Health Highlights: June 11, 2009

ByABC News
June 11, 2009, 6:02 PM

June 12 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

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.