Two FDA panels to review safety of popular bone drugs
Two advisory panels of the Food and Drug Administration will consider on Friday whether to recommend requiring women who use popular bone drugs like Fosamax to take “drug holidays” because of rising concerns about rare side effects with long-term use, according to people involved in the review.
Medical panelists may have financial conflicts of interest
Doctors with private financial conflicts of interest dominated some of the panels that wrote guidelines on cardiovascular health in recent years, according to a medical journal study released Monday.
Sanofi-Aventis offers $18.5 billion for Genzyme, a near-hostile bid
Sanofi-Aventis, the French drugmaker, publicly disclosed its $18.5 billion bid for Genzyme on Sunday, intensifying pressure on the U.S. biotechnology company to engage in discussions about a sale.
DEA Cracks Down on Steroids, Growth Hormones From China
Three dozen Chinese companies sent massive quantities of steroids, human-growth hormone and other illicit bodybuilding drugs to a sprawling underground network of distributors throughout the United States, authorities said in five states on Monday, proclaiming a breakthrough in the largest steroid enforcement action in U.S. history.
Charges in Duke Lacrosse Case Dropped Wednesday
North Carolina's attorney general declared three former Duke University lacrosse players who had been accused of gang-raping a stripper innocent of all charges on Wednesday, ending a prosecution that provoked bitter debate over race, class, and the tactics of the Durham County district attorney.