Washington (EON) - President George W. Bush has signed a new law which will give the Food and Drug Administration new broader powers to ensure drug safety.
The new laws renew a five-year-program which has the FDA collecting fees from drugs and medical device manufacturers. It also expands the power of the FDA so that it can better ensure drug safety for all Americans.
The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 has been signed into law by Bush and will allow the FDA new power as well as a bigger budget to higher new employees. This will allow them to be a much more secure and safe watchdog as they will be able to better ensure the safety of drugs.
Billy Tauzin of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America stated that “The increased fees will allow the agency to expand drug safety monitoring, hire additional staff for post-market surveillance, and modernize its information technology systems.”
The FDA deputy commissioner and chief medical officer Dr. Janet Woodcock stated “We welcome the ability to really engage in how those products perform once they are out on the market,” talking about new drugs and their safety.
Washington (EON) - Former Senator and presidential hopeful John Edwards has announced that he would accept public financing for the Democratic primaries.
This goes against what he originally stated as in the past Edwards stated he would raise and spend money without having to worry about the limits of the public financing system.
Edwards stated that the decision was not because he was running short on money for his campaign. Instead he stated that he made his decision to accept public financing to be distinct and different from his fivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
He made the announced just a couple of days before the end of the third quarter fund-raising period.
This is likely going to lead to a 2008 Presidential race which will have some candidates throwing money around left and right while others have to follow spending limits from public financing.
Senator John McCain is also expected to accept public financing for his campaign due to a shortage of fund-raising funds.
Edwards stated “Washington is awash with money, and the system is corrupt. I don’t think anybody anticipated the amount of money that would be raised.” He stated that he felt obligated to “step up” on the issue.
Kabul (EON) - 4 employees of the Red Cross have been kidnapped in Afghanistan.
The employees were from the International Committee of the Red Cross and were on their way to Kabul to negotiate the release of hostages held by the Taliban.
While they were doing this two foreign and two Afghan employees were kidnapped. The four disappeared on Wednesday in the province of Wardak.
They were on their way to returnto the Red Cross headquarters. They were trying to secure the freedom and release of a German man and 5 Afghan co-workers who were kidnapped in Wardak on July 18th.
A Taliban spokesman stated that “We don’t know who arrested them.” They stated that they were not responsible for the disappearance of the workers.
The Red Cross is now in a hostage situation as they are trying to negotiate the release of their own staff members.
They stated “We are working very intensively in consultation with all those who could be related to it.”
Boston (EON) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates is asking Congress to approve an additional $42.3 billion for the War on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and abroad.
This brings the total funding request by the Bush administration for the war in 2008 to $190 billion.
This is the largest total for the wars in 1 year yet and is causing an uproar by those who oppose the war.
General George W. Casey Jr. who is the Army chief of staff has stated that the Army is stretched very thin due to war operations and may not be able to respond to a major conflict outside of their immediate war area should it occur.
He stated that “The current demand for our forces exceed the sustainable supply.”
The total cost of both conflicts will be more than $800 billion by the end of the year since September 11, 2001.
Senator Robert Byrd stated that “We can not create a democracy at the point of a gun. Spending more guns does not change that reality. This committee will not rubber stamp every request that is submitted by the president.”
The funding increase has both support and opposition as Congress continues to battle it out.
Boston - A Havard medical student will be given addition time during her exam in order to pump breast milk for her baby, according to media reports Thursday.
A Massachusetts court says Sophie Currier must have an extra break time during her medical licensing exam. The school gives students 9 hours to complete the exam, but will now give Currier an additional 60 minute break.
Currier says that she faces medial risks if she is unable to nurse her baby or pump breast milk every 2 to 3 hours, reported CNN.
She sued after the National Board of Medical Examiners denied her request for more than the standard 45 minutes of breaks during the exam.
In Thursday’s ruling, the appeals court said Currier needs the additional break time to put her on “equal footing” with men and other women who are “non-lactating.”
“our overriding concerns are fairness to all examinees and the integrity of the exam, which serves as an important gateway to medical practice,” said Joseph F. Savage, Jr., attorney for the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), “Our Position remains that the exam’s sponsors have in no way violated Ms. Currier’s rights”
NBME co-sponsors the exam.
Boston (EON) - According to a new study, mixing Tylenol, or acetaminophen with caffeine may cause liver damage.
This was especially the case in heavy caffeine drinkers according to a study done by the University of Washington in Seattle.
This is the first study to link the combination of caffeine with acetaminophen or Tylenol with livr damage.
