The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has given its approval of Bonviva (ibandronic acid) for the use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of osteoporosis. The body stated that the once a month treatment was found "to significantly reduce the risk of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women". Read more…

MPs have voted to extend a smoking ban in public places to all pubs and private clubs in England. The free vote in the House of Commons went 384 to 184 in the government's favour last night to remove the exemption of private members' clubs and establishments that serve food. MPs also voted to ban smoking in workplaces, including 106,000 licensed premises. Read more…

Physicians and patients should carefully weigh the risks of ESAs against transfusion risks. Read more…

New study indicates that targeting p73 in mice induces the regression of established tumors of human origin. Read more…

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an opinion to explain, elaborate and refine its determinations regarding the exclusion of and admissibility of 'generic' expert testimony in litigation involving personal injury or wrongful death caused by dietary supplements containing Ephedra. The litigation is In re Ephedra Prod. Liab. Litig. (No. 04-1598 S.D.N.Y.) Read more…

A New Jersey State jury allowed a major victory for Merck & Co. in one of many court battles they are fighting over their Vioxx painkiller. Read more…

Celebrex is used to relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis (the arthritis caused by age-related 'wear and tear' on bones and joints) as well as relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in adults. Read more…

According to an internal company document, even as Merck & Co. was publicly playing down a study that highlighted the pain reliever Vioxx's potential heart attack risk, company researchers privately sought to reformulate Vioxx in 2000 to reduce its cardiovascular side effects. Read more…

An Alabama state court judge has ordered Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. to begin settlement talks with the widow of an Alabama man who blames the pain medication for her husband's death. Read more…

A state court jury hearing a Vioxx product liability case brought by a postal worker against the drug maker Merck deliberated about an hour Tuesday without reaching a verdict and was then sent home for the night after getting the case earlier in the day. Read more…

The FDA issued a warning last week that the multiple sclerosis drug Avonex, made by Biogen Idec, might cause severe liver damage in rare cases. Read more…

A Texas family's wrongful death suit against Humana Health Plan of Texas, Inc. is about to go to trial. At the heart of the case lies the family's discovery that the deceased should never have been prescribed the Vioxx she was taking. Read more…

A bill pending in Oregon's state Senate that would adjust the state's statute of limitations to allow Vioxx-related injury suits to move forward has stalled in the Senate's chambers. Now, frustrated Vioxx users who say the painkiller caused their heart problems are trying to revive the bill that would allow them to file lawsuits against the drug's maker. Determined opposition from the drug industry is the culprit. Read more…

Merck & Co. identified 109 Vioxx-related class action lawsuits around the United States, according to a submission by the company in the federal multidistrict litigation In Re: Vioxx Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1657, E.D. La.). Read more…

The Food and Drug Administration has demanded that all pharmaceutical companies change their warning labels on a huge swathe of painkillers to warn consumers about possible stomach and heart problems the drugs may cause. The FDA's edict covers both prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) drugs. Read more…

Despite an April study and a follow-up FDA investigation linking Viagra and other impotence drugs to a rare form of blindness, even the most ardent drug litigators are toning down their excitement over the prospect of successful suits. Read more…

A new study suggests that women taking daily amounts of non-aspirin painkillers - such as an extra-strength Tylenol - are more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who don't. Read more…

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist has filed a lawsuit accusing three generic drug makers of 25 million dollars in Medicaid fraud. Read more…

The manufacturer of Zicam Cold Remedy has agreed to pay $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits brought by consumers who claim the popular over-the-counter zinc nasal gel damaged or destroyed their sense of smell. Read more…

Regulation of the Pharmaceutical Industryeds. John Abraham and Helen Lawton SmithPalgrave Macmillan, 2003. ?55This densely informative collection of studies addresses a huge and complicated topic. Read more…