Rising Number of Uninsured Tops Health News for 2006

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Drug-Eluting Stents May Stay. Early in December, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel concluded that there's just not enough evidence to pull drug-eluting stents from the market -- even though some studies suggest the artery-propping devices boost risks for blood clots.

The panel did advise that the millions of heart patients who receive the stents -- which slowly emit drugs to prevent artery re-closure -- take blood-thinning medications for at least one year after receiving such a device. Since that advice is in keeping with standard care, the FDA recommendations probably won't change clinical practice, doctors said.

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Approved. In a major breakthrough, the FDA in June approved a vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV), thought to be responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. Later that month, a federal advisory panel overwhelmingly recommended that the vaccine, called Gardasil, be given routinely to girls as young as 9 and to women up to age 26.

Silicone Breast Implants Make Comeback. Amid heated debate, FDA regulators in November allowed the re-introduction to the market of silicone breast implants -- banned since 1992 because of concerns they raised the risk for cancer and connective tissue disease.

In making their decision, agency officials cited a comprehensive Institute of Medicine report that found no cases of illness linked to the implants.

Consumer group Public Citizen opposed the decision, however, calling silicone breast implants "the most defective medical device ever approved by the FDA."

'Morning-After' Pill Goes OTC. After three years of what Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards called "foot-dragging," the FDA heeded the advice of its advisory committees and in August approved the over-the-counter sale of the "Plan B" emergency contraceptive.

The move was not without restrictions: women under the age of 18 cannot obtain the controversial "morning-after" pill without a doctor's prescription. To work, the pill must be taken within 72 hours to delay ovulation and prevent conception.