Health Highlights: Oct. 22, 2008

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

Serious Drug-Reaction Reports Hit Record High

A record number of serious drug-reaction reports were submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the first quarter of this year, according to an analysis by a health industry watchdog group.

Nearly 21,000 serious adverse reactions, including 4,800 deaths, were received by the FDA in the first three months of 2008, the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices said. The group analyzed yearly totals dating back to the 1990s, according to the Associated Press.

Two drugs accounted for a disproportionate share of the reports: the blood thinner heparin, and the Pfizer anti-smoking drug Chantix.

Chantix, which the FDA has warned may be linked to psychological problems including suicidal behavior, had more reports than any other drug. The medication is meant to affect the smoker's brain directly, easing withdrawal symptoms and inhibiting the pleasurable effects of nicotine.

While the FDA had no immediate reaction to the report, the AP cited a Pfizer statement that the company stood by Chantix and attributed the number of adverse-reaction reports to publicity about the drug's side effects.

Some adverse reports about heparin stemmed from a scandal earlier this year, in which global authorities identified contaminated heparin linked to 12 Chinese companies that were involved in the drug's manufacture.

A serious drug reaction is defined by the FDA as one that causes hospitalization, requires medical intervention, or is life-threatening. Since the agency relies on voluntary submissions from doctors, its tally is believed to represent a fraction of actual cases, the AP said.

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Smokers Urged to Get Pneumonia Vaccine

All adult smokers under age 65 should get a pneumococcal vaccine, an influential group of experts that advises the U.S. government is recommending.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization, noting that the nation's 31 million adult smokers are at higher risk of pneumococcal disease, voted 11-3 Wednesday to recommend that all adult smokers get the vaccine, the Associated Press reported. In addition to bacterial pneumonia, the shot would protect against other illnesses such as meningitis.