U.S scientists said that with a simple eye test, early dementia can be determined. The test makes use of a non-invasive laser to inspect the lens of the eye.

The test was cultivated by a team headed by Dr Lee Goldstein, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first product to treat Hunter syndrome, a rare inherited disease that can cause premature death. The FDA says Elaprase is a new molecular entity, which is an active ingredient never before marketed in the United States.

Hunter Syndrome normally shows up in children between one to three years of age. It causes a person's body to be defective in producing the chemical iduronate-2-sulfatase, which is needed to adequately breakdown complex sugars produced in the body. Symptoms include growth delay, joint stiffness, and coarsening of facial features. In severe cases, patients experience respiratory and cardiac problems, enlargement of the liver and spleen, neurological deficits, and even death.

Elaprase was designated as an orphan product by the FDA. Orphan products, such as Elaprase, are generally developed to treat rare diseases or conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Hunter syndrome is diagnosed in approximately one out of 65,000 to 132,000 births.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the details of how and why the agency grants waivers for outside experts, that allow them to serve as FDA advisers, will be disclosed in more detail under the new guidelines it is developing.

The agency had been under pressure from Congress after critics denounced the apparent financial ties between industry and doctors and health experts in FDA's advisory panel.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has appointed Mark Goldberger, MD, MPH, as the new Medical Director for Emerging and Pandemic Threat Preparedness in FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

In this new position, Dr. Goldberger will "plan, coordinate and implement activities related to the development and evaluation of products for emerging and pandemic threats."

Scientists report an exciting breakthrough that could produce a new line of anti-cancer drugs. Edinburgh University experts have pinpointed how a specific cell protein activates the spread of cancer.

The protein MDM2 starts destroying key cancer-preventing protein p53 due to a biochemical imbalance.