tony w
International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases
Heart & Lung; The Journal of Acute and Critical Care
Pain Practice
Clinical Rehabilitation
EurekAlert!
European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
The Clinical Journal of Pain
Pain
(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was looking into whether morning-after emergency contraceptive pills fail to work in women over a certain weight and will decide whether to add a warning to the drug’s label. The agency was reacting to reports that European health regulators had ordered a label change for the emergency contraceptive product sold there by French drugmaker HRA Pharma under the brand name Norlevo, requiring it to include the drug’s diminishing effectiveness based on weight. The FDA is “currently reviewing the available and related scientific information on this issue, including the publication upon which the Norlevo labeling change was based,” FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson said on Monday via an email. “The agency will then determine what, if any, labeling changes to approved emergency contraceptives are warranted.” HRA scientists discovered that its Norlevo began losing effectiveness in women who weigh about 165 pounds (75 kilograms) and was not at all effective in women weighing over 176 pounds (80 kg), according to reports on CNN and elsewhere.
By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A program that provides food and nutrition assistance to millions of low-income Americans may not be effective at current funding levels, suggests a new study. Researchers found people who received assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fared no better than people in similar conditions who were not eligible or didn’t enroll in the program. “Our insights were maybe not surprising, but it’s the first time something like this has been documented,” Eric Rimm told Reuters Health. SNAP – formerly known as food stamps – is the largest U.S. food assistance program and reached approximately 45 million people in 2011, Rimm and his colleagues write in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.