The researchers stated that they found that consuming the medication Tylenol and caffeine can scar the tissue of the liver. A link was also found with liver damage and medications which include caffeine and acetaminophen together.
Drugs such as Excedrin and Anacin are used to treat migraines and arthritis but may do damage to the liver when taken too regularly.
Consumers are being told to limit their intake of caffeine which includes drinking coffee or other energy drinks such as Red Bull while taking Tylenol or anything else which contains acetaminophen.
Boston (EON) - Violence is now suspected as a handcuff key and a puddle of blood were found leading many to believe that the four missing from the charter boat Joe Cool may have been murdered.
Two men were charged late Tuesday in connection with the case. They are the only known survivors of the incident which police believe was an act of piracy and murder out on the ocean.
According to reports from the two survivors, hijackers killed the captain, his wife, and two members of the crew one by one tossing them overboard.
Federal charges though state that at least one of the defendants has made false statements.
The handcuff key was found as well as blood on the bow of the fishing boat. The 47-foot boat was found abandoned on Monday 160 miles south of Bimini.
The two men were found in a life raft 12 miles from the empty boat. 36-year-old Kirby Archer was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on a theft charge. 19-year-old Guillermo Zarabozo is charged with making a false statement to a federal agent.
Archer and Zarabozo chartered the Joe Cool boat on Saturday for a trip to Bimini. They paid $4,000 for the trip, all in $100 bills.
Zarabozo stated that an unknown number of killers hijacked the boat and murdered the crew.
The missing include 27-year-old Captain Jake Branam, 30-year-old wife of the captain Kelley, his half brother Scott Gamble who is 36-years-old, as well as crew member 27-year-old Samuel Kairy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gilfarb has asked the two men be jailed until the trial as they both pose a flight risk.
Toronto - It is being reported that the American Dental Association has given their seal of acceptance to Wrigley sugar-free gums Orbit, Extra and Eclipse — based on studies funded at least partially by the maker of Wrigley gums, Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.
They stated that gum can be good for you as long as it is sugar free. This is the first time the ADA has allowed its seal to appear on gum after clearing it for thousands of other products.
According to the ADA, they based their decision on reviews of studies that showed that the 3 products help prevent cavities, reduce plaque acid and strengthen teeth.
“The council has looked at the body of data and concluded that there are some health benefits to chewing these products three times a day for 20 minutes,” said Clifford Whall, director of the ADA seal of acceptance program.
Last year, sugarless gum accounted for about 73 percent of the $2.2 billion in gum sales in the United States.
Los Angeles - A new set of Vanessa Hudgens photos have once again made their way online.
In the latest photos, Hudgens can be seen posing provocatively with a blonde friend wearing lingerie.The photos were published by British tabloid, The Sun.Other photos including Hudgens bending over to show her bottom to the camera.
Two weeks ago, the “High School Musical” star apologized to fans when a nude photo of her made it way around the Internet.
“I want to apologise to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me,” Hudgens said in a statement issued after the photo surfaced.
“I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends.”
In a Teen magazine interview released earlier this week, Hudgens described herself as “a very private person” with “very good morals” who enjoyed serving as a role model.
“I’ve been brought up with very good morals and I’m not going to go out and do something I don’t want other kids to do,” she said in the article.
There could be more naughty photos of the 18-year-old star in the works. Hudgens has said she would like to pose for a men’s magazine — but ruled out Playboy.
“I totally would pose for a sexy magazine,” she said. “I think being a woman and being able to show a sexy side is empowering.”
Boston (EON) - The murder trial of music producer Phil Spector has ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict after leaning towards convicting Spector.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has already stated that plans are in the works to retry the case. This means though that Spector will be charge with nothing and will remain not guilty until another trial begins all over again.
The 67-year-old Spector is charged with 2nd degree murder in the killing of actress Lana Clarkson back in 2003. The prosecution stated that he shot her in his home. The defense though states that Clarkson killed herself with the gun of Spector.
Judge Larry Paul Fidler of the Superior Court stated that the jury foreman reported a 10-2 deadlock which resulted in the proceedings coming to a close. The deadlock earlier on was 7-5 about a week ago with no word which way the jury was swaying. It is now known that they were leading towards convicting Spector as the 10-2 was in favor of a guilty charge.
3 of the jurors spoke to reporters after and stated that the two who held out believed that it is possible that Lana Clarkson may have committed suicide and killer herself rather than Spector committing the murder.
Spector left the court free on bail.