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FDA Won't Cough Up Guidance
The Food and Drug Administration has again delayed its guidance on cough and cold dosing for children aged 2-11 years, at least until December 2010, a spokeswoman said. The agency has been working on new parent and pediatrician guidelines for this population since it held hearings on the issue in fall 2008. More recently, it said it would issue the guidance this June. The agency did not give a reason for the additional delay. The FDA's Web site,
Peds Retract 'Nick' Policy
The American Academy of Pediatrics, under fire for its position on female genital cutting, has withdrawn the statement and reiterated its “strong opposition” to the practice. In April, the journal Pediatrics published an AAP statement suggesting that physicians in certain immigrant communities might substitute a pinprick of the clitoral skin for ritual genital cutting in order to satisfy cultural requirements. The statement warned that parents who are denied the less severe procedure in this country might send their daughters elsewhere to get the full procedure or have it done in the United States by someone not medically trained. But the AAP said in its new statement that it does not endorse the practice of offering a “clitoral nick,” which is forbidden by federal law. Said AAP President Judith Palfrey, “We retracted that policy because it is important that the world health community understands the AAP is totally opposed to all forms of female genital cutting, both here in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world.”
Firms Say They'll Cut Calories
A coalition of food and beverage manufacturers has pledged to collectively trim 1.5 trillion calories from their products by the end of 2015 as part of the effort to curb childhood obesity. The companies, which include cereal makers General Mills, Inc. and the Kellogg Company, candy manufacturers Mars Inc. and the Hershey Company, and soda vendors PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company, said they will cut calories by creating lower calorie options, changing recipes, and reducing portion sizes. The coalition member companies also said they will add nutrients such as fiber and whole grains, along with fruits and vegetables, to their products as part of their commitment to healthier foods. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said it will study the coalition's efforts to reduce calories in the marketplace and how those efforts might affect calories consumed by children and adolescents.
FDA to Collaborate With Web Site
The FDA said it will collaborate with the Web site
Study: Much Groundwater Tainted
More than 20% percent of untreated water samples from 932 public wells across the nation contained at least one contaminant at a concentration of potential health concern, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey. Naturally occurring contaminants, such as radon and arsenic, accounted for about three-quarters of the worrisome contaminant concentrations, the federal agency said. Manmade contaminants, including herbicides, insecticides, solvents, disinfection byproducts, nitrates, and chemicals from gasoline, were detected in 64% of the samples, the USGS said, and these manmade chemicals also were detected in treated water at similar concentrations. Most of the contaminants analyzed are not covered by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency noted.
FDA Drafts Transparency Rules
The Food and Drug Administration's Transparency Task Force has issued 21 draft proposals concerning public disclosure of FDA operations without compromising patents or companies' trade secrets. The FDA said that one of the draft proposals would support research into rare diseases by freeing the agency to discuss that a company has abandoned its application for an orphan drug. Once made public, this information could enable another drug manufacturer to pick up where the first one left off toward a potentially new therapy for a rare disease.
FDA Won't Cough Up Guidance
The Food and Drug Administration has again delayed its guidance on cough and cold dosing for children aged 2-11 years, at least until December 2010, a spokeswoman said. The agency has been working on new parent and pediatrician guidelines for this population since it held hearings on the issue in fall 2008. More recently, it said it would issue the guidance this June. The agency did not give a reason for the additional delay. The FDA's Web site,
Peds Retract 'Nick' Policy
The American Academy of Pediatrics, under fire for its position on female genital cutting, has withdrawn the statement and reiterated its “strong opposition” to the practice. In April, the journal Pediatrics published an AAP statement suggesting that physicians in certain immigrant communities might substitute a pinprick of the clitoral skin for ritual genital cutting in order to satisfy cultural requirements. The statement warned that parents who are denied the less severe procedure in this country might send their daughters elsewhere to get the full procedure or have it done in the United States by someone not medically trained. But the AAP said in its new statement that it does not endorse the practice of offering a “clitoral nick,” which is forbidden by federal law. Said AAP President Judith Palfrey, “We retracted that policy because it is important that the world health community understands the AAP is totally opposed to all forms of female genital cutting, both here in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world.”
