The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has recommended the suspension of the marketing authorisation for Acomplia (rimonabant) from Sanofi-Aventis. The EMEA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has concluded that the benefits of Acomplia no longer outweigh its risks and the marketing authorisation should be suspended across the European Union (EU).

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended that the product information for Tysabri (natalizumab) be updated to further increase awareness about the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) who have been treated with the medicine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of vaginal and vulvar cancer caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in girls and women ages 9 to 26. These two HPV types cause 70 percent of cervical cancers, and are known to also cause some vulvar and vaginal cancers, but the percentages are not well defined.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Nplate (romiplostim), the first product that directly stimulates the bone marrow to produce needed platelets in patients with a rare blood disorder that can lead to serious bleeding.

Finalising a review of the safety of moxifloxacin-containing medicines for oral use, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has concluded that these medicines should only be prescribed in the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia when other antibiotics cannot be used or have failed.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has recommended that the product information of all centrally authorised angiotensin II receptor antagonists be harmonised, regarding their use during pregnancy. Following a review of the safety of these medicines during pregnancy, the EMEA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), at its April 2008 meeting, recommended that the product information should state that the use of angiotensin II receptor antagonists should be avoided in the first three months of pregnancy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert today on the safe and correct use of Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension in response to numerous reports of adverse events - including death - associated with the misuse and inappropriate use of this potent cough medication.