VOL. 31 NO. 3APRIL 1997

Features

When Heartbeats Go Haywire: New Treatments Can Save Lives
Ventricular arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, can range from harmless palpitations to deadly fibrillation, which can kill within minutes. But new drugs and devices show promise in curbing this common condition.

A Time to Heal: Chronotherapy Tunes In to Body's Rhythms
Successful treatment of diseases may depend on the time of day or month that a medicine is taken or surgery performed. Asthma and arthritis pain are among conditions now being treated by the clock or calendar.

Protecting Against Unintended Pregnancy: A Guide to Contraceptive Choices
The latest on contraception includes a new type of condom for people allergic to latex, a progestin implant that remains in place for only three years, and a revised assessment of spermicides and their ability to protect against sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.

Inside FDA: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Twenty cents of every consumer dollar Americans spend goes to food and cosmetics, two types of products regulated by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Center issues likely to affect consumers in the near future are food safety, food additives, and foods derived from genetic engineering.

Letter to FDA Consumer Readers: Starting this month, FDA Consumer will be published every other month.

Departments

Updates

The latest information on FDA-related issues, gathered from FDA Press Releases, Talk Papers, and other sources.

Consumer Forum

Letters to the editor.

Notebook

A potpourri of items of interest gathered from the Federal Register and other sources.

Investigators' Reports

Selected cases illustrating regulatory and administrative actions--such as inspections, recalls, seizures, and court proceedings--by FDA's regional and district offices across the country

Summaries of Court Actions

Cases involving seizure, criminal and injunction proceedings.