Swedish biotechnology firm Karo Bio announces it has begun phase I clinical trials of a drug for treating obesity.

Karo Bio released a statement claiming the substance, labeled KB2115, had reduced body weight in animals through increasing the body's energy consumption by stimulating the thyroid receptor, and it would now be tested for safety on healthy but overweight humans

New reports claim state inspectors have no authority to investigate the death of a 4-year-old on the Mission: SPACE ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park.

Disney World and the state's other large theme park complexes - Universal Orlando, Sea World and Busch Gardens Tampa - are exempt from most requirements of Florida's laws regulating carnival and smaller amusement park rides

Lawmakers in Germany making efforts to ban smoking while driving as a safety precaution.

According to Peter Danckert of the ruling Social Democrats, "The dangers of causing an accident rise drastically when you smoke and drive, I want a complete ban on smoking for drivers

US researchers have announced that inserting genetically modified tissue directly into the brain will significantly alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. In experimental surgeries that took place in 2001 and 2002, the genetically modified tissue was implanted deep within the brains of the eight patients who had volunteered for the study. Doctors say the study shows gene therapy may significantly slow down Alzheimer's. In fact, the brain tissue of one patient showed new growth. Of the six patients who completed the procedure safely. The Mini Mental Status Examination,which evaluates cognitive function, was administered during a follow-up assesment period of approximately 22 months. The tests showed the rate of cognitive function decline of the patients was reduced by 36 to 51 percent. Researchers examined the brain tissue of a study participant who had died and found robust nerve growth near the site of procedure. Cholinergic neuron loss is a cardinal feature of Alzheimer's disease. Experts warn however that the study was designed to test the technique's safety, not its efficacy. While promising, signs of impreovement may not be reliable

The Today Sponge contraceptive, pulled from the market a decade ago, will soon be back in U.S. stores after receiving FDA approval. Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved U.S. sales of the sponge, which was a popular nonprescription birth control product among women when it was withdrawn from the market in 1995. Now the polyurethane sponges, which manufacturer Allendale Pharmaceuticals has sold in Canada and over the Internet since March 2003, will be available soon in the U.S. through a company Web site. Shortly after that, the product will be available at retail drug chains, followed by supermarkets and mass marketers such as Wal-Mart, Allendale said. Allendale bought rights to sell the Today Sponge several years ago from the prior manufacturer, Wyeth Co. of Madison. Wyeth, then called American Home Products. They stopped making the sponge rather than upgrade its Hammonton manufacturing plant after FDA found deficiencies there, even though the device's effectiveness and safety were never questioned. The Today Sponge, a soft, concave device, prevents pregnancy by covering the cervix and releasing spermicide. Roughly 250 million sponges were sold from 1983 to 1995. While it was less effective than several other methods and does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, the sponge achieved a wide following among women who saw advantages from spontaneity to wide availability. In Canada, where the original Today Sponge was only on the market about 18 months, more than 400,000 sponges have been sold through retail outlets and Internet sites - without any advertising - since they were approved for sale there two years ago. An advertising campaign for the U.S. market is being developed. Sales are expected to jump from 10 million to 15 million sponges in the first 12 months. That's the current production limit of the company's factory in Norwich, N.Y., but the company has plans to double that