Health Highlights: Oct. 14, 2005

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

Indian Drug Maker to Produce Generic Version of Tamiflu

Cipla, the third largest drug maker in India, says it plans to start making a generic version of the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu to be ready for a possible avian flu pandemic.

However, Cipla could face a court challenge from Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, which holds the patent for Tamiflu, The New York Times reported.

Generic drug makers can''t legally sell patented drugs in the West. However, all national patent laws allow nations to cancel drug patents during emergencies and either buy generic drugs or compel drug patent holders to license their drug formulas to other companies.

"Right or wrong, we''re going to commercialize and make oseltamivir (the generic name for Tamiflu)," Dr. Yusuf K. Hamied, chairman of Cipla, told the Times.

He said the generic drug would be sold only in developing nations.

"God forbid the avian flu should strike India. There is no line of defense," Hamied said.

Roche spokesman Terry Hurley wouldn''t say whether the company would take Cipla to court. But Hurley told the Times, "If we determine that there has been an infringement, we''d move to protect our rights and interests."

Due to fears of a possible flu pandemic, the United Nations and several countries have been pushing Roche to license generic versions of Tamiflu, which eases the worst symptoms of flu.

Roche just announced it''s increasing Tamiflu production to create stockpiles of the drug, but it said governments may have long waits for their orders to be filled.

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Grant May Speed Up Quest for Male Contraceptive

A U.S. National Institutes of Health grant to Norfolk State University may help hasten the work of a researcher who has spent nearly 20 years trying to develop a male contraceptive.

The money, part of a five-year, $3.6 million grant to Norfolk State, will enable Joseph C. Hall to use computer-assisted drug design in his research. This should speed up the process of producing compounds for testing, the Associated Press reported.

"Right now, at the rate I''m going, synthesizing one compound at a time, it would take me five to six years to test to get the right one. This will shorten the time to six months or a year," Hall told The Virginian-Pilot.

Hall''s work is focused on thwarting sperm''s ability to fertilize eggs. He''s achieved a success rate of 92 percent but wants to develop a male contraceptive that''s 100 percent effective. The final product is likely to be in the form of patch, the AP reported.

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Mad Cow Prions Can be Spread Through Urine

Under certain conditions, the deformed proteins called prions that cause mad cow disease can be spread through urine, says a Swiss study in the journal Science.

The University Hospital of Zurich team conducted laboratory tests in mice to determine whether chronic inflammatory kidney disorders could cause prions to be excreted in urine, CBC New reported.

The mice with the kidney disorder did excrete prions in their urine. When the prions excreted in the urine were injected into other mice, they became infected. Mice that did not have kidney inflammation did not have prions in their urine.

The findings may explain how prion diseases are transmitted among wild animals, such as deer and elk, that haven''t eaten contaminated feed.

The researchers suggested that animal urine be added to a list of potentially infectious tissues from cows, such as the brain and spleen, that are checked before they''re used to make cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

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HP Recalls 135,000 Battery Packs

About 135,000 Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computer battery packs that pose a burn and fire hazard are being recalled by the Hewlett-Packard Co.

The worldwide recall was prompted by an internal short that can cause the battery cells to overheat and melt or char the plastic case, resulting in a burn or fire hazard. The company has received 16 reports of batteries overheating and four cases of minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled lithium ion rechargeable battery packs have a bar code label starting with GC, IA, L0 or L1. Consumers with these batteries should stop using them immediately and contact HP to arrange for a free replacement battery.

For more information, contact HP at 1-888-404-7398 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.

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FDA Seizes Medicine Pumps

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has seized more than 6,000 medicine-dispensing pumps from Baxter International Inc. facilities in northern Illinois.

The seized devices include 6,000 Colleague infusion pumps that have been linked to patient deaths and 850 Syndeo syringe pumps that are used to administer pain medication, Bloomberg News reported.

Earlier this year, defects in the pumps prompted Baxter to suspend shipments to hospitals and acute medical care facilities.

There have been three recalls of Colleague pumps this year. The latest involves a potential fault in the battery on more than 250,000 of the pumps. This and other flaws may be linked to seven patient deaths, Bloomberg News reported.

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Yale Team Finds Gene Linked to Tourette Syndrome

Yale University scientists have identified a gene that may contribute to some cases of Tourette syndrome, a study in the journal Science says.

The Yale team identified the SLITRK1 gene on chromosome 13 in a young child with Tourette syndrome. They then checked 174 other people with the syndrome and found that two of them also had the same gene,BBC News reported.

While this study may help explain only a small number of cases of Tourette syndrome, it does offer valuable information, the scientists said.

"The finding could provide an important clue in understanding Tourette''s on a molecular basis and cellular level," said study lead author Dr. Matthew Slate. "Confirming this, even in a small number of additional Tourette''s syndrome patients, will pave the way for a deeper understanding of the disease process."

It''s already known that Tourette syndrome has a strong family pattern, indicating that genetics play at least some role, BBC News reported.

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Last Updated: Oct. 14, 2005