US panel wants diabetes drug restrictions eased
Independent experts urged US regulators Thursday to reduce restrictions on GlaxoSmithKline's controversial diabetes drug Avandia, banned in Europe over heart attack risk concerns.
People who inject drugs deserve help: Elton John
Rock icon Elton John has urged compassion for people who inject drugs, saying "stigma and criminalisation" robbed them of their humanity and exposed them to a life of addiction and disease.
Spain seizes 17 tonnes of hashish on boat
Spanish customs agents have intercepted a fishing boat carrying just over 17 tonnes of hashish in the Mediterranean and detained the ship's 14 crew members, all of them Egyptian nationals.
First 'methadone baby' born in Aktobe
A man who used to take heroine and replaced it with methadone (a synthetic substitute of heroine) has had a son.
Drug traffickers targeting Australia
Australia seized a record 23 tonnes of illicit drugs in 2011-2012 with arrests at a 10-year high, data showed Monday, as officials warned the country had become a key target for traffickers.
Costa Rica president caught in scandal over travel
Costa Rica's President Laura Chinchilla was embroiled in scandal Thursday amid revelations that she used a private jet made available by a Colombian suspected of links to drug trafficking.
Obama to talk trade, drugs at Central America summit
US President Barack Obama heads to Costa Rica on Friday for a summit with Central American leaders on trade, immigration and the drug war after renewing security ties with Mexico.
HRW urges Obama to address Mexico drug war abuses
US President Barack Obama should address human rights violations related to Mexico's Washington-backed war on drugs when he visits the country this week.
Gene clues point to Cambodia for resistant malaria
Gene analysis of malaria parasites has pinpointed western Cambodia as the hotspot of strains that are dangerously resistant to artesiminin, the frontline drug against the disease.
Could New York hold record for pot possession arrests?
Could New York hold the record for most pot possession arrests? A new report out Tuesday said police there spent about a million hours taking offenders into custody between 2002 and 2012.
Average age of Kazkahstan drug addicts is 20
There are 40 000 registered drug addicts in Kazakhstan at present.
Leprosy: an ancient disease thrives in 21st century
It has been called the world's oldest recorded disease, an evil that humans have known for more than 3,500 years, as papyri from ancient Egypt testify.
Epilepsy drug has long-term effect on child IQ: study
A drug found to affect the cognitive ability of toddlers born to women who took the medication for epilepsy has a longer-term impact on their IQ.
Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan may have negative effect on Central Asia: Expert
Afghan militants may come to Central Asia after withdrawal of the international coalition troops from Afghanistan: Asseylbek Mendygaliyev.
Drug trials in India 'causing havoc to human life'
India's Supreme Court said Thursday that unregulated clinical trials of new drugs were causing "havoc" in the country as it ordered the health ministry to monitor any new applications for tests.
Kazakhstan Interior Minister on complications in countering drug business
Kazakhstan Interior Minister speaks about complications in countering drug business.
Singapore eases death penalty policy
The Singapore parliament has passed legal reforms abolishing mandatory death sentences in some drug trafficking and murder cases, giving fresh hope to dozens of inmates awaiting execution.
Kazakhstan student serving life sentence in China
A Kazakhstan student who used to study in one of Guangzhou universities is currently serving a life sentence for possession and distribution of hard drugs.
Asia drug boom fuels surge in opium cultivation: UN
Opium cultivation in Southeast Asia has doubled over the last six years as growing demand for heroin in China and the rest of Asia lures more farmers to grow poppies.
Vietnam sentences Filipina drug mule to death
Vietnam has sentenced a 61-year-old Filipina to death after she was caught smuggling the illegal drug methamphetamine into the country.