Feb 2

The governor of Texas orders mandatory vaccination of schoolgirls against human papillomavirus prior to their entry into the sixth grade, triggering an outcry among parents and legislators. A bill overturning the order passes into law on 9 May.

Feb 6

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) okays MammaPrint, the first multigene test that relies on DNA chips, which is intended to predict the risk of recurrence of breast cancer.

Feb 9

The largest North American study of assisted reproductive techniques to date reveals that babies conceived through such techniques are 58% more likely to have birth defects than those who are naturally conceived.

June 4

Nigeria sues pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for $7 billion for unauthorized testing of an allegedly harmful antibiotic on Nigerian children in 1996.

July 10

China executes Zheng Xiaoyu, former chief of its State Food and Drug Administration, for accepting bribes of 6.49 million Yuan in exchange for approving untested medicines.

July 24

Jolee Mohr, 36, a participant in a gene therapy trial to treat arthritis, dies of multiple organ failure 22 days after receiving a second dose of the experimental treatment.

July 24

Succumbing to years of international pressure—and the promise of money—Libya frees the six medical workers it sentenced to death in 2004 for allegedly infecting more than 400 children with HIV.

Aug 7

Overturning a 2006 decision, a US federal appeals court rules that terminally ill individuals do not have a constitutional right to use un-approved drugs that have passed the earliest stages of FDA testing.

Aug 8

South Africa's president fires Deputy Minister of Health Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, who revitalized that country's AIDS policy, and reinstates Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who famously advocated the use of beetroot and garlic to treat HIV.

Oct 11

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association withdraws infant cold and cough medicines from the market, citing potential misuse by parents. On Oct 19, an FDA panel calls for a wider ban of the drugs for children under 6, owing to safety concerns and lack of efficacy.

Oct 15

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) kills a high school student in Virginia, leading to 21 school closings and fueling public concerns about the rise in the number of MRSA-associated deaths in the US.

Nov 9

Merck agrees to pay $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 lawsuits filed on behalf of people who had heart attacks or died after taking the pain medication Vioxx, which was pulled off the market in 2004 because of safety concerns.