Drugs

J&J Agrees to End ‘Forced Swim Tests’

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says that following discussions with the advocacy group, Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen subsidiary have changed their policy and will no longer conduct or fund so-called forced swim tests in which mice, rats, and other small animals are placed in inescapable beakers filled with water and made to swim to keep from drowning. Drug companies have said the test serves as a model of depression in animals and could be used to test the effectiveness of new drugs for treating depression.

PETA scientists reviewed published studies,” the company says, “and found that dropping animals into water this way was less predictive than a coin toss of a drug’s effectiveness in humans.”

J&J joins AbbVie in the ban, PETA says, as it calls on Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Lilly to follow suit.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome