The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is fast tracking a new drug named "arimoclomol", for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

Pharmaceutical giant, CytRx, announces the initiation of a phase II clinical trial with orally-administered arimoclomol for ALS, and patient identification for this trial, which currently is underway at several clinical trial sites. Arimoclomol was granted orphan drug status designation by the FDA for the treatment of ALS in May 2005

Two more people have died from bird flu in Indonesia, bringing the death toll in the area to six.

The deadly disease has already killed dozens of people across Asia, and resulted in the culling of millions of birds

Singapore is battling a health crisis where 11,000 people have been infected with dengue fever this year and 11 have died.

Some hospitals are suspending non-urgent surgeries to cope with the flood of dengue patients, and the government appointed a Cabinet-level panel to deal with the problem

Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, named the temporary head of the Food and Drug Administration, says the agency needs to focus on emerging discoveries on the mechanisms of disease that may lead to new treatments.

President Bush appointed von Eschenbach following the surprise resignation of Commissioner Lester Crawford Friday

The American Heart Association says that the size of your pants is a good example of how much risk one is for heart disease in the present and future.

According the the association, if you're a man with more than a 40-inch waist, you're in risky territory. If you're a woman, your risk rises if your waist is more than 35 inches