Health Highlights: Jan. 15, 2010

Jan. 16 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Doctor Accused of Faking Painkiller Studies

A U.S. doctor has agreed to plead guilty to health care fraud in connection with faked research on painkillers that was published in medical journals.

Anesthesiologist Dr. Scott Reuben, the former chief of acute pain at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a more lenient sentence that includes up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of assets worth at least $50,000 that he received for the research, according to court documents, the Associated Press reported.

It's alleged that Reuben applied for and received research grants from drug makers but never performed the studies. Instead, he made up some or all patient data contained in 21 studies published in anesthesiology journals between 1996 and 2008.

The ruse was discovered after the hospital launched a routine review last year. Baystate Medical Center has asked the journals to retract the studies, the AP reported.

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FDA Can't Block E-Cigarette Imports: Judge

The importation of electronic cigarettes into the United States can't be blocked by the Food and Drug Administration, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The FDA considers electronic cigarettes -- battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine without tobacco or combustion -- to be unapproved drug devices and has told manufacturers they need FDA approval to sell them in the United States, the Washington Post reported.

Two U.S.-based e-cigarette distributors went to court to fight the FDA's policy of blocking and confiscating e-cigarettes when they reach U.S. ports. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon granted a temporary injunction halting the FDA's actions.

Leon ruled that e-cigarettes are essentially a modern-day tobacco product and said the FDA had overstepped its authority in blocking their importation, the Post reported.