Former Nice chief’s new job stirs concern
The outgoing chairman of the government’s medicines advisory body has joined the board of a pharmaceutical company just weeks after his retirement, raising concerns over a potential conflict of interest.…
Malaria-infected mosquitos drawn to humans
©AFP The devastating effect of malaria on people has long been known, but researchers using smelly socks have now identified that it makes mosquitoes thirstier for human blood, in a…
India: Patents and precedents
©Lloyd Thatcher Meena, a 45-year-old New Delhi widow with a 10-year-old son, was diagnosed with potentially fatal blood cancer in 2010. To control it, her doctors prescribed an Indian*- made…
Scientists make human cloning breakthrough
©PA Scientists have for the first time produced human embryonic stem cells from adult cells through a cloning process. The success by a team at Oregon Health and Science University…
E-Therapeutics ‘encouraged’ by drug trial
©Dreamstime A patient suffering from advanced oesophageal cancer has responded positively during an early drug trial, e-Therapeutics , the Aim-listed drug discovery and development company, said on Tuesday. Cancer drug…
Beware side-effects of biotech boom
If you need a pick-me-up, look at biotechnology companies. They may not have drugs approved for sale, but their shares are having their best start to a year since the…
Elan makes $1bn Theravance investment
Elan, the Irish drug company facing a hostile bid from Royalty Pharma, plans to pay $1bn to buy the rights for four experimental medicines developed by Theravance, the US-based respiratory…
Elan: two can play
Sometimes, imitation is not meant to be the sincerest form of flattery. In its attempt to escape the clutches of Royalty Pharma, Elan Corp is turning itself into a bigger…
An unhealthy state
Boost: the federal government has promised to pay for expanded health coverage for the first three years The Texas miracle never made it to Brownsville. The grim statistics that plague…
Actavis in talks to buy Warner Chilcott
Actavis, the generic drugmaker, is in early discussions to buy Warner Chilcott, a pharmaceuticals company valued at more than $4.5bn. News of the talks comes two weeks after Actavis, with…
Fears bill will hit elderly in private care
A much-vaunted cap on the costs people face in old age risks leaving those in private care homes out of pocket, it emerged as the government published the bill to…
Quest for lasting youth continues
The soaring demand for skin creams and cosmetic surgery to make people look younger has been driven more by changing social attitudes than by any fundamental scientific advances. The basic…
Thousands gather to fight ravages of time
©Alamy Fat-freezing treatments, flavoured collagen drinks and face yoga are among the elixirs of youth that thousands are expected to try this weekend at Britain’s first anti-ageing show. The anti-ageing…
GSK and Merck pioneer vaccine deal
©Science Photo Library A cervical cancer cell: the drugs groups will sell discounted products to some of the world’s poorest countries Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have won substantial contracts in some…
Germany: for richer, for poorer
Pity the poor Germans. Never mind that two Bundesliga teams are in the Champions League football final this month. Or that the Dax index of German stocks hit an all-time…