William J Brown - All Headline News Staff

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel gave approval Wednesday to the first medicine targeting a specific racial group

Wyeth has finally won federal regulatory approval to sell Tygacil. The antibiotic is said to have the ability to fight infections that can't be cured with the treatment with existing medications.

Wyeth says Tygacil cures a wide variety of potentially fatal infections, including those caused by E. coli bacteria. The company also claims Tygacil is indispensable in treating skin infections, ulcers, burns and abscesses

Danielle George - All Headline News Staff Reporter

If approved, NitroMed's BiDil would prevent heart failure in blacks. Even with an approval for blacks only, doctors could prescribe BiDil for anyone they thought it might help

A new antibiotic approved by the FDA Thursday will give doctors another option against tough acting infections.

Tygacil, known chemically as tigecycline, is an intravenous antibiotic, for use in treating complicated abdominal and skin infections in adults

A report released Thursday found that prescription painkillers prices have gone up as much as 15% since Merck & Co. announced it would no longer sell its popular arthritis drug, Vioxx; was prohibited after heart problems were associated with its prolonged use.

Since the September withdrawal, the price for prescription-strength Motrin rose from $30 to $34; while prescriptions for Mobic doubled from 314,000 to 742,000