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Time - Man of the Year
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1993-04-08
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THE WEEK, Page 22HEALTH & SCIENCEEt Cetera
WORTHLESS AND DEADLY
Premature babies are often plagued with health problems, so
women who start labor too early frequently take a drug called
ritodrine to stop their contractions. But a study in the New
England Journal of Medicine has found that though ritodrine is
the only drug approved for that purpose by the Food and Drug
Administration, it is actually close to useless -- while its
side effects, including fluid in the lungs, can in rare cases
lead to death. The FDA is pondering its next move.
BIG-MONEY SAVE
Scientists hate NASA's proposed space station because it is
almost useless for science. Some legislators hate it because it
will cost $30 billion at a minimum. But other legislators, and
aerospace contractors, love it because it means jobs, hefty
profits and continuing American technological pre-eminence. Last
week the lovers triumphed as the House approved $1.73 billion to
keep the proj ect alive for another year, defeating an
amendment that would have shut down the undertaking.
CANCER VACCINE
If caught early, the skin cancer called malignant melanoma is
curable. If not, it's almost always fatal. But a new treatment
under study at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica,
Calif., appears at least to prolong lives. Researchers injected
patients with a tuberculosis vaccine mixed with melanoma cells.
Result: average survival went from seven to 23 months, with some
staying cancer free for eight years. The doctors warn that an
approved vaccine could take a decade.