The Michigan Daily-Friday, July 11, 1980-Page 7
FDA WILL REVISE LABELS
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HINGTON (UPI)-Doctors will be warned with normal anxiety. I'm especially concerned about
alium, the single moslt widely prescribed drug people continually taking these drugs without
country, and other tranquilizers should not be knowing that they are becoming physically and
ust to help people cope with everyday living, psychologically dependent."
vernment announced yesterday. Valium is both the most frequently prescribed drug
Food and Drug Administration said five drug in the United States and the largest-selling
anies that manufacture the class of tranquilizer. The FDA said Americans are downing
ilizers called benzodiazepines have agreed to benzodiazepines at a rate of five billion pills a year.
labeling directed at physicians to reflect con- IN 1978, THE AGENCY said, 2.5 billion Valium
about possible addiction through casual use. tablets were sold. That same year, 68 million in-
ANQUILIZERS CAN DO great good in helping dividual prescriptions were written for all ben-
get through crisis situations or in helping with zodiazepines, with a wholesale value of $360 million.
ms of mental illness," said FDA Commissioner The revised labeling will state that, "Anxiety or
Goyan. "Yet millions of Americans are taking tension associated with the stress of everyday life
habitually just to deal with the anxiety of living. usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic
ese drugs were not intended merely to do anti-anxiety drug."
alium use
Dr. Sidney Wolfe, head of Ralph Nader's Health
Research Group, said Valium is the nation's most
heavily promoted drug, and that the FDA should have
considered a warning label directed at patients-not
just doctors.
He also said the tranquilizers should be moved to a
stronger control class than the one they are currently
in, which allows up to five refills every aix months. At
the moment, Wolfe said, 10 times more prescriptions
are written for minor tranquilizers than are justified.
Goyan said he hopes doctors will follow the new in-
structions and "become more discriminating in
prescribing tranquilizers to relieve symptoms of
anxiety. I hope too that patients will not pressure
their physicans for drugs that are clearly not
needed."
TEU/AA TA bargaining continues
By ELAINE RIDEOUT
Bargaining between striking city bus
drivers and the Ann Arbor Transpor-
tation Authority continued yesterday,
but no resolution was reached regar-
ding any of the issues in contention.
"We made no progress at all
today-there's really nothing more to
say," said Shelly Ettinger, vice
president of the Transportation Em-
ployees Union (TEU).
"THE BARGAINING session didn't
last very long," said Harry Kevorkian,
president of TEU. He said the union
submitted several unofficial proposals,
both economic and non-economic in
nature, to AATA management. The
meeting broke up to allow management
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MICHIGAN
RIEP '80
A Mid
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Niht's
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Shakespeare's glorious
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spirits in this classic tale of
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July,11,17,19
OPENS TONIGHT
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to consider the proposals, he said.
Details have not yet been released
concerning the content of the union
proposals.,
Kevorkian said AATA management
will submit a counter-proposal at
today's 1 p.m. bargaining session.
"We still have a long way to go,"
Kevorkian said, "even until we can
communicate on the same level. The
issues are all distorted-depending on
whose figures you use."
Kevorkian expressed concern for
union members who have been off the
job, payless for almost two weeks. "I
don't think they (AATA) expect we'll be
out for more than two weeks," he said.
"But if they think they can last longer
than we can, they don't know this
union."
Management officials met late into
the night last night, deliberating on the
union's proposals, and could not be
reached for comment by press time.
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