FDA increases candidates for cholesterol drug Lipitor
Washington – The Food and Drug Administration has approved widening the pool of people who can take the popular cholesterol drug Lipitor to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack to include many diabetics who have risk factors for heart disease, the drug’s manufacturer announced Tuesday.
Pfizer also said the FDA approved Lipitor to reduce the chance of stroke in people without diabetes but who have multiple other risk factors.
People considered at higher risk for stroke include those who are 55 or older, smoke, are obese or have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, a family history of stroke, or diabetes.
A study of 2,800 patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the condition, near normal cholesterol, and at least one other risk factor for stroke showed that patients on Lipitor suffered 50 percent fewer strokes than those taking a placebo, Pfizer said.
Another study of people with multiple risk factors for stroke found that Lipitor reduced the risk of stroke by 26 percent, compared with those taking a placebo, the company said.
WASHINGTON
Antidepressant Paxil adds pregnancy alert
The Food and Drug Administration is warning that a study has suggested that the antidepressant Paxil may be associated with birth defects.
Paxil’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, said it will include the results of the study in the drug’s list of precautions.
A retrospective study found increased numbers of babies born with birth defects to women who were taking Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy, as compared with women who were using other antidepressants, according to the FDA and the company.
This included an increase in heart defects, according to a letter from GlaxoSmithKline to health-care professionals.
WASHINGTON
Amtrak raising prices by an average of $3-$4
Amtrak announced Tuesday that ticket prices nationwide would increase by an average of $3 to $4 starting next Tuesday.
Acela Express and long-distance coach trains will see a 7 percent fare increase, while regional and long-distance sleeper trains will rise by 5 percent.
The fare increases were described by Amtrak as an important component of its fiscal 2006 budget to cover its increases in current and anticipated expenses, including the cost of fuel, which has risen 40 percent in the past year.
MEXICO CITY
Fierce rains chase thousands; 3 killed
Intense rains throughout southern Mexico and parts of Central America have forced thousands of people from their homes, caused rivers to overflow their banks and resulted in the deaths of at least three people.
In southern Mexico, local officials declared a state of emergency in parts of Chiapas state and about 2,000 people were living in temporary shelters Tuesday after being forced from their homes by flooding and landslides.
On Monday, police officer Francisco Malpica drowned in a swollen river while trying to help several residents.
And in southern Guerrero state, a landslide buried a wooden home in Acapulco, killing a man.
MEXICO CITY
5 ex-commandos from Guatemala detained
Mexican officials said Tuesday they have detained five former members of an elite Guatemalan counterinsurgency unit known for its brutality. They said the men may have been invited to Mexico to work with the feared drug hit men known as the Zetas.
The detention of the Guatemalans – turned over to prosecutors for possible immigration violations – fueled fears that the paratroopers known as Kai biles might add their military expertise to that already enjoyed by the Zetas, which are led by deserters from an elite Mexican army unit.
The Zetas have been waging a bloody turf war in border towns such as Nuevo Laredo against other gangs for control of lucrative smuggling routes.
TEHRAN
Iran broadens threat over nuke oversight
Iran broadened its threats Tuesday over a move to refer it to the U.N. Security Council, saying that unless the U.N. atomic watchdog agency backs down, it will resume uranium enrichment, block inspections of its nuclear facilities and cut trade with countries that supported the resolution.
In another move that suggests a toughening of Iran’s position, the hard-line parliament was considering a measure to force the government to bar short-notice intrusive U.N. inspections of its facilities if Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is not respected by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran was considering reducing its trade with those countries that voted for Saturday’s resolution, particularly India.
