Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

New FDA Guidelines Will Speed Approvals of Flu Vaccines

Guidelines to help speed approvals of new vaccines against pandemic flu have been drafted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The new rules are designed to help companies already licensed to make seasonal flu shots obtain quicker government approval for new pandemic immunizations. This could shorten the approval process by many months. However, unlicensed companies will still be required to go through the complete regulatory process, Bloomberg news reported.

The draft guidelines will be posted for a 90-day comment period before they become final.

This is the first time the FDA has established approval guidelines specifically for flu vaccine makers. It’s part of an effort to encourage development and use of vaccines in anticipation of a possible influenza pandemic. Health officials fear that the H5N1 strain of bird flu could pose such a threat.

“We felt that this was timely as we try to prepare for a pandemic, increase capacity and bring in new manufacturers,” Norman Baylor, head of vaccine research at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told Bloomberg news.

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Bill Would Eliminate Hundreds of Food Label Warnings

A bill currently being debated by U.S. lawmakers could lead to the removal of hundreds of warnings on food labels, the Associated Press reported.

The measure would prohibit states from adding warnings that are different than those required by the federal government. Currently, states can order their own warnings on food labels.

For example, Alaska requires warning labels on farmed fish, which can contain pesticides or other chemicals, while Minnesota consumers must be alerted when alcohol is an ingredient in candy.

The bill has many opponents, including state agriculture departments, the associations of state food and drug officials, and the National Conference of State Legislators, the AP reported.

“This would be the most sweeping change in decades to our nation’s efforts to protect the food supply. This is a disaster waiting to happen,” warned Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif).

Even though there is widespread opposition, the bill has a lot of support in the House of Representatives. More than half the House members have signed on as co-sponsors. The food industry supports the bill because it wants warnings to be consistent in all states.

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Gene Increases Depression Risk: Researchers

A gene that’s present in up to 20 percent of humans and doubles the risk of depression has been identified by Australian scientists.

They found that people with a shorter-than-normal version of the 5-HTTLPR gene had an 80 percent chance of developing depression when faced with three or more negative life events in a year, Agence France Presse reported.

People with “genetic resilience” against depression had a 30 percent increased risk of depression when having to deal with stressful life events. The study of 127 people appears in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The University of New South Wales researchers noted that depression was not predetermined in people with the shorter version of the gene. A series of negative effects were needed to tip these people into depression.

Researcher companies Kay Wilhelm said the study could prove important in treating depression. “Perhaps you could reduce the likelihood of depression amongst those with the vulnerable genotype by training them in terms of improving their coping styles and stress responses,” she told AFP.

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