FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it will collaborate with the livestock industry to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal feed. But activists say a voluntary approach won't go nearly far enough to protect human health.

In 2007, Congress created a public-private foundation to support research of interest to the FDA. Critics said this amounted to a new way for industry groups to influence the agency's decisions, and any FDA funding for the foundation was blocked for years. That's about to change.

Shavings of metal can flake off of the artificial joints and cause serious pain and medical problems in the hip. About a half-million Americans have this type of implant, and though most patients won't have a problem, one doctor called the failure rate "unacceptably high."