ANOTHER NEW DRUG PULLED OFF SHELVES

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Food and Drug Administration once again is pulling a
prescription drug off pharmacy shelves.

Duract, a painkiller from Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories of St. Davids, Pa., has
caused a dozen cases of serious liver failure since last July. Four patients
died and eight required liver transplants. All the cases involved patients
who took the drug for longer than the recommended 10 days.

The FDA and the company are advising patients who have been taking Duract
for longer than 10 days to stop immediately, and all patients who are using
the medication should consult their doctors.

It's the third time in nine months that the FDA has removed a drug over
safety. The high blood pressure medication Posicor and the diet drug Redux
and its cousin, fenfluoramine, also were removed.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett