The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Serono, Inc. marketing approval for Ovidrel® (choriogonadotropin alfa for injection) for use in infertility treatment, making it the first recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to be approved in the world. The new drug can be injected subcutaneously, rather than intramuscularly, making it more convenient for women to administer.

In research news, the fight against multiple sclerosis (MS) received a set back this week when two trials studying a promising new treatment for MS were halted. Patients in the trials were experiencing two different types of adverse events--some patients were experiencing a worsening of MS symptoms while others were experiencing hypersensitivity reactions. We have information on the trials and a very in-depth look at MS from the NIH in today's Vidyya.

In a surprise announcement, researchers have found that fewer women with early-stage breast cancer are receiving appropriate primary therapy today than a decade ago, according to an analysis of national data collected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The problems stem from inappropriate procedures followed after lumpectomy.

And finally, a report in the 25 September issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine says that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors safely reduce mortality after myocardial infarction in patients with moderate renal insufficiency. Until this study, patients with renal insufficiency were excluded from efficacy trials for ACE inhibitors in post-MI patients.

The articles in today's Vidyya are:

• FDA Grants First Marketing Approval For Recombinant Fertility Drug To Trigger Ovulation

• Promising Clinical Trials For Multiple Sclerosis Halted - Patients Experiencing Adverse Effects

• Multiple Sclerosis: Hope Through Research

• US Women Receiving Inappropriate Care For Primary Stage Breast Cancer

• Improved Survival With ACE Inhibitors For Post-MI Patients With Renal Insufficiency