There's a full plate of urgent issues awaiting President-elect Barack Obama and the next Congress. The Government Accountability Office, Congress' nonpartisan watchdog, listed 13 of them recently. Along with some obvious choices, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and oversight of the financial industry, the GAO included food safety. ...more

November 19, 2008

Cosmetic surgery patients who think facial fillers are a magical antidote to aging must be better informed of possible risks, government health advisers said Tuesday. ...more

November 19, 2008

Federal health officials on Thursday ordered dozens of imported foods from China held at the border as possible health risks. Most are ethnic treats, including snacks, drinks and chocolates. ...more

November 14, 2008

Two HIV drugs approved last year for patients who have developed resistance to older drugs also work well with new patients, and with fewer troubling side effects than a widely used regimen, according to the drugs' manufacturers. ...more

October 27, 2008

The number of serious drug reactions and deaths reported to the government shot up in the first three months of this year to set a new record, a health industry watchdog group said Wednesday. ...more

October 23, 2008

A cervical cancer vaccine that has been recommended only for U.S. residents has become a requirement for all new female immigrants ages 11 to 26, sparking an outcry over the order's safety and cost. ...more

October 22, 2008

The government has approved the first noninvasive brain stimulator to treat depression - a device that beams magnetic pulses through the skull. ...more

October 21, 2008

More than 200 million colds are diagnosed every year in the United States, accounting for 26 million days of missed school. ...more

October 17, 2008

Prompted by this summer's salmonella outbreak, the government has begun investigating how to quickly identify the source of contaminated food and stop it from getting to consumers. ...more

October 17, 2008

The Food and Drug Administration will establish its first office in China before the end of the year as part of a broader plan to assure the safety of imports from the developing world. ...more

October 17, 2008