MEDICINE

Gilead Sciences Inc. said on Friday that its Aztreonam lysine treatment for cystic fibrosis met positive results in a Phase III clinical study designed to determine the safety and efficacy of the drug.

U.S. senator Charles Grassley asked to scrutinize if the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline Plc withheld safety information that linked its drug Paxil to suicide risk.

Novartis AG said Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the osteoporosis drug Reclast which prevent new fractures in patients following a hip fracture.

Drug developer Novartis said on Monday it may offer a novel treatment strategy for patients with breast cancer through its compound RAD001 which enhances the efficacy of treatments or overcomes resistance to some of them.

An anticoagulant drug developed by Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson showed superior efficacy in preventing blood clots in patients who had an orthopedic surgery in a Phase III trial study, Bayer reported on Friday.

An AIDS healthcare foundation urged Merck executives to change the company's pricing and access policies as it announced a new campaign in advertisement that criticizes an increase of up to six times the price of its AIDS drug Stocrin in Mexico and other middle-income countries.

Merck & Co. reported a Phase III trial which studies odanacatib for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal woman is underway which will include tests for breast and prostate cancer.

Have you ever wished that doctor would appear in a blink of an eye without having to wait or spend thousands of dollars? A new project launched today in Miami offers video medical consultations for $40 with webcams available through MDWebLive.com.

GTx Inc. said on Friday its prostate cancer treatment will continue the late stage of its clinical trial as it did not bear the results that were expected. Shares of the company slumped.

Medtronic Inc. made an agreement of $75 million to settle allegations from the Justice Department that its Medtronic Spine LLC department caused hospitals to submit false claims to Medicare.

Covidien Ltd., a healthcare products manufacturer, said on Tuesday that its Procedure Kit for laparoscopic procedures was approved by U.S. regulators.

Medtronic Inc. the developer of medical technology reported on Tuesday its earnings for the fourth-quarter ended April 25 were $812 million, or 72 cents per share, compared with $812 million or 70 cents per share, a year earlier.

Google Inc. officially launched its Google Health on Monday which offers the general public electronic access to their PHRs (personal health records) and other health-related information.

The Food and Drug Administration warned one more time about the risks of Novartis and Roche transplant drugs for pregnant woman.

Genentech Inc., the developer and maker of pharmaceutical products, said Thursday it expects final results from a clinical trial of a cancer drug Avastin in patients with colon cancer to be done by 2009, a year earlier than it previously forecasted.

Mentor Corp. a developer and manufacturer of medical products for the aesthetic market reported on Thursday its quarterly profit fell on rising costs.

APP Pharmaceuticals Inc., a major supplier of Heparin, will increase prices of the treatment due to rising costs in raw material, testing and additional personnel costs, the company announced today.

Bayer AG plans to recall the remaining supplies of its drug Trasylol for blood clotting from the U.S. market according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Geron Corp. the developer of biopharmaceuticals for cancer and chronic degenerative diseases treatments said U.S. regulators put a clinical hold to its investigational cell therapy for spinal cord injury.

Abbott Laboratories said its medical trial shows that its Xience Eluting coronary stent system delivers clinically superior benefits for patients compared to the Taxus paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system from Boston Scientific Corp.

Serious mental illnesses became not only a national problem, but costs the United States an estimated $193 billion yearly in lost earnings, according to a recent study examining the consequences of mental disorders.