Pregnant women who use the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or in combination with other epilepsy drugs may be at a greater risk of giving birth to children with certain physical defects, British researchers report.

Topiramate, brand name Topamax, is a common anti-seizure medication that is also taken by some migraine patients. Though many similar drugs also increase the risk of birth defects, the incidence of birth defects seen when Topamax was taken with other anti-epileptic drugs was higher than expected

Britain's Department of Health has chosen GlaxoSmithKline's cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix for the country's human papillomavirus immunization programme ahead of rival Gardasil.

The vaccine offers immunity to the strains of a virus which cause 70 percent of cases. It protects against two strains of human papillomavirus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday said a drug from Johnson & Johnson appears effective at treating a severe skin disease, but warned that its extended use may raise the risk of cancer.

Long-term use of ustekinumab may lead to increased risk of tumor development in psoriasis patients, the federal agency said on its website. The agency added that it still needs more long-term safety data to decide whether the drug increases the risk of cancer

The United States Food and Drug Administration is considering approving the cervical cancer vaccine for older women, and cutting the original allotted time for approval to four months.

Gardasil, produced by Merck & Co., has received approval for women with ages 9 to 26, has been known to stop four strains of sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, identified to cause genital warts and cervical cancer in later years of the carrier

Rates of syphilis infection have increased in the United States for the seventh year in a row, government researchers reported Wednesday. The increase in the cases is largely attributed by cases among gay and bisexual men.

According to a report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, too few gay men are getting recommended annual screenings for syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases. The CDC recommends that gay and bisexual men be tested for syphilis and other STDs at least once a year