By Hyeongsu Park and Kathy Wang
[Ed. Note: This will be the last intern round-up of the academic year, to resume in the Fall. Thanks, Hyeongsu and Kathy!]
- The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that generic versions of the painkiller Opana ER can remain on the market.
- Judge Edward R. Korman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered last month that the most common morning-after emergency contraceptive pill be available to women and girls of all ages without a prescription. On Friday, Judge Korman denied the request by government lawyers to suspend his ruling while they appeal. In the process, the judge stepped up his criticism of the Obama administration, accusing it of putting politics ahead of science.
- Three Republican members of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee have opened an inquiry into the safety of an amphetaminelike stimulant called dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, in some popular workout and fat-burning products sold at GNC.
- Wrigley said on Wednesday that it was taking a new caffeinated gum off the market temporarily while the Food and Drug Administration investigated the safety of added caffeine.
- Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has called on health industry companies and other organizations, seeking financial contributions to help promote the Affordable Care Act that takes full effect next year.
- President Obama stepped up the sales pitch on the Affordable Care Act on Friday, saying that he was “110 percent committed” to delivering its benefits on schedule, and that consumers should not be misled by critics spreading misinformation about the law.
- The California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the right of local governments to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.
