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Pharmaceutical
FDA approves first-in-class drug for fibromyalgia
The FDA has approved cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride sublingual tablets (Tonmya, Tonix Pharmaceuticals), a first-in-class, non-opioid treatment for adults with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome that affects more than 10m Americans,...
Breast cancer pill extends survival in seven-year trial – Lilly
A breakthrough therapy for advanced breast cancer also works well in the early stages, improving survival outcomes for patients, according to Lilly Oncology, which says its...
SA companies lose out on ARV drugs tender
The National Department of Health’s decision to give the lion’s share of the latest R15.5bn Aids drug tender to Aspen Pharmacare but shun many...
Diabetes drugs tied to optic nerve disorder risk – US study
Experts are urging screening and monitoring for eye disease for all patients on GLP-1 receptor agonists, after a large retrospective study suggested the risk...
Dentists warn of new GLP-1 side effect
Patients using GLP-1 drugs are reporting a complication not listed among the drug’s most common side effects, according to some experts, with dentists warning they’re...
Weight-loss drug Wegovy debuts in SA
Novo Nordisk introduced its weight-loss drug Wegovy in South Africa last Thursday, marking its debut in Africa and stepping up competition with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, which...
FDA green-lights chronic lung disease treatment
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved oral brensocatib (Brinsupri) as the first treatment for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in adults and children 12...
FDA grants priority review for oral gonorrhoea antibiotic
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted British pharmaceutical company GSK’s application for priority review of gepotidacin as an oral option for...
MHRA approves teplizumab to delay diabetes progression
Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved teplizumab (Tzield) to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D) by...
Common painkiller tied to heart failure risk in seniors – US study
An anti-seizure medication prescribed for common pain has been linked to an increased risk of heart failure, particularly in people with a history of...
ADHD drugs have wider life benefits – Swedish-UK study
Medication can help people newly diagnosed with ADHD to reduce their risk of substance misuse, suicidal behaviour, transport accidents and criminality, scientists have suggested.
The...
Calls for probe into cystic fibrosis drugmaker to be reopened
Health lobbyists are demanding that the Competition Commission reopen its investigation into the manufacturers of Trikafta, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which is expected to...
SA pharmacists help send medicines to Gaza, war-torn countries
South African pharmacists have joined an international humanitarian effort to deliver life-saving medicines to Gaza and parts of Africa affected by crisis and displacement,...
UK flags continuing epilepsy drug prescriptions despite risks
The Chief Safety Officer at the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has echoed concerns about persistent sodium valproate prescribing for pregnant women.
Britain’s...
Trump demands drug companies slash prices in 60 days
President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to Big Pharma to reduce its exorbitant prices, posting letters to more than a dozen major drug...
First malaria treatment for babies a major step – SA biochemist
Last month, the first malaria treatment for babies and children of two months up to five years was approved for use by the Swiss...
Pharma firm defends online-only warning for antibiotic
A Johannesburg man who suffered four tendon ruptures has accused Cipla Medpro of deliberately not disclosing adverse events associated with an antibiotic it markets...
Weight-loss drugs race now enters new phase
An improved, new generation of weight-loss drugs may be just over the horizon, hopefully signalling an end to the typical “deflated balloon” look of...
New drug could halt Alzheimer’s
Research presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto offers hope that a new drug could halt the progression of the disease,...
Animal manure packed with antibiotic resistant genes – 14-year global study
A massive collaborative study undertaken by Chinese and US researchers – who sampled 4 017 manure specimens from pigs, chickens and cattle in 26...
Study flags high colistin-resistant Klebsiella rates in Africa
Researchers have expressed alarm over Africa’s high levels of resistance to a last-resort antibiotic in an already multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogen, according to their...
Penicillin jab recall jeopardises syphilis gains in the United States
Pfizer has warned of a possible shortage of Bicillin L-A, a long-acting injection of the antibiotic penicillin used for treating syphilis during pregnancy, after...
SA study highlights need to monitor IV antibiotic use in hospitals
The findings of a study analysing intravenous (IV) antibiotic usage in a private mining hospital in North West Province have emphasised the need for...
Male birth control pill passes first safety test in men
American researchers have announced that an experimental pill for men that works by blocking sperm production has just passed its first safety test in...
FDA panel punts stronger warnings for anti-depressants in pregnancy
Over nearly four decades since Prozac was approved for the treatment of depression, waves of concern about the effects of anti-depressants during pregnancy have...
Regulator slashes approval time for local drugmakers
The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has pledged to expedite its evaluation of locally manufactured drugs and vaccines by prioritising the registration of...
SA cancer drugs not linked to Lancet findings – SAHPRA
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has clarified that recent findings published in The Lancet about substandard cancer drugs have no bearing...
British study downplays severity of antidepressant withdrawal
Few practices in mental health are debated more than the long-term use of antidepressant medications.
A reassessment began in 2019, when two British researchers published...
New flu drug may work better than influenza vaccines – US trial
A new influenza drug that lasts for an entire flu season may outperform flu vaccines, according to the results of a large phase 2b...
First trimester UTI meds raises birth defects risks – US cohort study
A recent study suggests the risk of antibiotic use during the first trimester of pregnancy was higher for infants exposed to TMP-SMX versus β-lactam...
First malaria drug for newborns and babies approved
Novartis has received approval in Switzerland for Coartem Baby, the first drug to treat malaria in babies and very young children, with eight African countries...
FDA failures in policing Indian manufacturers of generics
When an American man’s transplanted kidney failed far earlier than might reasonably be expected, it led ProPublica into the sometimes murky world of Indian...
FDA under fire as discrepancies found in heart drug approval trials
Fresh concerns have emerged about the platelet studies underpinning the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of ticagrelor, AstraZeneca’s multibillion-dollar heart drug, after a...
Physicians urge farewell to Benadryl
A paper calling for a “final goodbye” to diphenhydramine – best known as Benadryl, and one of the oldest, but not the safest drugs...
Common bone medications linked to serious jaw disease – Finnish study
Certain medications used in the treatment of bone conditions, particularly when combined with corticosteroids, may significantly increase the risk of a rare but serious...
Triptan safe in pregnancy, Norwegian study finds
Prenatal exposure to triptans, alone or with other migraine medications, was not linked to a significantly increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children...
Family in battle with medical scheme to cover rare cancer drug
The family of an Eastern Cape man is squaring up to take on the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), after an unsuccessful struggle to have...
Common UTI drugs may be tied to cancer, warn experts
A medication commonly used to treat urinary tract infections may be accompanied by a potential cancer risk, suggest experts, who have flagged the active...
Body weight counts with antibiotics, Dutch study finds
With the increased girth of much of the world’s population, and rising obesity even in youngsters, global investigators say a person’s weight could have...
Risks of stopping beta-blockers after heart attack – French trial
Researchers have found that interruption of beta-blocker treatment after an uncomplicated myocardial infarction (MI) leads to sustained increases in blood pressure and heart rate,...