NATION/WORLD

The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 14, 1997 -5

FDA rules Seldane drug unsafe

The Wushington Post
WASHINGTON - The popular antihistamine
Seldane is unsafe and should be taken off the market, the
Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday.
Since its introduction in 1985, the drug has been

blamed for perhaps hun-
dreds of deaths from unsta-
ble heart rhythms when
taken with the common
antibiotic erythromycin or
with the antifungal drug
ketoconozole, the FDA
said. Patients with liver
disease have also reported
abnormal heart rhythms
when taking Seldane alone.
The agency suggested that
users talk with their doctors
about switching from
Seldane, also known as terfe-

We ful
to fight a,
challenge
Seldane ..,

Marion Roussel.
Pharmacists wrote 6.5 million prescriptions for
Seldane products between January and November
of last year, according to Hoechst. FDA officials
said they hoped to withdraw the approval for
Seldane immediately after
the 30-day comment period
Wy intend following yesterday's
announcement. The move
would apply to Seldane,
Seldane-D (which includes
to reMOVe the drug psuedoephedrine)
and generic versions of the
,., drug - one of which was
only approved for sale by
Charles Rouse III the agency this month.
t Marion Roussel Any such action could be
spokesperson delayed if Hoescht fights
the withdrawal, however,
and company officials indi-
cated that they would do so. "We fully intend to
fight any challenge to remove Seldane and
Seldane-D from the market," said company
spokesperson Charles Rouse III. "Seldane is a safe
and effective product when taken in accordance
with product labeling." At the same time, the com-

pany has kicked off a new initiative to encourate
consumers to switch to Allegra.
Seldane was the first anti-allergy drug approved
that doesn't make most users drowsy.
Because Seldane's potentially dangerous interac-
tions with other drugs have long been known. regula-
tors and Hoechst have repeatedly issued warnings to
doctors, pharmacists and patients to avoid taking the
antihistamine with those other drugs.
Such warnings have caused the number of
Seldane-related incidents to drop sharply over
time. "This is not about bodies all over," Temple
said. Instead, Temple said, the FDA is, moving to
cut off the one or two needless deaths that still
occur each year.
But recent surveys have shown that some doctors
and pharmacists have not gotten the message and con-
tinue to prescribe the potentially fatal combinations.
Also, Temple said, even if pharmacists and
doctors prescribe the drug properly, consumers
keep the bottle in the medicine chest and might
use it whenever they feel an allergy attack coming
on without regard to other drugs they might be
taking at the time.
"They get some antihistamine and keep it around
until they need it," Temple said.

Hoechst


nadine, to another prescription antihistamine approved
in July 1996, Allegra (fexofenadine). Allegra has the
same beneficial effects as Seldane without any of the
harmful side effects, said Robert Temple, director of
the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation. Both drugs are
manufactured by Kansas City, Mo.-based Hoechst

~sse Timmendequas, charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and felony murder

sse Timmendequas, charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and felony murde'
the death of Megan Kanka sits in a courtroom in Flemington, N.J., yesterday.
 Lawyers say trial
s b
S OWed bypblcity

SURVEY
Continued from Page 1
"There was a big shift between 1991
and 1992, when Earvin (Magic)
Johnson announced he was HIV-posi-
tive," Sax said.
"I don't agree (with casual sex),"
Patodia said. "For myself, I wouldn't
indulge."
"I think more people think about (the
risks of sex)," Densmore said. Densmore
also agreed that AIDS concerns have
impacted people's opinions of casual sex.
"If you think rationally, it does, but a lot
of times people don't think about it. They
get caught up in the emotions."
For LSA first-year student Adam
Barr, AIDS and a dose of morals is the
reason for the decline of casual sex.
"The AIDS epidemic is pretty scary
regardless of what kind of sex you're
talking about. I think it comes down to
ideology and upbringing. Some people

FLEMINGTON, N.J. (AP) - In her
5 mpaign for passage of Megan's Law,
aureen Kanka argued that she would
;have kept her daughter Megan away
from a neighbor if only she had known
'of his past sex offenses.
Now, the defendant's lawyers say
-that because of the publicity over the
7-year-old's 'slaying and the laws
enacted in her name, his past is so well
known that he may not be able to get a
fair trial.
k Jury selection for Jesse
Timmendequas' rape and murder trial
began yesterday with preliminary
screening for the first 300 of a pool of
nearly 1,500 prospective jurors. The
trial is scheduled to begin May 5.
Timmendequas, 34, is accused of lur-
ing Megan Kanka into his Hamilton
Township house in 1994 to see a puppy,
"then raping and strangling her and leav-
ing her body in a park. He could get the
eath penalty if convicted.
WTimmendcquas had two prior convic-
tions for sexually assaulting girls. After

the killing, Mrs. Kanka campaigned for
laws requiring communities to be noti-
fied when released sex offenders are in
their midst. New Jersey and most other
states have enacted such laws, and
President Clinton signed a federal ver-
sion in May.
"We're looking for a juror who does-
n't know about his prior record, and
who obviously also has no precon-
ceived notions about the death penalty
... and will be fair, defense attorney
Barbara Lepcndorf said. "I don't know
if that's possible."
Lependorf said anyone who knows
about Megan's Law ould figure out
Timmendequas has a history of sexual
offenses. She argued that anyone with
knowledge of Megan's Law or
Timmendequas' record should be dis-
qualified from serving on the jury.
Jurors in criminal cases normally arc
not permitted to know of an accused's
past offenses. Timmendequas "should
have just the same rights as any other
defcndant,"Lependorf said.

have ethics," Barr said.
Other social attitudes continue to
change. With regard to marijuana, 33
percent of first-year students said the
drug should be legalized, continuing a
10-year upward swing.
"I've definitely seen drug use up -
people are not afraid," said Barr, who
said drug use has replaced the decline
in alcohol use.
The survey also indicated a "grade
inflaton," reporting a record 31.5 percent
expecting an "A" average. Confidence
and aspirations are on the rise too -66.3
percent expect to earn graduate or
advanced professional degrees.
Volunteerism hit a high this year in
the 30-year-old survey, showing 71.8 of
first-year students volunteered to work
in the last year.
Suprisingly, even though 1996 was
an election year, political interest
among first-year students remained
extremely low.

The Lincoln Consolidated Schools
Invites you to participate as a substitute teacher
New requirements have been established for this school year.
They are:
* Completion of ninety (90) semester hours of credit in
any area rather than 120 semester hours.
" Credits have been transferred to a four-year college. We
cannot accept community college credits directly.
" Teachers may substitute for a maximum of 150 days.
PAY RATE
$72.00! day
plus a $100 bonus for every
30 days of subbing up to 90 days
Please contact the Lincoln Consolidated Schools
Human Resources Department at 313-484-7002
if you are interested in applying
or require additional information.
Lincoln.... A great place to learn!

Professional interests also waned,
and an interest in business hit a 20-year
low at 14 percent, while an all-time low
of 3.3 percent of respondents were con-
sidering a career in law.
The survey polls 709 of the nation's
top two- and four-year colleges and uni-

versities; the data from- 494 of these
schools have been adjusted statistically
to represent the 1.5 million first-year
students who entered in the fall of 1996.
About 354,853 students responded. The
University has participated in the sur-
vey for the past three years.

English as a Second Language
for Adults and Children
THE ESL CENTER, INC.
5-week classes start Jan. 16
Registration Jan. 6-15.
2309 Packard Road Phone (313) 995-1976
Ann Arbor, M1 48104

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