Health Highlights: Oct. 4, 2007

Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Experts Offer Fish-Consumption Guidelines for Pregnant Women

Contrary to current U.S. government advice, pregnant and breast-feeding women should eat at least 12 ounces of fish and seafood a week to ensure optimal brain development in their babies, leading scientists say in an advisory to be released Thursday by a nonprofit coalition, the Washington Post reported.

Fish and seafood are rich in nutrients that promote brain and nervous system development in developing fetuses, infant and young children.

But in 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said new mothers and mothers-to-be should eat no more than 12 ounces of seafood per week due to concerns about mercury contamination.

The new advisory comes from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, which has nearly 150 members, including the March of Dimes, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Post reported.

The FDA plans to study the coalition's new guidelines but will not change its recommendations on fish consumption by pregnant and breast-feeding women, an FDA representative said.

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FDA Mulls Behind-the-Counter Drug Sales

An expansion of "behind-the-counter" sales -- where people are allowed to buy certain drugs directly from pharmacists without a doctor's prescription -- is being considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In its announcement Wednesday, the agency said its seeking public input on the issue, including whether this would be a way to improve uninsured patients' access to medicines, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA has scheduled a Nov. 14 meeting in Washington, D.C. to gather opinions from patients, pharmacists, doctors and anyone else who wants to offer their views. The agency also will accept written comments through Nov. 28.

The agency has no petitions to switch specific drugs to behind-the-counter sales, Ilisa Bernstein, the FDA's director of pharmacy affairs, told the AP. She refused to list drugs that may be considered for behind-the-counter sales.