|
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,
compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Drug Makers Lag on Promised Studies of Products: FDA
Text Continues Below
Drug makers have failed to begin more than 70 percent of promised studies on products already approved for market, according to U.S. government numbers released Thursday, and a watchdog group is sick of it.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration report shows that 899 -- or 71 percent -- of the 1,259 post-market studies committed to by drug makers had not been started as of Sept. 30, 2006. That's a 5 percent increase over last year, when the agency reported 65 percent of 1,231 promised studies were still pending, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. The report also found that only 185 -- or 15 percent --of studies were ongoing, 31 were delayed, and 144 were submitted.
"How can the FDA claim it is committed to improving drug safety when it can't even get drug makers to do the studies they promise?" said Bill Vaughan, senior policy analyst with Consumers Union. "Should consumers really feel safe when two out of three studies aren't being done, and the FDA doesn't even have the authority to get them done?"
While the FDA has no authority under law to require those studies be performed, it approves some drugs with outstanding safety concerns on the promise that the maker will conduct post-market studies to determine if the medication causes any side effects.
-----
'Neglected' Diseases Need More World Focus: WHO Chief
The international community must pay more attention to "neglected" diseases that affect a billion people in the developing world and cause more suffering and death than high-profile health threats such as bird flu, says Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization.
These diseases don't receive much attention because they don't pose a threat to international health and security, Chan told a health conference in Bangkok, Thailand, CBC News reported.
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >>
|
.gif)
