Scientists have developed a new method to make an artificial kidney that functions in rats, intensifying a race among several laboratories to create a replacement organ that may someday be used for humans.
The stakes are high, according to a Fox News report.
About 100,000 people with end-stage renal disease in the Unites States are on waiting lists for a donor kidney. Of those, about 5,000 to 10,000 die each year before getting to the top of the transplant list. And about 40 percent of the 18,000 U.S. patients who get a kidney transplant each year suffer organ failure within 10 years.
And kidney dialysis may carry risks of its own.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating allegations that Fresenius, a German company that is the largest operator of dialysis centers in the United States, may have concealed links between its Granuflo product and cardiac arrest. (more…)
The Wall Street Journal says a dramatic sales drop in Pfizer’s anti-cholesterol medication Lipitor was behind the company’s nine percent revenue decline for the first quarter, which was worse than expected and lowered the company’s full-year outlook.
Drug maker Eli Lilly is increasing its efforts to get a larger share of the diabetes market, Reuters reports.
Pfizer Inc. has posted lower-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter, in part because of rapidly falling sales of the cholesterol drug Lipitor, Reuters reports.
Following an inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a Florida specialty pharmacy called The Compounding Shop is recalling all of its sterile products, ABC News reports.
The good news is that national cholesterol levels have dropped over the last four decades. The bad news is that they still represent a “significant public health problem,” according to the National Center for Health Statistics, a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A story in The Telegraph details the advice that British health regulators are providing for U.K. residents who received a “metal-on-metal” hip implant, in light of recent findings that up to half of the devices fail within six years.
A story in the Washington Post says that several Johnson & Johnson shareholders spoke of their dissatisfaction with the company during their annual meeting recently. Their complaints focused on a long string of product recalls, ethical lapses and excessive executive pay.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a number of treatment options for urinary incontinence are available, depending on the severity and underlying cause of the condition. Doctors may eventually recommend a combination of treatments.
The Hindu, an English-language newspaper out of India, describes the case of a 37-year-old man who regained his eyesight after 18 years of blindness.
An article in the Jerusalem Post says the Israeli Health Ministry’s pharmaceutical division is cautioning doctors to be vigilant for cases of pancreatic infections and pancreatic cancer among people taking a class of diabetes drugs that includes Byetta and Januvia.
A study has found a link between U.S. veterans’ exposure to Agent Orange, and deadly forms of prostate cancer, according to a story in U.S. News and World Report.
A story on EmpowHer evaluates the pros and cons of different types of birth control available to women, including pills and intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Both options carry different side effects, the report says.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg has admitted that her agency wasn’t aggressive enough in investigating compounding pharmacies, such as the one responsible for a deadly, nationwide 
Nature World News reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the anti-cholesterol drug Liptruzet.