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Study supports controversial blood-thinning drug
• Drug News • Feb 08 05
A blood-thinning drug not approved for the U.S. market because of questions about liver damage appears to be as effective as other common therapies…
Pfizer Stomach-Cancer Drug Succeeds in Trial
• Drug News • Feb 08 05
Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday said its experimental drug for a deadly form of stomach cancer proved safe and effective in a late-stage trial, prompting…
Bone density returns after teens stop Depo-Provera
• Drug News • Feb 07 05
The long-acting injected contraceptive Depo-Provera, popular among adolescent women, produces a significant drop in bone mineral density - but it seems to rebound once…
Chinese scientists develop bird flu vaccine - media
• Drug News • Feb 07 05
Scientists in China have developed a bird flu vaccine for poultry and mammals that can fend off the deadly virus and help stop its…
Novartis Drug Risk Seen Similar to Vioxx - FDA Staff
• Drug News • Feb 04 05
A clinical trial for Novartis AG’s experimental painkiller Prexige showed the risk of heart attack, stroke and death was “similar” to Merck & Co.…
New Antibiotic Shortens Tuberculosis Treatment Time
• Drug News • Feb 04 05
A new antibiotic may work faster against tuberculosis than other drugs currently in use, based on studies conducted on mice. There is also evidence…
FDA Staff Questions Heart Risks of Merck’s Arcoxia
• Drug News • Feb 04 05
Merck & Co. Inc.‘s painkiller Arcoxia offers a “marginal” advantage in gastrointestinal safety but seems “worse than” other pain drugs in terms of deaths…
Bat saliva drug may improve stroke outcome
• Drug News • Feb 04 05
The results of a small study suggest that desmoteplase, an investigational clot-busting drug derived from vampire bat saliva, safely restores blood supply to the…
Drug use in strict Singapore waning, gov’t says
• Drug News • Feb 03 05
Drug use in Singapore is waning after aggressive police crackdowns netted a “high society” cocaine ring last year and targeted synthetic “club drugs,” such…
Bexxar effective first-line treatment for lymphoma
• Drug News • Feb 03 05
The Bexxar therapeutic regimen (GlaxoSmithKline), which combines the anti-CD20 antibody tositumomab with radioactive iodine, can induce prolonged remissions in patients with follicular lymphoma when…
Zoloft prescription unchanged!
• Drug News • Feb 03 05
A family doctor testified Wednesday that a teenager was taking a starter dose of the antidepressant Zoloft when the boy shot his grandparents…
US Senate panel may deadlock on utility emissions
• Drug News • Feb 02 05
A Senate panel fight over whether carbon dioxide should be included in a plan to limit pollutants emitted by U.S. utilities threatened on Wednesday…
OC’s Rogge sees threat in designer steroids
• Drug News • Feb 02 05
The discovery of a new designer steroid shows anti-doping authorities need better intelligence-gathering, the International Olympic Committee president said on Tuesday.
Jacques Rogge praised…
Vioxx increases heart attack risk in elderly
• Drug News • Feb 01 05
A new study adds to the evidence that cardiac risk is increased in Vioxx (rofecoxib) users, even in those without a history of heart…
Cialis impotence drug returns to Super Bowl
• Drug News • Jan 28 05
The impotence drug Cialis is returning for a second round of advertising on this year’s Super Bowl, the most-watched U.S. television event, with…
New anthrax vaccine promises rapid protection
• Drug News • Jan 24 05
A kind of gene-therapy vaccine produces rapid immunity to anthrax, animal experiments show.
According to Dr. Ronald G. Crystal and colleagues from Cornell University…
Vioxx, Celebrex were overprescribed, US study says
• Drug News • Jan 24 05
The two popular painkillers Vioxx and Celebrex, heavily marketed as “super-aspirin,” were prescribed for millions of patients who did not need them or should…
FDA delays nonprescription morning-after pill rule
• Drug News • Jan 24 05
U.S. regulators have delayed a decision on whether to approve over-the-counter sales of a “morning-after pill” to prevent pregnancy, drugmaker Barr Pharmaceuticals said on…
US Medicare offers revamped coverage final rules
• Drug News • Jan 21 05
The U.S. Medicare program released final rules on Friday outlining government requirements for companies that want to offer prescription drug coverage plans for the…
New drug benefit will save states billions, US says
• Drug News • Jan 21 05
U.S. states will save an estimated $8 billion in the first five years of new federal prescription drug benefits for seniors that start…
Aspirin doesn’t lead to false-positive stool tests
• Drug News • Jan 21 05
Patients are usually told not to take aspirin before having a stool test to screen for colon cancer, but that recommendation seems to be…
FDA approves automated hepatitis C virus assay on ADVIA Centaur Immunoassay system
• Drug News • Jan 20 05
Bayer HealthCare, Diagnostics Division, a member of the Bayer Group announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the company’s automated…
UK animal protests scare off drug firm suppliers
• Drug News • Jan 19 05
Increasing numbers of suppliers to British drug companies are being scared away by extremist animal rights protesters, threatening the future of research in the…
New use for WD-40 lube spray - the war on drugs
• Drug News • Jan 19 05
The makers of the handy spray lubricant WD-40 proudly list 2,000 uses for their product, from unsticking rusty screws or squeaky bicycle chains…
Pfizer to pay penalty for chemical release
• Drug News • Jan 18 05
Pfizer Inc. has agreed to pay a $22,500 penalty for failing to properly notify state and federal officials about a chemical release at a…