Patients need better treatments, not just more of the same, says expert New drugs are often used not only for one disease (first approved indication) but also for other diseases (supplemental indications). But a study published by The BMJ today finds that less than half of approved first indications for new drugs ...

Did new antibiotic meet the legal standard for approval? Are US drug regulatory rules being bypassed? Drugs approved in the US require “substantial evidence” that they are effective. But an investigation by The BMJ into the recent approval of the antibiotic Recarbrio from Merck suggests that these standards are being ...

Pfizer says vaccine is safe and effective, but trial results prompt calls for further analysis of data and post-approval monitoring Experts have called for further scrutiny of a new Pfizer vaccine given during pregnancy to prevent respiratory infection in infants, after trials of a similar GSK vaccine were stopped after ...

UK doctors’ regulator has nearly £870,000 invested in fast food or soft drink companies “This is no different to investing in tobacco companies,” argues GP Doctors have criticised the General Medical Council (GMC) after The BMJ found it had investments in fast food firms, pharmaceutical companies, private medical insurers and ...

Most industry spending is not on research and development Government action needed to encourage research and development focused on public health priorities  High drug prices are not justified by industry’s spending on research and development (R&D), argue experts in The BMJ today.  Aris Angelis and colleagues point out that from ...

Overview adds to mounting evidence challenging the use of medicines for pain Some antidepressant drugs are effective for some pain conditions, but most are either ineffective or the evidence is inconclusive, despite being used for a range of pain conditions, finds an overview of the latest evidence published by The ...