This Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hear from an expert panel about the merits of, flibanserin, a drug that has been touted as potentially being the female equivalent of Viagra. Yet, an initial FDA review posted online today already indicates that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of flibanserin,
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Since last July the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has had data from studies examining a potential correlation between retinyl palmitate, a common chemical in sunscreen, and elevated cancer risk in lab rats, the agency has been slow to interpret the findings and offer guidance to the public, charges Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY).
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Last week a public health committee charged with making recommendations on U.S. government policy regarding blood donation decided in favor of upholding a current rule prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood, the Los Angeles Times reports. In a separate recommendation, the Wall Street Journal health blog reports that a
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As many as 100,000 deaths could be prevented each year with the increased use of an inexpensive drug, according to a new study from researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In the analysis of more than 20,000 seriously injured patients from 40 different countries, researchers found deaths due to excessive blood
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Though current cervical cancer screening guidelines generally recommend that women ages 30 and older get screened — either using a traditional pap smear or a complement of a pap smear and human papillomavirus testing — every 2 to 3 years instead of annually, a new survey published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds
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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 …
For most people around the world, it’s a staple food. In the U.S., rice is becoming increasingly popular as well — since the 1930s, Americans’ rice consumption has grown threefold to about 21 lbs. per person a year. So it bears asking whether rice is a healthy dietary choice.
A new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of …
Later this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to convene an advisory committee on reproductive health drugs to determine whether a new emergency contraception pill — that can work up to 5 days after intercourse — should be approved for the U.S. market. Yet the new drug, ulipristal acetate, which is manufactured
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In new research presented today at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Genetics in Sweden, French geneticist Dr. Géraldine Viot of Maternité Port Royal hospital in Paris, highlights the elevated risk for congenital defects for children born using assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and stresses the need for
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To get your kids to watch less television, a study suggests a simple solution for parents: set firm rules and stick with them.
In a study of the screen-gazing habits of 7,415 9-to-15-year-olds — which included watching TV and playing video and computer games — researchers found that children who strongly agreed with the statement …
New research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology and highlighted by Reuters suggests that the increasing prevalence of moms holding down full-time jobs may be a contributing factor in the childhood obesity epidemic. In an effort to determine what factors may be driving childhood obesity, researchers from University College
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In a study of more than 3,000 12-year-old girls, a team of U.K. researchers found that eating large quantities of meat in early childhood was associated with a greater likelihood of beginning menstruation younger, the BBC reports. In fact, girls who ate the highest amount of meat — more than 8 portions per day by age 3, and more than
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A new analysis published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds that a drug commonly used for cancer treatment may cause kidney damage in some patients. The drug, bevacizumab, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating glioblastoma brain tumors, metastasized breast cancer and other forms of
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