Houston, Texas December 18: A new study has revealed that elevated levels of one of the two enzymes (or proteins), which are generally associated closely with ovarian cancer are important for the long life of the patient.

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recommending companies developing type 2 diabetes drugs and biologics evaluate the products' cardiovascular risks.

The FDA said pharmaceutical companies should provide evidence the therapy will not increase the risk of such cardiovascular events as a heart attack.

The recommendation applies to all diabetes drugs currently under development.

"We need to better understand the safety of new anti-diabetic drugs.

Therefore, companies should conduct a more thorough examination of their drugs' cardiovascular risks during the product's development stage," said Dr. Mary Parks, director of the FDA's division of metabolism and endocrinology products.

The federal agency said people with diabetes have a two- to four-times greater risk of heart disease than non-diabetics, and none of the currently approved anti-diabetic therapies has been convincingly proven to reduce that risk.

Champaign, Ill. -- U.S. scientists have come up with another reason for obese people to lose weight -- excess driver and passenger weight results in excess fuel consumption.

In a 2006 study, University of Illinois Professor Sheldon Jacobson and doctoral student Laura McLay estimated the amount of vehicle fuel consumed as a result of overweight and obese passengers.

Now Jacobson and doctoral student Douglas King have updated the estimates of weight-based fuel consumption and compared them with those reported in 2006.
They said the results aren't good news.

"Growing overweight and obesity rates in the United States continue to increase fuel consumption by adding extra passenger weight to vehicles," said Jacobson. "More than 1 billion gallons of fuel consumed each year can be attributed to this excess weight."

Washington, December 17: Makers of Epilepsy drugs are required add a warning about the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions from the medication, announced the FDA, following a strong recommendation from an advisory panel in July.

Cleveland, December 17: Surgeons at a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio replaced 80 percent of the face of a woman, who was so unhappy with her profile that she willingly agreed to risk her life to change the way she looks. Her face was replaced with that of a dead female cadaver in a surgery that is sure to ignite a debate regarding the compromise of ethics in such medical procedures.

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it will require suicide warnings on all anti-epileptic drugs, including those used to treat other conditions.

The federal agency says the warning about the risk of suicidal thoughts and suicidality will be required on all anti-epileptic drugs that are also used to treat psychiatric disorders, migraine headaches and other conditions. The warnings will appear on all prescribing information or labeling.

"Patients being treated with anti-epileptic drugs for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior," said Dr. Russell Katz, director of the FDA's Division of Neurology Products. He noted patients currently taking an anti-epileptic medicine should not make any treatment changes without talking with their healthcare professionals.

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has found flaws in the printed consumer medication information voluntarily provided with new prescriptions.

The FDA said a study of the information provided by retail pharmacies showed it does not consistently provide easy-to-read, understandable information about the use and risks of medications.

The FDA said its study -- Expert and Consumer Evaluation of Consumer Medication Information -- "showed that while 94 percent of consumers received such information with new prescriptions, only about 75 percent of the information met the minimum criteria for usefulness."

"The current voluntary system has failed to provide consumers with the quality information they need in order to use medicines effectively and safely," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "We need to work with pharmacy operators, drug manufacturers, healthcare professionals and consumers to come up with a sensible, comprehensive and more effective solution," said Woodcock.

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of two potentially dangerous unapproved medical devices.

The FDA said its "Class 1" recall means there is a reasonable probability the use of the devices manufactured by VIBE Technologies of Greeley, Colo., and Nebion LLC of Los Angeles will cause adverse health consequences or death.

"These recalls underscore the importance of taking action against manufacturers who make false medical claims for their devices," said Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "One of the FDA's primary responsibilities is protecting consumers from harm that can be caused by manufacturers who try to sidestep the approval and clearance process."

Calgary, December 16: The Alberta government has announced a long-term health care strategy on Monday, stating that their senior citizens who are able to afford extra services can do so in their chosen facility.

Dallas, December 16: Heart disease and stroke deaths saw a significant decline of about 30 percent in 2006 from 1999, according to the latest statistics released by the American Heart Association. The group comprising of doctors and consumers has achieved its 2010 goal of reducing heart and stroke deaths by 25 percent, four years early. The change in death rates translates to about 190,000 lives saved in 2006.