Et Cetera

Premature babies are often plagued with health problems, so women who start labor too early frequently take a drug called ritodrine to stop their contractions. But a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that though ritodrine is the only drug approved for that purpose by the Food and Drug Administration, it is actually close to useless -- while its side effects, including fluid in the lungs, can in rare cases lead to death. The FDA is pondering its next move.