Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Nutritional Guidelines Planned for School Vending Machines
Nutritional standards for vending machine products and other
foods that students can buy outside of school cafeterias are
expected to be introduced by the Obama administration within the
next few weeks.
White House officials say students eat 19 percent to 50 percent
of their daily food at school and they want to ensure that what
students eat doesn't harm their health or make them fat,
The New York Times reported.
Childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled in
the past 30 years, and school vending machines stocked with items
such as soft drinks, potato chips and cookies have contributed to
that problem, nutritionists say.
No details of the proposed nutritional standards have been
released, but are likely to focus on reduced amounts of sugar, salt
and fat, according to health advocates and snack food and soft
drink industry representatives,
The Times reported.
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Imported Drug Will Help Shortage of Cancer Drug Doxil: FDA
A drug called Lipodox will be imported from India in order to
offset the shortage of the chemotherapy drug Doxil, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration says.
Doxil -- which is used to treat ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma
and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma -- has been in short supply in
the U.S. since last June. There are no generic versions of the
drug,
USA Today reported.
The FDA was expected to announce Tuesday that it has reached an
agreement with Sun Pharma Global of India to temporarily import
Lipodox. The agency has previously inspected the company.
The deal with address the Doxil shortage "for the foreseeable
future," the FDA's Sandra Kweder told
USA Today.
Doxil is one of 287 drugs that have been in short supply this
year, says the University of Utah's Drug Information Service. There
were 61 drugs in short supply in 2005, according to the FDA.
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Inhalable Caffeine Product to be Reviewed by FDA
The safety of an inhalable caffeine product called AeroShot will
be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency
will also investigate whether the product can be labeled as a
dietary supplement.
Aeroshot is sold in lipstick-sized canisters. A person puts one
end of the canister in their mouth and inhales a fine powder that
dissolves almost instantly. Each container contains 100 milligrams
of caffeine powder, about equal to the amount in a large cup of
coffee, the
Associated Press reported.
New York U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer asked the FDA to review the
safety and legality of Aeroshot, which went on sale late last month
in New York and Massachusetts. It's also sold in France.
"I am worried about how a product like this impacts kids and teens, who are particularly vulnerable to overusing a product that allows one to take hit after hit after hit, in rapid succession," Schumer said, the AP reported.
AeroShot is safe and does not contain additives used to enhance
the caffeine effect in energy drinks, according to inventor David
Edwards, a Harvard biomedical engineering professor.
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