Experts recommended this week that maximum doses be cut for the pain reliever acetaminophen. The group of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also called for a ban on Percocet and Vicodin. These narcotics also contain acetominophen. In other drug news, the FDA said Chantix and Zyban will carry a "black box" warning about a risk of mental health problems for people who take them. The drugs help people to quit smoking. A report released this week said obesity rates rose last year in 23 states. Other research found that fewer than 1 in 5 people who suffer a cardiac arrest in a hospital survive.
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Lower Doses, Bans Endorsed for Pain Relievers
Top doses of acetaminophen should be reduced, and two narcotic pain relievers that include it should be banned, experts said this week. The advice comes from a panel that reviews drugs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA usually follows the panel's advice, but not always. Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and fever reducer. The best known brand is Tylenol. The panel said the top dose for two tablets should be reduced from 1,000 to 650 milligrams. It said Vicodin and Percocet should be taken off the market. These drugs combine acetaminophen and a narcotic pain reliever. All of the advice was aimed at reducing overdoses that lead to liver damage. The Associated Press wrote about the votes June 30.

Obesity Rises as Boomers Drive Up Rates
Adult obesity rose in 23 states last year, a report released this week said. Obesity rates didn't fall in any state. And baby boomers are fatter than older adults, the Associated Press said. The report came from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It found that Mississippi still has the highest adult obesity rate, 32.5%. Three other states have rates of 30% or higher. In every state, the oldest baby boomers, ages 55 to 64, are heavier than people 65 or older, the report said. Obesity costs money when it comes to health care. Medicare spends $1,400 to $6,000 more each year for an obese person than for someone thinner, the report said.

Cardiac Arrest Survival Stalls at 18% in Hospitals
Fewer than 1 out of 5 people who go into cardiac arrest in a hospital live long enough to get out again, researchers said this week. That rate has not improved in more than a decade, they said. Cardiac arrest means that the heart stops beating. Causes include a heart rhythm problem or a heart attack. The study looked at the care of 433,985 Medicare patients. Survival rates stayed about the same from 1992 through 2005. Experts interviewed by the Associated Press said hospitals need to do better. Other research has found that they often don't deliver a shock to restart the heart quickly enough. Staff members also may not do enough chest compressions during CPR. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Quit-Smoking Drugs Will Warn of Mental Health Risks
Two drugs to help people quit smoking will carry a warning about possible mental health problems, including thoughts of suicide, among people taking the drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the decision this week, USA Today said. The drugs are Chantix and Zyban. Their labels must carry a "black box," the highest warning level. The FDA has received reports of 98 suicides among people taking Chantix. There were 188 attempted suicides. There were 14 reported suicides and 17 attempts for people taking Zyban and the generic version, bupropion. An FDA official said the risk of these events is very low and the benefits of quitting smoking are clear.

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