Burton gets subcommittee chair: Former House Government Reform Committee Chair Dan Burton (R-Ind.) named to oversee newly created Subcommittee on Wellness & Human Rights, Committee Chair Tom Davis (R-Va.) announces Jan. 31. Subcommittee will address issues concerning public health policy, human rights and family health, according to Davis' office. Votes to confirm the subcommittee and chairman appointment will be taken when the full Government Reform Committee convenes, possibly the week of Feb. 10. In his new position, Burton likely will revisit dietary supplement-related issues, which were the subject of frequent hearings during his tenure as full committee chair...

Research on probiotics for prevention and treatment of pediatric illness is not a high enough priority for U.S. children to justify National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine funding, an NCCAM advisory council member maintained

NIH's National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine could resume funding clinical research on PC-SPES if an independent manufacturer is able to develop an uncontaminated version of the proprietary herbal blend, NCCAM Director Stephen Straus, MD, suggested at the center's advisory council meeting in Rockville, Md. Aug. 26