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Also: Pfizer agreed to pay $60 million to settle federal bribery investigations; and a poll shows Americans are walking more, but most still don’t meet physical-activity guidelines.

See the rest here: A.M. Vitals: Kids’ Cholesterol Levels Fall

Here’s what’s making health news this morning:

FDA Grants Approval to Diet Pill From Vivus (WSJ): Approval of Vivus’s weight-loss drug Qsymia marks the second approval of a new weight-loss drug in less than a month; the drugs, which require a doctor’s prescription, won’t be available until later this year.

Researchers are uncovering more links between abdominal fat and the chronic inflammation that leads to a host of ailments.

Read the original: Gut Check: The Link Between Belly Fat and Inflammation

Here’s what’s making health news this morning:

FDA Unveils Painkiller-Safety Plan (WSJ): The makers of extended-release painkillers must fund educational courses for doctors and provide safety information to patients, the Obama administration said Monday, in a move it hopes will reduce misuse of the drugs and overdose deaths.

Here’s what’s making health news this morning: NFL Retirees File Single Suit for Head Injuries (WSJ): In the complaint, lawyers for more than 2,300 retired players in 86 suits alleged that for decades the NFL hid the risks of such injuries and ignored mounting evidence of the long-term effects that football-related concussions can have, including dementia and chronic depression.

Go here to read the rest: A.M. Vitals: NFL Retirees File Suit on Head Injuries

Sales of a surgical mesh product are being stopped, and a sexually transmitted disease may be drug resistant within a few years

See the original post: A.M. Vitals: J & J To Stop Selling Surgical Mesh

Sugar Ban Stirs Up New York (WSJ): As public-health officials praised New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the sale of large-size drinks in restaurants and other locations, some academics and business groups called the plan an ineffective way to handle the obesity crisis and cr

Originally posted here: A.M. Vitals: Soda Ban May Fizzle

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s rejection of a request to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to “corn sugar” unleashed a torrent of responses from industry and health experts on both sides of the debate.

Read the original here: Reader Consult: Sweet or Sour on FDA’s High Fructose Corn Syrup Decision?

Here’s what’s making health news this morning:

CVS Caremark Keeps Heat on Drug-Maker Discount Cards (WSJ): The increasingly popular cards give patients a break on higher copays for branded drugs at the pharmacy counter. But because health plans typically foot most of the bill, they can get pinched by higher costs behind the scenes.

Also: Researchers say they have identified a gene that’s important for producing sperm, a potential target for contraceptive pills; and a study suggests metabolic factors may be more important than obesity in predicting heart-disease risk.

Read more: A.M. Vitals: Shrinking School Budgets Hit Nurse’s Office