Category: News Archive

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that its review found no increased heart risk from the proton pump inhibitors omeprazole and esomeprazole, used to reduce stomach acid.

Merck has recalled batches of two childhood vaccines, PedvaxHIB and Comvax, which protect against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). During routine testing, Merck found Bacillus cereus bacteria that had survived sterilisation of its manufacturing equipment, although no contamination was found in the finished vaccines. Bacillus cereus is a food-borne bacterium normally found in soil, vegetables […]

Novartis has strengthened its warnings about possible liver failure during treatment with deferasirox (Exjade), an iron-chelating medicine used to remove excess iron, for example in people who have frequent blood transfusions. The company stresses that the dose should be adjusted, or treatment stopped, if blood levels of liver enzymes (transaminases) rise. Patients on deferasirox need […]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a medicine containing sapropterin dihydrochloride to treat phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU is an inherited metabolic disorder that can cause learning disability and various nerve problems. It is caused by a missing or faulty enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase, which normally breaks down phenylalanine and so keeps its level in […]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the deadline for comments on its proposed new rule for sunscreen products from 26 November to 26 December 2007. The final rule will update the 1999 rule on sunscreens, especially those protecting against ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, and will set new labelling requirements for protection against ultraviolet […]

High blood pressure increases the risk of future disability, such as not being able to lift things, climb or go down stairs, or bathe, and other basic activities needed to live independently, so that the person needs help with daily life. We always remember the risk of heart disease and kidney failure, but forget to […]

According to a study published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, healthy men with low testosterone levels are more likely to die from any cause. The study included 11,606 men aged 40 to 79 who had no cancer or heart disease at the start. Blood samples taken at their first examination were […]

According to the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the evidence for several common treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee is weak. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, widely used because of claims that they ease joint pain and improve function, worked no better than a placebo (a harmless dummy treatment the patient believes is […]

A review shows that patients with moderate coronary artery disease are more likely to be free of recurring angina if they have bypass surgery rather than balloon angioplasty, with or without a stent. Moderate disease was defined as one blockage in the vital left anterior descending artery, two blockages, or in some less severe cases […]

In a study for the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), researchers at the University of Texas, the University of Houston and Harvard University analysed a random sample of 889 malpractice claims from 2002 to 2004 to find out why medical errors happen. They looked at whether the errors really occurred or were […]

Pfizer has announced that it will stop making and selling Exubera, its inhaled insulin, 15 months after it went on sale. "Despite all our efforts, Exubera has not gained the acceptance of patients and doctors we had hoped for, so we are ending our investment in it," said chief executive Jeff Kindler. Few doctors prescribed […]

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have found the first evidence that a specific form of oestrogen can protect the brain in multiple sclerosis without raising the risk of oestrogen-driven cancers such as breast and womb cancer, and that men could use it without the side effects of traditional oestrogen. The study […]