Disease test approved

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first genetic blood test for cystic fibrosis. The Tag-It test, made by TM Bioscience of Toronto, Canada, can now be used to identify children and adults who carry the disease. Cystic fibrosis is the most common inherited fatal disorder, afflicting about 1 in 3,000 babies in the United States. The test identifies only some of the 1,300 genetic variations associated with the disease, and the terms of the approval require that it be used with other approaches to diagnose cystic fibrosis.

Vaccine makers flounder

The number of US companies manufacturing vaccines has fallen from 26 in 1967 and 17 in 1980 to just 5 last year, and shows no sign of reviving. Writing in this month's Health Affairs, Paul Offit, head of infectious-disease research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, says that high development costs, low revenues and the threat of legal liability are forcing manufacturers out of the vaccine business. Offit says the US government should provide more financial incentives for vaccine development and amend a 1986 law designed to limit manufacturers' exposure to legal liability for ill-effects caused by vaccines.

Up in smoke

European car makers are falling short of voluntary targets agreed with the European Commission to increase fuel efficiency and decrease carbon dioxide emissions from their vehicles. Average new-vehicle emissions fell by 1.8% last year, the Financial Times reports, against a 3.3% average reduction needed to meet the emissions target of 140 g per km by 2008. European manufacturers have launched smaller models, such as the BMW 1 Series, with a view to improving the figures. The industry fears that the European Union will set compulsory limits if the voluntary one isn't met.