Health Highlights: June 8, 2007
Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,compiled by editors of HealthDay:
China Orders Companies to Stop Producing, Selling Zelnorm
Officials with China's State Food and Drug Administration on Friday ordered companies in China to halt production and sales of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) drug Zelnorm, and told patients to stop taking the medication.
The Novartis drug was being made by three companies in China and a fourth company was preparing to produce it, the Associated Press reported.
In a statement posted on its Web site, the Chinese drug watchdog warned the "risks of Zelnorm outweigh the possible benefits for some patients based on analyses from home and abroad."
There have been 98 incidents of adverse reactions among users of Zelnorm reported to China's Center for Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring since the drug went on sale in the country in 2003. Diarrhea and nausea were the most commonly reported problems. There was one reported case of low blood pressure and one of abnormally fast heartbeat.
In March, Novartis complied with a U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration request to withdraw Zelnorm from the American market after the drug was linked with increased risk of heart attack, stroke and chest pain that can become a heart attack, the AP reported.
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G8 Leaders Pledge $60 Billion to Fight Disease/Poverty in Africa
G8 leaders promised Friday to provide $60 billion to combat disease and poverty in Africa, CBC News reported.
The money from the world's richest nations would be targeted to fight illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, said Germany's development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who announced the agreement on Berlin television.
She said the United States pledged to donate half the money aimed at increasing African patients' access to drugs and treatment, CBC News reported.
At their 2005 summit, G8 members promised to increase aid to Africa by $50 billion by 2010. That pledge is set to miss its target by $30 billion, according to international aid organizations.
