Shares of Schering-Plough Corp and Merck & Co were down on Wednesday after U.S. lawmakers said they would look into allegations that the drugmakers were withholding data from a study of their shared cholesterol medicine Vytorin. Reuters Health Information
The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for a bone marrow biopsy system (OnControl) and special 510(k) clearance for a ceramic spinal implant (Valeo VBR), and it has approved a premarket application for a mobile bearing knee implant (NexGen LPS-Flex Mobile Knee). Medscape Medical News
A junior psychiatrist in the United Kingdom uses her blog to vent about the healthcare bureaucracy and about her own struggles with mental illness. Medscape Med Students
Manor Care Inc has received key regulatory approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Health for its proposed $6.3 billion sale to private equity firm Carlyle Group [CYL.UL], the nursing home operator said on Monday. Reuters Health Information
Galvus (vildagliptin; Novartis), a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitor that improves cell responsiveness to glucose, has received a positive opinion from European health authorities after the firm made changes to prescribing recommendations due to liver safety concerns. Reuters Health Information
Genzyme Corp on Monday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a broader use of thyroid cancer treatment Thyrogen. The new indication will extend use of the drug to patients earlier in their treatment, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech said. Reuters Health Information
Japanese patients infected with hepatitis C in a high-profile scandal over tainted blood, on Thursday rejected a government compensation proposal. Reuters Health Information
The FDA has approved an expanded indication for duloxetine HCl delayed-release capsules, a new dosage regimen for dasatinib, and an expanded indication for quetiapine fumarate extended-release tablets Medscape Medical News
China is not doing enough to fight tuberculosis and should not rest on its laurels with successes achieved to date, the health minister warned in an official newspaper on Wednesday. Reuters Health Information
