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Experts urge McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to kids

McDonald’s has incurred the wrath of over 550 health professionals and organizations who have signed a letter to McDonald's Corp. asking the maker of Happy Meals to stop marketing junk food to kids and retire Ronald McDonald.

17 May 2011

'Mu opioid' receptors in the brain linked to smoking relapse

Nearly everyone who has tried to quit smoking says it's incredibly difficult, and the struggle is due in part to genetic factors. Now, a new study from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sheds light on how one specific genetic risk for smoking relapse may work: Some of the difficulties may be due to how many receptors, called "mu opioid" receptors, a smoker has in his or her brain.

17 May 2011

FDA warns consumers about look like antimicrobial dietary supplements

The FDA is warning consumers not to use products marketed as dietary supplements that also claim to be antimicrobial (antibiotic, antifungal or antiviral) drugs. These illegal products are falsely promoted with claims to treat illnesses such as upper respiratory infections, sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis and the common cold.

16 May 2011

Merck receives FDA approval for Victrelis to treat chronic hepatitis C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Victrelis (boceprevir) to treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C. Victrelis is used for patients who still have some liver function, and who either have not been previously treated with drug therapy for their hepatitis C or who have failed such treatment.

16 May 2011

Midbrain habenula region plays a key role in nicotine dependence

A person's vulnerability to nicotine addiction appears to have a genetic basis, at least in part. A region in the midbrain called the habenula plays a key role in this process, as Dr. In-s Iba-ez-Tallon and her team from the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now shown.

13 May 2011

Leading public health experts agree: Menthol ban could save thousands of lives

Today, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to weigh a potential menthol ban, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Center for American Progress and Legacy called for menthol cigarettes to be taken off the market, citing key findings published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

13 May 2011

Majority of Americans support ban on menthol cigarettes

According to a new study released online today, a majority of Americans, including most African Americans, stand together in support of banning menthol in cigarettes just as other cigarette flavorings have now been banned by the FDA.

13 May 2011

State roundup: Concerns about state employee retirement boom

Plummeting stock portfolios and home values prompted many Baby Boomers to keep working long after retirement age. ... "What was once a planned exit is no longer a planned exit," says Daniel Hackler, Indiana's state personnel director.

9 May 2011

Women more likely to leave substance abuse treatment center after new tobacco-free policy

When a new tobacco-free policy was instituted at an Ohio women's substance abuse treatment center, both smokers and non-smokers were more likely to leave treatment early in the first few months after the policy change, a new study found.

7 May 2011

FDA approves expanded access to RX Acculink stent for clogged neck artery treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved an expanded indication that will allow a new group of patients at risk of stroke due to clogged neck arteries to be treated with the RX Acculink carotid stent.

7 May 2011

MicroPhage receives FDA clearance for KeyPath MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the first test for Staphylococcus aureus infections that is able to quickly identify whether the bacteria are methicillin resistant or methicillin susceptible.

7 May 2011

Roundup: Fla. lawmakers to vote today on Medicaid changes; Calif. court expands deadline for tobacco suits

With a sponsor calling it the "most significant transformational change" since Florida's Medicaid program started, lawmakers will vote Friday on a long-awaited proposal to shift almost all beneficiaries into managed-care plans.

7 May 2011

FDA approves Afinitor for treatment of progressive neuroendocrine tumors in the pancreas

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Afinitor (everolimus) to treat patients with progressive neuroendocrine tumors located in the pancreas (PNET) that cannot be removed by surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).

7 May 2011

Burning mouth syndrome affects menopausal women seven times more often than men

Most people can relate to the uncomfortable feeling that occurs after scalding their mouth on hot soup or coffee. It's a relief when that burnt feeling subsides after several days. But imagine experiencing that burning sensation all day, every day.

7 May 2011

First Edition: May 6, 2011

Today's headlines indicate that the GOP may be rethinking its plans to revamp Medicare -- especially as a new round of debt accord talks begin between Vice President Joe Biden and congressional leaders.

6 May 2011

$Bone building drugs bisphosphonates lead to only a marginally higher risk of fractures: Study$

Bone building drugs bisphosphonates lead to only a marginally higher risk of fractures: Study

According to a new study, nearly 78% of all Swedish women aged 55 years and older who sustained a thigh bone or femur fracture in 2008 had taken bisphosphonates for their osteoporosis. However the authors of the study published in the May 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) write that the absolute risk for such breaks is small enough to justify prescribing the drugs.

5 May 2011

FDA releases final guidance to firms that market OTC drug products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released its final guidance to firms that manufacture, market, or distribute over-the-counter liquid drug products packaged with cups, droppers, syringes, and spoons to measure and dispense the doses of medication.

5 May 2011