the Ethical Medicines community of South Africa

Warnings about ‘over-use' of paracetamol

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:18:00 +0200

A panel of experts in the United States has raised new concerns about the popular painkiller paracetamol and are calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce the maximum dose of paracetamol allowed because they say 'over-use' can cause serious liver damage.
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Scientists urge WHO to discredit homeopathy

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:12:00 +0200

In an open letter to the World Health Organisation a group of British scientists have asked for homeopathy to be publicly discredited as a treatment for serious diseases. The scientists fear vulnerable patients are dying from diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis because they are using homeopathic drugs instead of scientifically-tested medicines.
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FDA warns 14 pharmaceutical companies about short internet ads lacking risk information

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:55:00 +0200

The US government's Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has warned 14 major pharmaceutical firms about brief Internet advertisements that could have misled patients because they did not include information about health risks related to the drugs, according to letters posted to the agency's Web site Friday, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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Aiming for safer non-US-made medicines

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:06:00 +0200

FDA launches pilot program to improve drug safety and active drug ingredients produced outside US.
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FDA approves drug for patients with advanced prostate cancer

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:58:00 +0200

The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the injectable drug degarelix, the first new drug in several years for prostate cancer.
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FDA mandates increased warnings for epilepsy drugs, stops short of issuing black box

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:33:00 +0200

The U.S. FDA has increased label warnings for epilepsy drugs, noting the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours, after a panel review earlier this year.
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Surface analysis exposes counterfeit medicines

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:25:00 +0200

CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis has published a white paper highlighting how surface analysis can expose counterfeit medicines. It describes how technologies such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToFSIMS) are being used in novel ways to not only analyse the composition of various pharmaceuticals, but also to determine differences in the manufacturing processes involved.
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‘Emerging 8' set to join ‘Big 5' targeted cancer therapy blockbusters

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:14:00 +0200

Since the first approval of a targeted therapy for cancer just over ten years ago, targeted therapies have notably improved treatment outcomes in cancer, becoming the leading therapy class in the oncology market.
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New single dose sachet for cough relief on the go

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:09:00 +0200

Benylin is launching a new single dose cough syrup sachet for a convenient and effective remedy when you're on the run.
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The need for lifecycle management

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:47:00 +0200

Is drug lifecycle management the answer to the $100 billion question?
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