France Health

France Bans Form of Halcion: France's Health Ministry said it is banning sales of a higher-dose version of Halcion, the world's best-selling sleeping pill. Upjohn Co., the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based manufacturer of Halcion, said it will appeal the decision. France is the second country to act against the drug in two months. In October, Britain ordered it off pharmacy shelves because of safety concerns. An ingredient in Halcion is said to produce such side effects as memory loss and depression.

A French teenager believed to have been suffering from the human variant of "mad cow" disease has died after slowly losing the ability to walk, speak and breathe. Arnaud Eboli, 19, died after fighting the brain-wasting ailment for more than two years, according to the Assn. of Victims of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. "He died in appalling conditions. He looked like an old man," his mother said.

One of the biggest victories for the emerging French anti-smoking movement came some years ago when Lucky Luke, a celebrated cowboy comic strip character who could roll his own cigarettes with one hand while riding a horse, gave up the habit. Cigarettes, that is, not horses. Today, he chews on a piece of straw. Earlier this month, Parliament gave anti-smokers another boost by passing a law that bans smoking in public places and will prohibit all forms of cigarette advertising by 1993.

About 3,000 people gathered in Marseilles for a barbecue organized by the city's butchers, who handed out free beef to boost consumer confidence amid growing worries over "mad cow" disease. Public fear about the dangers of eating beef reached panic levels in France this fall when it was discovered that potentially infected meat had made it to supermarket shelves.

President Jacques Chirac urged drastic new precautions against mad cow disease, and a top health official predicted that more people will die as France's proud culinary tradition took a hammering. Chirac called on the government to suspend immediately the use of meat and bone meal in all animal feed amid growing anxiety about the spread of the cattle illness.

The French government announced Wednesday that it will propose a total ban on cigarette advertising and impose new restrictions on publicizing alcoholic beverages. The proposal, which political observers believe is certain to be approved by the National Assembly this year, is a radical departure for France, where drinking wine, cognac or beer with breakfast is not uncommon and smoke-filled cafes dot the landscape.

French cancer specialist Leon Schwarzenberg resigned as health minister, just 10 days after taking office and two days after a storm of protests erupted over his plan to hand out narcotics in an effort to stop pharmacy break-ins. Premier Michel Rocard's office issued a statement saying Schwarzenberg stepped down after the premier reminded him of instructions concerning "government communication."

About 25,000 residents here were allowed to return to their homes Friday after firefighters doused a burning fertilizer silo that spewed tons of irritating chemicals into the air, officials said. The blaze broke out Thursday morning and burned for nearly 24 hours. Officials said two dozen people were treated for respiratory problems from breathing gases produced by the blaze. "We narrowly missed a catastrophe," said Jean-Marc Ayrault, mayor of St. Herblain, one of the towns that were evacuated.

Fearing that the deadly "mad cow" disease may spread to humans, France ordered 32 over-the-counter drugs containing cattle tissue off the market Friday. The Health Ministry communique announcing the withdrawal called the move "preventive." "At the moment, there exists no scientific proof that these drugs have caused or could cause transmission of the sickness to man," the statement said. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a fatal brain ailment that strikes cattle.

France has been hit with its worst flu epidemic in 20 years, and by Christmas, one in five people will have suffered from high fever, aching bones, stuffy nose and other unpleasant flu symptoms, doctors say.

With panic rising in France about the likely link between tainted beef and a brain-crippling fatal disease, the government has imposed a series of emergency measures--even banning T-bone steaks. Pushed into acting by what many observers have termed a mass consumer psychosis, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin also ordered a moratorium on the use of animal-based feed for all livestock.

President Jacques Chirac urged drastic new precautions against mad cow disease, and a top health official predicted that more people will die as France's proud culinary tradition took a hammering. Chirac called on the government to suspend immediately the use of meat and bone meal in all animal feed amid growing anxiety about the spread of the cattle illness.

A new case of "mad cow" disease has been detected in France, authorities said Sunday--the seventh since the beginning of the year. The cow was part of a herd of 600 near Bourg-en-Bresse, in the Ain region of southeastern France. The herd was slaughtered and incinerated on Saturday, officials said. Last year, French authorities discovered 31 cases of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Just three weeks after returning home to deal with a rebel insurgency, Zaire's president arrived back in France on Thursday amid questions about the severity of his cancer. The Zairian government has not given a reason for President Mobutu Sese Seko's trip or said how long he will be gone. However, members of his entourage said last month that the president would return to France in early January for medical treatment. The 66-year-old leader returned to Zaire on Dec.

It was almost too sad and too ironic even for the movies: A handsome, talented young director wins the top French cinema award for his first film--a moving, autobiographical account of a young Parisian bisexual man, played in the film by the director himself, who discovers he is HIV-positive and struggles with the consequences.

Fearing that the deadly "mad cow" disease may spread to humans, France ordered 32 over-the-counter drugs containing cattle tissue off the market Friday. The Health Ministry communique announcing the withdrawal called the move "preventive." "At the moment, there exists no scientific proof that these drugs have caused or could cause transmission of the sickness to man," the statement said. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a fatal brain ailment that strikes cattle.

About 3,000 people gathered in Marseilles for a barbecue organized by the city's butchers, who handed out free beef to boost consumer confidence amid growing worries over "mad cow" disease. Public fear about the dangers of eating beef reached panic levels in France this fall when it was discovered that potentially infected meat had made it to supermarket shelves.

Human volunteers were not adequately protected during studies of an experimental AIDS vaccine, the National Institutes of Health says in a report critical of a French researcher and his U.S. collaborator, according to knowledgeable sources. The probe, conducted by NIH's Office for Protection from Research Risks, said that Dr. Daniel Zagury of the University of Paris violated regulations.

France Bans Form of Halcion: France's Health Ministry said it is banning sales of a higher-dose version of Halcion, the world's best-selling sleeping pill. Upjohn Co., the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based manufacturer of Halcion, said it will appeal the decision. France is the second country to act against the drug in two months. In October, Britain ordered it off pharmacy shelves because of safety concerns. An ingredient in Halcion is said to produce such side effects as memory loss and depression.

Human volunteers were not adequately protected during studies of an experimental AIDS vaccine, the National Institutes of Health says in a report critical of a French researcher and his U.S. collaborator, according to knowledgeable sources. The probe, conducted by NIH's Office for Protection from Research Risks, said that Dr. Daniel Zagury of the University of Paris violated regulations.