RSS Feed
March 24th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,
compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
FDA Must Consider Ban on Antibiotic Use in
Livestock: Court
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration must follow through on a
35-year-old proposal that would have banned the use of certain antibiotics
in animal feed due to fears about potential harm to human health, a
federal district court in Manhattan ruled Thursday.
In 1977, the FDA proposed banning the use of penicillin and two forms
of tetracycline due to concerns that overuse of the drugs in livestock led
to the development of drug-resistant bacteria that can infect people, the
Washington Post reported.
The FDA has never taken action on the proposal and was sued in May 2011
by five environmental, health and consumer advocacy groups. The court
ruling forces the FDA to move ahead with proceedings that could lead to
the withdrawal of the drugs.
“The scientific evidence of the risks to human health from the
widespread use of antibiotics in livestock has grown, and there is no
evidence that the FDA has changed its position that such uses are not
shown to be safe,” Judge Theodore H. Katz wrote, the Post
reported.
The makers of the drugs will be given an opportunity at a hearing to
prove that the antibiotics are safe.
“If, at the hearing, the drug sponsors fail to show that the use of the
drugs is safe, the [FDA] Commissioner must issue a withdrawal order,” Katz
wrote.
—–
FDA Approved Higher Dose of Alzheimer’s Drug
Despite Warnings:Experts
A higher dosage of the Alzheimer’s drug Aricept was approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration even though it caused potentially
dangerous side effects and worked only slightly better than the existing
dosages of the drug, according to an article published Thursday in the
British Medical Journal.
The 23-gram version of Aricept was approved by the FDA against the
advice of agency reviewers. The approval was granted in July 2010, four
months before the 5- and 10-milligram dosages of Aricept lost patent
protection, The New York Times reported.
The FDA reviewers noted that a clinical trial involving 1,400 patients
showed that the higher dosage failed to meet its goal of improving
cognitive and overall functioning in people with moderate to severe
Alzheimer’s disease.
The trial also showed that the higher dosage caused substantially more
nausea and vomiting, which are potentially dangerous side effects for
elderly patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, The Times
reported.
The drug was developed by Japanese drug maker Eisai and is co-marketed
in the United States with Pfizer.
—–
Dissolvable Tobacco Products May Have Fewer
Health Risks: FDA Panel
While dissolvable tobacco products could pose fewer health risks
compared to cigarettes, they could increase the number of tobacco users in
the United States, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel says.
Dissolvable tobacco — finely milled tobacco pressed into shapes like
tablets that slowly dissolve in the mouth — are one of the cigarette
alternatives being considered by tobacco companies for future sales
growth, the Associated Press reported.
There is a lack of research on dissolvable tobacco products, which make
up a small share of the market, the panel noted.
The findings were posted online Thursday and will be reviewed by the
FDA in any future decisions but there’s no timeline for the agency to act,
the AP reported.
—–
Army Mental Health Programs Under
Review
A system-wide review of U.S. Army mental health facilities is being
conducted to determine if psychiatrists overturned soldiers’ diagnoses of
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in order to save money.
The review by the Army inspector general comes as the case of a U.S.
soldier suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians has led to renewed focus
on war-related mental strain among military personnel, the Associated
Press reported.
The service is trying to determine whether changes in PTSD diagnoses
were isolated or common practice, Army Secretary John McHugh told Congress
on Wednesday.
The forensic psychiatry unit at Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint
Base Lewis-McChord is under investigation for reversing PTSD diagnoses in
order to avoid the expense of providing care and benefits to soldiers,
according to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
“Not only is it damaging for our soldiers, but it also really furthers
the stigma for others that are — whether they’re deciding to seek help or
not today,” Murray said, the AP reported.
—-
Posted in 
Tags: 
