Pharmaceuticals

"Breakthrough therapy" status is much sought after, but there is confusion about its definition and impact

Thailand is considering legalizing kratom as a safer alternative for meth addicts, and U.S. researchers are studying its potential to help opiate abusers kick the habit without withdrawal side effects. Is that a good thing?

Ads for over-the-counter drugs are worse than those that require a prescription

By taking advantage of evolutionary principles, researchers may have found a way to outwit some pathogens that ordinarily become resistant to antibiotics. Wayt Gibbs reports.

Actor Michael J. Fox is in good enough health to return to prime time TV, but neurodegeneration researchers still have more work to do

A nanoparticle-based cancer therapy has been found to thwart an antibiotic-resistant, sexually transmitted infection in mice

Ciclopirox is currently approved by the FDA as a topical antifungal cream (Credit: Fougera) A common drug that dermatologists turn to treat nail fungus appears to come with a not-so-tiny side effect: eradicating HIV .

Leading toxicologists and endocrinologists are trading barbs over chemicals linked to developmental problems in humans and the best ways to serve public health

A newly declassified government plan for a flu pandemic suggests a challenging scenario, as vaccine production could take months and basic services could be disrupted

Next week the nation’s top public health officials will lay out a plan to help control the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A test vaccine has been found to be protective against a synthetic version of the H5N1 virus, but the result might not predict performance on real pandemic H5N1

No measurable increase in risk for neurological conditions could be found in a large cohort of pre-adolescent children who had been vaccinated on schedule when infants. Wayt Gibbs reports