Firms Say They'll Cut Calories
A coalition of food and beverage manufacturers has pledged to collectively trim 1.5 trillion calories from their products by the end of 2015 as part of the effort to curb childhood obesity. The companies, which include cereal makers General Mills, Inc. and the Kellogg Company, candy manufacturers Mars Inc. and the Hershey Company, and soda vendors PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company, said they will cut calories by creating lower calorie options, changing recipes, and reducing portion sizes. The coalition member companies also said they will add nutrients such as fiber and whole grains, along with fruits and vegetables, to their products as part of their commitment to healthier foods. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said it will study the coalition's efforts to reduce calories in the marketplace and how those efforts might affect calories consumed by children and adolescents.
FDA to Collaborate With Web Site
The FDA said it will collaborate with the Web site
Study: Much Groundwater Tainted
More than 20% percent of untreated water samples from 932 public wells across the nation contained at least one contaminant at a concentration of potential health concern, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey. Naturally occurring contaminants, such as radon and arsenic, accounted for about three-quarters of the worrisome contaminant concentrations, the federal agency said. Manmade contaminants, including herbicides, insecticides, solvents, disinfection byproducts, nitrates, and chemicals from gasoline, were detected in 64% of the samples, the USGS said, and these manmade chemicals also were detected in treated water at similar concentrations. Most of the contaminants analyzed are not covered by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency noted.
FDA Drafts Transparency Rules
The Food and Drug Administration's Transparency Task Force has issued 21 draft proposals concerning public disclosure of FDA operations without compromising patents or companies' trade secrets. The FDA said that one of the draft proposals would support research into rare diseases by freeing the agency to discuss that a company has abandoned its application for an orphan drug. Once made public, this information could enable another drug manufacturer to pick up where the first one left off toward a potentially new therapy for a rare disease.
FDA Won't Cough Up Guidance
The Food and Drug Administration has again delayed its guidance on cough and cold dosing for children aged 2-11 years, at least until December 2010, a spokeswoman said. The agency has been working on new parent and pediatrician guidelines for this population since it held hearings on the issue in fall 2008. More recently, it said it would issue the guidance this June. The agency did not give a reason for the additional delay. The FDA's Web site,
Peds Retract 'Nick' Policy
The American Academy of Pediatrics, under fire for its position on female genital cutting, has withdrawn the statement and reiterated its “strong opposition” to the practice. In April, the journal Pediatrics published an AAP statement suggesting that physicians in certain immigrant communities might substitute a pinprick of the clitoral skin for ritual genital cutting in order to satisfy cultural requirements. The statement warned that parents who are denied the less severe procedure in this country might send their daughters elsewhere to get the full procedure or have it done in the United States by someone not medically trained. But the AAP said in its new statement that it does not endorse the practice of offering a “clitoral nick,” which is forbidden by federal law. Said AAP President Judith Palfrey, “We retracted that policy because it is important that the world health community understands the AAP is totally opposed to all forms of female genital cutting, both here in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world.”
Firms Say They'll Cut Calories
A coalition of food and beverage manufacturers has pledged to collectively trim 1.5 trillion calories from their products by the end of 2015 as part of the effort to curb childhood obesity. The companies, which include cereal makers General Mills, Inc. and the Kellogg Company, candy manufacturers Mars Inc. and the Hershey Company, and soda vendors PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company, said they will cut calories by creating lower calorie options, changing recipes, and reducing portion sizes. The coalition member companies also said they will add nutrients such as fiber and whole grains, along with fruits and vegetables, to their products as part of their commitment to healthier foods. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said it will study the coalition's efforts to reduce calories in the marketplace and how those efforts might affect calories consumed by children and adolescents.
FDA to Collaborate With Web Site
The FDA said it will collaborate with the Web site
Study: Much Groundwater Tainted
More than 20% percent of untreated water samples from 932 public wells across the nation contained at least one contaminant at a concentration of potential health concern, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey. Naturally occurring contaminants, such as radon and arsenic, accounted for about three-quarters of the worrisome contaminant concentrations, the federal agency said. Manmade contaminants, including herbicides, insecticides, solvents, disinfection byproducts, nitrates, and chemicals from gasoline, were detected in 64% of the samples, the USGS said, and these manmade chemicals also were detected in treated water at similar concentrations. Most of the contaminants analyzed are not covered by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency noted.
FDA Drafts Transparency Rules
The Food and Drug Administration's Transparency Task Force has issued 21 draft proposals concerning public disclosure of FDA operations without compromising patents or companies' trade secrets. The FDA said that one of the draft proposals would support research into rare diseases by freeing the agency to discuss that a company has abandoned its application for an orphan drug. Once made public, this information could enable another drug manufacturer to pick up where the first one left off toward a potentially new therapy for a rare disease.