The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) generally approves drug therapies faster and earlier than its counterparts in Canada and Europe, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. The study counters perceptions that the drug approval process in the United States is especially slow. Led by second-year medical student Nicholas Downing and senior author Joseph S. Ross, M…
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Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a University of Michigan study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs…
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The expert working group advising WHO on research and development has recommended the May 2012 World Health Assembly adopt an international convention on research and development (R&D) that will bind member states to action and catalyze new knowledge for diseases that primarily affect the global poor but for which patents provide insufficient market incentives…
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Patients receiving telemonitoring along with high blood pressure management support from a pharmacist were more likely to lower their blood pressure than those not receiving extra support, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2012…
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The Pharmacovigilance Legislation Will Come into Effect in July As the European Medicines Agency’s new PV (pharmacovigilance) Legislation implementation date of July 2012 approaches, US and European pharmaceutical and biotech companies need to ask themselves if they are ready for the changes that lie ahead, says Paul Beninger, MD, FACP, Vice President, Global Patient Safety, Genzyme…
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Chinese officials are in the final stages of approving the use of the country’s very first non-animal test method for cosmetics ingredients, thanks to guidance from scientists funded by PETA. The 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Assay, which tests chemicals for their potential toxicity when they come into contact with sunlight and is already in widespread use in the U.S. and the E.U…
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Results of a new study demonstrate the feasibility of a novel strategy in drug discovery: screening large numbers of existing drugs – often already approved for other uses – to see which ones activate genes that boost natural immunity. Using an automated, high-volume screening technique, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St…
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Pharmaceutical drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but later re-called from the market – such as the antidiabetic drug Avandia and pain-reliever Vioxx – were the impetus for an Institute of Medicine committee report, recommending that the FDA take proactive steps to continue monitoring drugs’ safety after initial approval and throughout their time on the market…
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Herbal, dietary, and energy or nutritional supplements may offer specific health benefits, but they can also have harmful and even life-threatening effects when combined with commonly used medications. Clinicians need to be aware of and educate their patients about the potential risks of mixing supplements and therapeutic agents, since their interaction can diminish or increase drug levels…
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The shortage of prescription generic drugs in Canada is not a recent event, dating back to the fall of 2010 or earlier, states a recent history of the shortage in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Hematologist and medical historian Dr. Jacalyn Duffin first noticed the shortage of an old, reliable drug in November 2010…
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