The Supreme Court may rule that pharmaceutical companies cannot be sued for dangerous or even deadly side effects from their drugs if those side effects arise from an FDA-approved use.
Under a legal argument known as "pre-emption," the FDA's approval of a drug absolves companies of any responsibility if that drug later turns out to be dangerous, even if information was concealed from the FDA during the approval process. While courts have rejected this argument for decades, the winds appear to be shifting.
In February,the Supreme Court ruled that makers of medical devices were indeed immune from state lawsuits if their devices had received FDA approval. But that decision hinged on the specific wording of the law that gives the FDA authority over medical devices, and the laws relating to drug regulation are not worded the same way.
Health & Wellness
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Nanotechnology is being used to make transparent sunscreen
Nanotechnology is being used to make transparent sunscreen
Cosmetics containing tiny "nano" particles are being used widely despite unresolved issues surrounding their safety, a consumer watchdog warns. Many skin care products, including sunscreens and wrinkle creams, contain this technology to make them easier to apply and invisible on the skin.
But experts are concerned about their possible long-term effects on the body, Which? reports. Which? wants more safety checks and tighter regulation of their use. It says, at the moment, consumers cannot tell which products use nanomaterials as many fail to mention it.
Nearly 4,000 new cases of mental health disorders were diagnosed among armed services personnel last year, according to figures published yesterday.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Defence showed 3,917 mental disorders.
Of these, 1,879 served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A breakdown of the statistics showed a significantly higher rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among those personnel who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Defence showed 3,917 mental disorders.
Of these, 1,879 served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A breakdown of the statistics showed a significantly higher rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among those personnel who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
A recent study by Iowa State University Researchers revealed that violent video games affect children no matter the culture. In order to prove that, they conducted a study on the effects of violent video games on the level of aggression in children from the United States and Japan over a 3 to 6 month period. The results have been published in detail in the November issue of Pediatrics.
Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil may help maintain the body's healthy response to inflammation, preventing the immune response from getting out of hand and leading to cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, and published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
Both first- and second-generation immigrants to the United Kingdom appear to have a higher risk of psychoses than white British individuals, according to a new report.
An elevated risk for psychoses - psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia that are characterized by a disconnect from reality - have been observed among migrant groups since 1932, when Norwegians moving to the United States displayed higher rates, according to background information in the article. "Immigration is an important life event and difficulties in assimilation may remain chronic as conceptualized within the stress-vulnerability model of risk for psychosis, although individual risk is still considered to be mediated through genetic susceptibility," the authors write.
An elevated risk for psychoses - psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia that are characterized by a disconnect from reality - have been observed among migrant groups since 1932, when Norwegians moving to the United States displayed higher rates, according to background information in the article. "Immigration is an important life event and difficulties in assimilation may remain chronic as conceptualized within the stress-vulnerability model of risk for psychosis, although individual risk is still considered to be mediated through genetic susceptibility," the authors write.
A discovery from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has put scientists are one step closer to finding a defense against dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes called "superbugs."
In a study that will be published in the Nov. 11 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, OMRF researchers Philip Silverman, Ph.D., and Margaret Clarke, Ph.D., have obtained the first visual evidence of a key piece in the puzzle of how deadly superbugs spread antibiotic resistance in hospitals and throughout the general population.
"These 'superbugs' have become increasingly common since the widespread use of antibiotics began and they are now a serious public health menace," said Silverman, who holds the Marjorie Nichlos Chair in Medical Research at OMRF. "Now, for the first time, we can begin to see, literally, how they acquire and disseminate antibiotic resistance."
In a study that will be published in the Nov. 11 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, OMRF researchers Philip Silverman, Ph.D., and Margaret Clarke, Ph.D., have obtained the first visual evidence of a key piece in the puzzle of how deadly superbugs spread antibiotic resistance in hospitals and throughout the general population.
"These 'superbugs' have become increasingly common since the widespread use of antibiotics began and they are now a serious public health menace," said Silverman, who holds the Marjorie Nichlos Chair in Medical Research at OMRF. "Now, for the first time, we can begin to see, literally, how they acquire and disseminate antibiotic resistance."
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The drug is the chemical cousin of an extract in red wine
The drug is the chemical cousin of an extract in red wine
The University of Louis Pasteur team found the drug protected mice against weight gain and insulin resistance.
The drug SRT1720 - a chemical cousin of red wine extract resveratrol - targets the protein SIRT1, which is thought to combat ageing, Cell Metabolism reports.
The main principles governing the pharmaceutical "business with disease." It is not in the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry to prevent common diseases - the maintenance and expansion of diseases is a precondition for the financial growth of this industry.
1. The pharmaceutical industry is an investment industry driven by the profits of its shareholders. Improving human health is not the driving force of this industry.
1. The pharmaceutical industry is an investment industry driven by the profits of its shareholders. Improving human health is not the driving force of this industry.
A new virus that causes fatal hemorrhagic fevers has been discovered in southern Africa. It killed four people in South Africa and sickened a fifth, but health authorities believe the outbreak has been contained.
The virus is a member of the arenavirus family, which also includes the causes of Lassa fever in West Africa and several South American fevers. While new viruses are often found in animals - a new blue-tongue virus was found in Swiss goats last month, for example - it is relatively rare to discover one fatal to humans, like the SARS coronavirus in 2002 or the sin nombre hantavirus in 1993.
How the first victim was infected is unknown, but arenaviruses are common in rodents; their dried urine, inhaled while sweeping, can transmit infection.
The virus is a member of the arenavirus family, which also includes the causes of Lassa fever in West Africa and several South American fevers. While new viruses are often found in animals - a new blue-tongue virus was found in Swiss goats last month, for example - it is relatively rare to discover one fatal to humans, like the SARS coronavirus in 2002 or the sin nombre hantavirus in 1993.
How the first victim was infected is unknown, but arenaviruses are common in rodents; their dried urine, inhaled while sweeping, can transmit infection.
