FDA to review bone drugs; CDC reports parasite may be a risk to blood supply

Sep 7 2011

News outlets examine a variety of public health issues.

The New York Times: F.D.A. To Review Safety Of Popular Bone Drugs
Two advisory panels of the Food and Drug Administration will consider on Friday whether to recommend requiring women who use popular bone drugs like Fosamax to take "drug holidays" because of rising concerns about rare side effects with long-term use, according to people involved in the review (Wilson, 9/5).

Reuters/Chicago Tribune: Tick-Borne Parasite Infecting Blood Supply: CDC
A tick-borne infection known as Babesiosis, which can cause severe disease and even death, is becoming a growing threat to the U.S. blood supply, government researchers said on Monday. There are currently no diagnostic tests approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that can detect the infection before people donate blood (Steenhuysen, 9/6).

Wall Street Journal: Reducing The Risk Of Diabetes
Adults, middle-aged and up, can cut their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by as much as 80% by adhering to a combination of five healthy-lifestyle habits, a new analysis shows (Corbett Dooren, 9/6).

McClatchy / Detroit Free Press: HPV Immunizations: A Vaccine For Boys To Protect Girls
What's the best way to protect teen girls from sexually transmitted diseases? Some doctors say the answer is to vaccinate boys. More than 65 million Americans -- that's one in five -- carry a sexually transmitted disease. The most common one -- the human papilloma virus, or HPV -- affects more than half of sexually active Americans at some point, according to the federal government. … But for some doctors, vaccinating boys is also a favored new strategy in preventing the spread of the virus to girls (Brito, 9/3).

McClatchy / The Miami Herald: Healthy Vending Machines Dispense With Junk Food
Instead of the standard junk-food fortresses filled with the four food groups of the apocalypse -; salt, sugar, carbs and fat -; there are machines from companies such as Fresh Healthy Vending, h.u.m.a.n. Healthy Vending and Vend Natural, offering low-calorie and low-fat fare in schools, malls, office buildings and more. … Healthy vending started several years ago. It makes sense given the increased emphasis on better diets, said Jolly Backer, CEO of Fresh Health Vending of San Diego. … For Fresh Healthy Vending, that means growth. The company has about 500 machines across the country, with 300 more coming in the next two months (Fussell, 9/6).