Peggy Peck

May 24, 2007

LONDON -- The editors of The Lancet have cautioned against a rush to judgment in the face of a meta-analysis released Monday that linked the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) to a 43% increase in relative risk of myocardial infarction.

May 23, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA today ordered black-box warnings for all gadolinium-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, detailing an increased risk for nephrogenic systemic fibrosis with kidney-disease patients.

May 23, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 23 -- The FDA has approved the first continuous-use oral contraceptive for prevention of pregnancy -- a pill that will eliminate a woman's monthly menstrual cycle.

May 22, 2007

The American College of Cardiology Board of Trustees said today that it would bar Martin Leon, M.D. of Columbia University from participation "as a presenter, reviewer, or panelist" at its 2008 meeting. The sanction, which was recommended by the ACC's ethics committee, was a response to Dr. Leon's premature disclosure of the embargoed findings of the COURAGE trial, which led to the "consequent premature lifting of the embargo". Related article: COURAGE Embargo Break: Slip of the Tongue or Sabotage?

May 17, 2007

BOHEMIA, N.Y. -- A maker of shark cartilage capsules has issued a nationwide recall after routine product testing revealed potential Salmonella contamination.

May 15, 2007

BALTIMORE -- Medicare has reacted to an FDA black box on erythropiesis stimulating agents by drawing a red line on the coverage of treatment for cancer patients.

May 14, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The maker of oxycodone controlled-release tablets (OxyContin) has agreed to pay million in fines and civil penalties to resolve charges regarding the company's promotion of the drug as a less addictive pain-killer.

May 07, 2007

SEATTLE -- Immunogenicity from the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax) -- unlike herpes -- is not forever, post-marketing data suggest.

May 02, 2007

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. -- A heart failure drug called levosimendan (Simdax), which has been in clinical trials, has been withdrawn from development by Abbott Laboratories and Finnish partners.

April 27, 2007

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory panel has unanimously recommended accelerated approval of a novel antiretroviral drug as an add-on treatment for adult infected with CCR5-tropic HIV-1.