US to increase production of experimental Ebola drug
U.S. federal officials are planning to sharply increase production of ZMapp, which is viewed by many experts as the most promising experimental drug for treating people stricken by Ebola in West Africa.
New cancer drug gets FDA approval
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first of an eagerly awaited new class of cancer drugs that unleash the body’s immune system to fight tumors.
French company Sanofi says dengue vaccine succeeds in late-stage trial
LOS ANGELES — The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said Monday that its experimental vaccine for dengue fever had succeeded in its first late-stage clinical trial. The results could help pave the way for introduction of the first vaccine to prevent a disease that afflicts as many as 100 million people a year.
Two companies aim to treat allergies with pills or drops
For much of her adult life, Shirley Hickey received two injections a week in an effort to tame severe allergies that caused frequent sore throats and sinus infections. Now she uses a less painful method.
Nelson Mandela, 95, passes away Thursday night
Nelson Mandela, who led the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule and served as his country’s first black president, becoming an international emblem of dignity and forbearance, died Thursday night. He was 95.
Experimental treatment for muscular dystrophy
Terri Ellsworth is convinced that her 12-year-old son Billy, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is being helped by an experimental drug that counteracts the genetic mutation causing his disease.
Former biotech king, dethroned and jailed
He was once hailed as the king of biotechnology. In the industry’s frontier days, David Blech was the top gunslinger, quick to draw his checkbook to start new companies or prop up faltering ones.
Cancer physicians attack high drug costs
With the cost of some lifesaving cancer drugs exceeding $100,000 a year, more than 100 influential cancer specialists from around the world have taken the unusual step of banding together in hopes of persuading some leading pharmaceutical companies to bring prices down.
Unsafe practices found at compounding pharmacies
After a crash inspection program, federal regulators said Thursday that they had found numerous unsafe practices at about 30 compounding pharmacies, the same type of facility responsible for the tainted drug that caused a deadly meningitis outbreak last year.
FDA approval for genetic drug to treat a rare inherited disorder
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug Tuesday that not only treats a rare inherited disorder that causes extremely high cholesterol levels and heart attacks by age 30 but does so using a long-sought technology that can shut off specific genes that cause disease.
More light shed on health violations
The Massachusetts Department of Health released hundreds of pages of documents Monday detailing a history of violations at the New England Compounding Center, whose tainted medicine has caused a nationwide meningitis outbreak. The documents include dozens of complaints from as early as April 1999, less than a year after the company began as a compounding pharmacy in Framingham, Mass.
DNA sequencing bottlenecked in a deluge of data
BGI, based in China, is the world’s largest genomics research institute, with 167 DNA sequencers producing the equivalent of 2,000 human genomes a day.
Mosquitoes genetically altered
These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to kill — their own children.
Amgen to pay $780 million to settle suits on its sales
Amgen said Monday that it had set aside $780 million to settle various federal and state investigations and whistle-blower lawsuits accusing it of illegal sales and marketing tactics.
In cancer research, a new target: tumors’ fuel line
For the last decade cancer drug developers have tried to jam the accelerators that cause tumors to grow. Now they want to block the fuel line.
RNAi Therapeutics May Hold Key to Reducing Cholesterol
People whose bodies make an unusually active form of a certain protein tend to have dangerously high levels of cholesterol. Those with an inactive form of the protein have low cholesterol and a low risk of heart attacks.
FDA Announces That Food From Clones Is Safe for Humans to Eat
After years of debate, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday declared that food from cloned animals and their progeny is safe to eat, clearing the way for milk and meat derived from copies of prized dairy cows, steers and hogs to be sold at the grocery store.