Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Fri, Apr 10 1992 Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 05:43:42 EDT Message-ID: 04-10 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update April 10-12, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network TEENS SURVEYED ON SEX HABITS: One in four high school students has at least four sex partners by their senior year, a new study suggests. The data, part of a 1990 survey of 11,631 high school students nationwide, also found that those with multiple partners are also the most likely to skip using condoms and experiment with intravenous drugs, factors that can increase the risk of contracting HIV. CONDOM USE LOW AMONG STUDENTS: Fewer than half of students responding to a nationwide survey reported using a condom the last time they had sex, with rates even lower for those who had had at least four partners - especially girls. The survey also found that 1.5% of the students had shot drugs and that 17% of 12th grade girls and 38.5% of 12th grade boys reported having four or more partners. OFFICIALS HOPE TO FIGHT FRAUD: More resources are needed to combat the makers and distributors of phony medical devices, members of Congress said Thursday. Health-care fraud will cost the nation an estimated $70 billion this year and possibly $100 billion by 1995, Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said. Officials cited devices such as osteoporosis tests done with mailed-in fingertip X-rays and mattress magnets that align body cells. ANNOUNCEMENT BRINGS fEW CALLS: Experts are hopeful that AIDS awareness is increasing after blood banks reported only a few calls after Arthur Ashe announced he became infected with the AIDS virus in a 1983 blood transfusion. "I'm hopeful that means people are beginning to understand" how the virus is spread, says Susan Benjamin, American Red Cross, St. Paul, Minn. DRUG APPROVAL PROCESS ANNOUNCED: A new process would cut in half the average 10-year schedule now used by the Food and Drug Administration to approve drugs, Vice President Dan Quayle announced Thursday. The process would be aimed at promising new drugs for serious conditions like AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. A consumer group that monitors the FDA called the announcement "nothing new." PROVISIONS OF DRUG PROPOSAL: Some drugs for life-threatening illnesses will gain Food and Drug Administration approval with only short-term data - as the AIDS drug DDI did recently - under a plan proposed Thursday by Vice President Dan Quayle. The plan also provides for wider access for drugs that have been tightly controlled, the hiring of outside experts to do routine work and international cooperation. EPA STUDY CRITICIZED: Administration officials said Thursday that an Environmental Protection Agency study suggesting that many of the nation's nuclear waste sites are or could be contaminated is a "gross misrepresentation." Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, defending the study, said it is unceratin which of the 45,300 sites are dangerous. SEAFOOD SAFETY DISCUSSED: The increasing demand for seafood - particularly raw seafood - has placed a greater demand on regulators to ensure safety, researchers said Thursday at the National American Chemical Society meeting. New genetic test are replacing traditional methods, reducing testing time to hours, researchers said. Researchers are also looking into why some seafood contain toxins. MANUFACTURER RECALLS BED: After reports of 50 injuries and one death, Cosco, Inc., is recalling toddler beds with ID numbers "10T22" and "10T23." Owners of the beds should note the date next to the ID number, measure the distance between the headboard arches, and call 800-468-0174 for free, safe replacement parts. FINDING MAY REDUCE REJECTIONS: A new oxygen-carrying red blood cell substitute may reduce the risk of immune system rejection caused by blood transfusions, Enzon, Inc., reported Thursday. Enzon, a New Jersey-based company, reported its findings to the American Societies for Experimental Biology in Anaheim, Calif. MORE FDA FUNDING URGED: With the burden on the FDA growing, the National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, asked Congress Thursday to increase funding for the agency. A more efficient FDA could approve generic versions of nearly $18 billion worth of single source drugs coming off patent in the next three years, saving the U.S. over $10 billion annually, the association said. COMPANY DEFENDS ANTIHISTAMINES: The Procter & Gamble Company Thursday defended the effectiveness of antihistamines, a day after congressional investigators questioned their use for cold relief. Antihistamines work for allergies, not viruses, researchers said. Procter & Gamble, the maker of NyQuil cold medicine, cited studies showing the drug's effectiveness for cold symptoms. Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM