New York, United States | AFP | Martin Shkreli, once dubbed the most hated man in America for ratcheting up the price of an HIV drug, was sentenced to seven years in prison Friday on charges of defrauding investors. The disgraced former pharmaceutical executive and hedge fund manager was convicted in …
Read More »Precision cancer therapy works in 3/4 of patients: study
Miami, United States | AFP | A precision cancer treatment that targets rare genetic mutations that exist in about 5,000 people in the United States instead of the tumor’s location in the body has shown success in three-quarters of patients, researchers said Wednesday. The medicine, called larotrectinib, is made by …
Read More »US approves first pill with digital tracking device
Washington, United States | AFP | US regulators have approved the first pill that contains a digital tracking sensor to alert doctors and caregivers as to whether a patient is taking a medication as scheduled. The pill, called Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with sensor), is designed for patients with schizophrenia, …
Read More »US approves first gene therapy for cancer
Miami, United States | AFP | The United States approved the first gene therapy against cancer on Wednesday — a treatment that uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight leukemia — opening a new era in the fight against one of the world’s top killers. The treatment is made …
Read More »Promising immunotherapy helps adults with leukemia
Miami, United States | AFP | A cancer treatment that genetically alters immune cells has shown success in 71 percent of adults with the most common form of leukemia, and for whom other medicines had failed, US researchers said Monday. The treatment, known as experimental chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell …
Read More »Africa gets generic version of most effective HIV drug
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The generic version of the most advanced drug against HIV has been introduced in Kenya, a first in Africa where more than 25 million have the disease, the NGO Unitaid said Wednesday. The drug, Dolutegravir (DTG) is the anti-retroviral drug of choice for those living …
Read More »HEALTH: Cholesterol-slashing drug does not impair brain
Washington, United States | AFP | A new cholesterol-slashing drug that has shown promise for high-risk patients does not impair brain function, according to a study out Saturday. Previous research had raised the possibility that evolocumab, sold under the brand name Repatha by Amgen, may have a damaging effect on memory …
Read More »First drug-resistant malaria parasite detected in Africa
Miami, United States | AFP | For the first time in Africa, researchers said Wednesday they have detected a malaria parasite that is partially resistant to the top anti-malaria drug, artemisinin, raising concern about efforts to fight a disease that sickens hundreds of millions of people each year. The discovery …
Read More »Progress toward long-acting malaria pill
Miami, United States | AFP | Scientists have made progress toward a pill that lingers in the stomach and releases its contents over a span of two weeks, an advance that could boost the fight against malaria and other diseases, a study said Wednesday. The research, funded by the Bill …
Read More »Charity scores small win in Hepatitis C drug battle
Berlin, Germany | AFP | A medical charity scored a small victory Wednesday in its bid to break a US pharma giant’s hold on an eye-wateringly expensive Hepatitis C drug when a European body partially revoked the firm’s patent. Patient groups around the world have accused Gilead Sciences of charging …
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