Senate Votes to Give FDA Broad Authority Over Tobacco
The U.S. Senate voted 79-17 on Thursday to give the Food and Drug Administration broad authority over the manufacture, sale and advertising of tobacco products.
The House has approved a similar measure and the legislation has the support of President Barack Obama, the Associated Press reported. His predecessor, George W. Bush, opposed prior bills aimed at establishing FDA regulation of tobacco.
Federal legislators have been trying for more than a decade to give the FDA such authority. The U.S. Supreme Court, in 2000, ruled 5-4 that the agency did not have such powers under current law, the AP said.
The latest measure authorizes the FDA to set levels for nicotine and other cigarette ingredients, and requires tobacco makers to list the contents of their products. It also requires the agency to approve any new products in much the same way that it now does with drugs and medical devices. The FDA also has the authority to require stronger warnings on cigarette packaging.
The new FDA operation is financed with additional tobacco company fees, the AP said.
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Medtronic Recalls 21,000 Pacemakers
Medtronic is recalling 21,000 pacemakers sold under the Kappa and Sigma brand names because wires that connect the devices' electronic circuit to other components may fail, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.
Although more than 1.7 million Kappa and Sigma pacemakers have been implanted in people, only about 21,000 devices are affected by the recall, mostly those that have been in patients for at least five years, the agency said.
People whose pacemakers malfunction may have a return of symptoms of abnormal heartbeat, including fainting and lightheadedness, the FDA said. In rare cases, a malfunction could lead to serious injury or death, the agency warned.
Medtronic issued a letter last month alerting doctors of the problem.
Affected devices are Kappa Series 600/700/900 and Sigma Series 100/200/300. People in whom these pacemakers are implanted should contact Medtronic at 1-800-505-4636, or visit its Web site at www.KappaSigmaSNList.medtronic.com to figure out if their devices are included in the recall.
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Frozen Chicken Has Undeclared Allergens
Some 608,188 pounds of frozen chicken sold at Kroger stores across the United States are being recalled because the products may contain undeclared allergens including milk, soy and wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
The products, in 32-oz. plastic bags, are labeled as "Kroger, Fully Cooked, Buffalo Style Chicken Wings, Chicken Wing Sections Coated With Sauce."
Each affected bag has the establishment number "P7091A," "P73477" or "P13485A" near the zip seal, a "Best By" date of "JUL 25, 2009" through "JUN 8, 2010", and a UPC code of "0 11110 97158 6." The products were produced July 25, 2008 through June 8, 2009.
People with questions should contact Kroger Consumer Relations at 1-800-632-6900.
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Restaurants Would List Calories Under New Legislation
Federal lawmakers, restaurant industry groups and consumer advocacy organizations have reached agreement on a proposal to require restaurants to display calorie information on their menus, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The legislation, authored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), would require chains with 20 or more restaurants to provide calorie information on menus, and at salad bars and buffets. Additional information about fat content, sugar, salt and cholesterol would have to provided upon patron request.
Currently, 13 state and local governments have such requirements, the Journal reported, including California, New York City and Seattle.
Similar legislation is pending in a number of states, the newspaper said.
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