Scientists have uncovered the antidepressant mechanism behind ketamine — an anesthetic, a recreational dance-party drug, and, as it turns out, an unusually fast-acting mood booster. The scientists hope that their finding will lead to the development of other, new drugs that can help patients recover from depression faster.
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In light of clinical trials suggesting no benefit from the medication among breast cancer patients, U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted yesterday in favor of withdrawing approval of the cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) for treatment of breast cancer. Avastin, which is manufactured by Roche, was originally granted
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Despite concerns that the popular GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug Avandia could raise the risk for heart attack, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted today in favor of keeping the medication on the market. As the Wall Street Journal reports, 20 members of the 33-person panel voted in favor of keeping Avandia on the
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A potential new obesity drug appears effective at helping patients lose weight, according to a report released today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but concerns remain about side effects — which could include depression, anxiety, impact on heart rate and risks for pregnant women. The document was released in advance of a
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Fear of lawsuits often prompts emergency room doctors to order tests that they may feel are unnecessary, the Associated Press reports. In the fast paced environment of an emergency department, making quick decisions that can have life-altering implications is a standard aspect of treatment — and the pressure not to miss anything is …
In early May, national pharmacy chain Walgreens indefinitely delayed sales of an at home genetic test kit after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that kit had not been proven safe or effective, and that further inquiry …
In response to an investigation published last week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) which pointed to affiliations between World Health Organization (WHO) advisers and pharmaceutical companies manufacturing H1N1 flu vaccines, WHO inspector general Margaret Chan said that industry ties had no impact on the global health agency’s
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Almost exactly one year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the swine flu outbreak had reached global pandemic proportions. The announcement, made on June 11, 2009, spurred governments to order huge stocks of vaccines and prompted broad public health initiatives around the globe. And while we can all be grateful that
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Things just seem to be getting worse for Johnson & Johnson and one of its branches, McNeil Consumer Healthcare. After a routine inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a McNeil plant in Pennsylvania found serious lapses in quality control — including bacterial contamination and lack of proper evaluation of a …
Walgreens pharmacy has decided to postpone the sale of an at-home genetic testing kit manufactured by Pathway Genomics after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that the tests had not been proven safe or accurate, and …
Widespread recalls and horror stories about salmonella and E. coli outbreaks have become common fodder for news stories in the U.S. in recent years, and even worked their way into our collective pop culture — in the October …
If you’ve ever worried that pharmaceutical companies have too much sway when it comes to determining your treatment, today’s news won’t help quell your fears.
The New York Times reports that a large pharmaceutical developer hired ghostwriters to “play a major role in producing” 26 scientific papers that support hormone replacement …
If you’ve been trying to follow the debate over U.S. health-care reform, you might be confused about whether Obama’s plan is really going to cut costs, how much it will save, and how on earth there can be so much debate over what seems like accounting. At the heart of this issue, however, is the question of prevention: Can prevention …
