Novartis said on Sunday that it is voluntarily recalling certain lots of over-the-counter products because they might contain broken or stray tablets from other products [1]. The recall comes following consumer complaints of chipped and broken pills, and inconsistent bottle packaging line clearance practices (meaning cleaning and clearance operations that are performed when a product or strength change occurs during medicine packaging) that may have possibly resulted in mixed tablets.

Tyrosine kinases are signaling molecules that are frequently mutated as cells become tumorigenic. One of their responsibilities is regulating a cell’s growth based on the extracellular signals they receive. The presence of extracellular growth factors tells them to induce the cell to grow more rapidly, while a lack of oxygen or nutrients tells them to grow more slowly. When these kinases are mutated they make the cell grow uncontrollably, divorcing growth from the conditions outside the cell. In some cases, this mutation is what makes a cell cancerous.

Preliminary results from two studies published online last week by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) show that a single dose of the H1N1 vaccine will offer protection for most adults within three weeks of vaccination [1-2]. This is good news in the fight against H1N1, since the vaccine won’t be ready until the start of flu season. On Sunday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that some vaccine may be available as early as the first full week in October [3].