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March 7, 2012 Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration are feeling more optimistic about the future of their agency than they were back in 2006, according to a survey just out from the Union of Concerned Scientists. But they still report concerns about outside pressures on the agency's decisions and policies.

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February 29, 2012 U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon in Washington ruled that a requirement for cigarette makers to put large, gruesome labels on their products violates free speech rights. Foes of the tobacco industry urged the Justice Department to appeal.

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February 28, 2012 Statins may also increase the risk slightly for high blood sugar and for developing Type 2 diabetes. People have also complained about memory loss and fuzzy thinking while taking the cholesterol-fighting drugs. Now the Food and Drug Administration wants that information added to the drugs' instructions.

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February 22, 2012 In a reversal, a panel of experts is advising the Food and Drug Administration to approve Qnexa, a weight-loss pill, that was rejected in 2010. The potential benefits for overweight people exceed the risks, such as birth defects and increased heart rates, the panel determined.

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February 17, 2012 The Food and Drug Administration will take a second look at a weight-loss drug it rejected in 2010. The decision to review Qnexa comes as the agency is rethinking how it judges weight-loss drugs. Though obesity is at epidemic levels, the FDA hasn't approved any new weight-loss medicines since 1999.

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February 15, 2012 A consortium of consumer and environmental groups says there's too much lead in lipstick. The Food and Drug Administration says there's nothing to worry about.

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February 8, 2012 Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid are among the popular medicines — called proton pump inhibitors — that may raise the risk for chronic diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile. That's a bacterium that you'd rather not have colonizing your intestines.

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January 20, 2012 KHNSupporters of the product say they help quit smoking. Opponents maintain it's a gateway to cigarettes. Both groups are making their case to the Food and Drug Administration, which is studying the flavored melt-in-your-mouth products.

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January 9, 2012 Novartis is recalling a slew of nonprescription medicines due to problems at a Nebraska factory. Some bottles may contain the wrong medicine. There have been reports of chipped or broken tablets, too.

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December 23, 2011 Infant pain medicines are being changed to make them safer, but right now both old and new concentrations are on pharmacy shelves, increasing the risk of accidental overdoses that prompted the changes in the first place. Parents beware.

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December 21, 2011 Clothing, hair and jewelry can get tangled up in the ShoulderFlex massager's rotating parts. And that's a recipe for trouble, the Food and Drug Administration says.

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