Genentech Inc. and OSI Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Tarceva - a cancer drug, in a letter posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#Tarceva, alerted doctors about liver damage in patients who took the drug, as part of a post-approval study designed for patients with moderate liver impairment and advanced tumours.

The two deaths related to Tarceva saw one patient dying from rapidly progressing liver failure, while the other developed a fatal liver complication called hepatorenal syndrome, leading to his death.

A new study reveals that even five years after a drug becomes available on the market, many clinical trials or drug studies submitted to the FDA, never get published in medical journals consulted by most doctors for evaluating overall drug safety and effectiveness.

Looking at 90-drugs approved by FDA between 1998 and 2000, researchers found out of a total of 909-studies, only 394 or 46% got published, with 56% never seeing the light of day.

A Los Angeles judge on Monday ruled out charges of assault and battery brought against Keanu Reeves by a photographer, Alison Silva, who claimed that Reeves intentionally hit him with his car.

Silva alleged that he was struck by Reeves' Porsche while he was photographing the actor in March 2007, causing grave injuries. Reeves' attorneys argued in court documents that Silva positioned his hand on the actor's car and stumbled over his own feet.

Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage is set to star in the supernatural thriller “Season of the Witch” which will be directed by Dominic Sena.

Cage has also starred in the Dominic Sena-directed “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” in which he played a former car thief who was brilliant in his line of “work,” forced to get one last job done in order to save his brother. The movie also starred Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi and Robert Duvall. It earned more than $100 million domestically and $242 million around the world.

Kim Kardashian is all set to make her big debut on “Dancing With the Stars”. She has been maintaining a rigorous rehearsal schedule for sometime now and is leaving no stone unturned to make her debut special.

“I am so excited and getting some butterflies in my stomach,” the reality star wrote on her official blog. “So I will have a good breakfast and get to the stage.”  

Falsifying the rumors that 15-year old Miley Cyrus wished to quit the show that made her a star, Patti McTeague, spokeswoman for Disney’s Hannah Montana show said that it was pure gossip with no truth to the rumors.

Sen. Barack Obama currently appears to be having complete command in the presidential race, in the Golden State. Well, the Illinois Senator is looking to edge out McCain in California, in November.

Obama has been leading in California since June, and he has well maintained his lead over McCain. Obama is having a big lead over McCain, in the recent Obama vs McCain California Polls. The polls were conducted by Field Research Corporation and American Research Group.

The California Legislature has finally approved a state budget, thereby putting an end to the state’s record three-month deadlock without a spending plan, and a week of wrenching negotiations. The approval comes after the government relinquished to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s demands for financial reform and won his consent for the plan.

For the past five years, federal railroad regulators have refused to accede to repeated requests from safety advocates, to prohibit the use of cell phones by train operators.  However, Thursday saw the California Public Utilities Commission passing a unanimous emergency order that bars engineers from using cell phones and similar electronic devices while operating trains. The order that comes too late for the 25-people who died in Los Angeles fatal commuter train wreck on 12th September 2008.

There is good news for those who wish to look Forever Young.  According to a new study, published in the Journal of Lancet Oncology, aging can be delayed with a vegan diet and regular exercise.

For long, researchers have stressed that daily exercise and a balanced diet equates with a healthy lifestyle. Again in the spotlight, a study led by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, a UCSF biochemist concludes that lifestyle changes raise the levels of Telomerase, an enzyme that helps control cell aging.

A study by the Stanford University School of Medicine scientists offers hope of prolonging the life of children suffering from a deadly form of leukemia. The researchers found that Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK), a sugar regulating enzyme that was thought to protect against cancer, actually promotes "mixed lineage" leukemia (MLL). The deadly form of the disease, MLL can start either in the lymph nodes or bone marrow and accounts for 5-10 % of child and adult leukemia and over three quarters of infant leukemia.

California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, California Secretary of Labor Victoria Bradshaw, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Tesla Motors Inc. President and CEO Ze'ev Drori announced that Tesla Motors Inc. plans to set up the headquarters of its upcoming electric sedan factory to be set up at San Jose.

Zanker Road and Highway 237 near the San Jose Water Pollution Control Plant in North San Jose have been selected as the site for the 89 acre, $ 250 million factory. The construction is proposed to start in the summer of 2009. The first electric sedan is likely roll off in late 2010.

Google’s $199 phone will give a strong competition to Apple iPhone.  The mobile will be on display to analysts and reporters on Tuesday in Manhattan. Google’s Android mobile software is expected to hit stores later this fall. Features of the Android operating system were shown by Google on an unidentified black HTC handset at a developer’s conference in London on Wednesday.

The Google phone is developed by a Taiwanese company HTC and features a touch screen like the iPhone. Stiff competition is expected between Google $199 and IPhone.

On Wednesday Actor-activist announced that he is donating $100,000 to help fight Prop 8, a November ballot initiative that would do away with same-sex couples' right to marry.

"Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8," said Pitt in a statement.

Actress Lindsay Lohan is the latest reason of dispute between Obama and McCain. Reportedly, Obama's camp turned down Lindsay Lohan's offer to do a fundraiser for him on the pretext that she "is not exactly the kind of high profile star who would be positive for us."