be granted with the minimum of delay.

18 Jul 2005

Bioniche launches injection for varicose veins in the U.S

Bioniche Life Sciences has announced that its Pharma Division has launched Sotradecol(R) Injection (Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate Injection) in the United States.

15 Jul 2005

Ranbaxy receives tentative FDA approval to manufacture and market Zidovudine tablets

India's Ranbaxy Laboratories has announced that it has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Zidovudine Tablets USP, 300 mg.

15 Jul 2005

FDA panel says asthma drugs should stay on market but must carry warnings

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has declared that three asthma drugs are safe enough to stay on the market, after concerns that in rare cases they raise the risk of severe asthma.

14 Jul 2005

ID Biomedical's flu vaccine granted fast track status

ID Biomedical Corporation announced today it has been advised by the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) that the Company's Influenza Virus Vaccine (Fluviral) has been granted a Fast Track designation.

13 Jul 2005

Australian product promotes healing in venous stasis ulcers

Novogen has announced the results of a Phase II clinical trial of its investigational wound healing compound, Glucoprime, in venous stasis ulcers.

13 Jul 2005

Approval sought for Femara in early post-surgery use

Approval is being sought in the U.S. and Europe, by Swiss drug makerNovartis, for its breast-cancer drug Femara to be used immediately after surgery to help older women fight tumours.

12 Jul 2005