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

Washington OK's Stem Cell Bank for Existing Lines

Responding to claims that existing stem cell lines sanctioned by President Bush for scientific research are difficult to access, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says it will open a national stem cell bank to harvest those existing lines.

"The president's embryonic stem cell policy holds tremendous and yet-untapped potential," said Wednesday's announcement -- in the form of a letter from HHS. Secretary Tommy Thompson to members of Congress. But critics responded that the letter falls far short of their calls to lift three-year-old restrictions on the controversial cells, which are harvested from human embryos that are later destroyed.

Scientists say research on the cells could lead to cures for a range of diseases from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's. In 2001, Bush imposed limits on the cells, saying only lines then in existence could be used in government-funded studies.

Critics of Bush's policy say it's stifling groundbreaking research, the Associated Press reported. Wednesday's announcement is "window dressing," Keith Yamamoto, executive vice medical dean at the University of California at San Francisco, told the wire service.

In related news, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Ron Reagan, son of the late President, will address the Democratic National Convention later this month over the issue of stem cell research. Since the death of the former Republican president last month, Ron Reagan and his mother, Nancy, have spoken publicly against Bush's stem-cell policies.

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Study: 3.8 Million Will Lose Drug Benefits When Medicare Kicks In

Prescription drug benefits are likely to be curtailed or ended for one-third of all retirees with employer-sponsored prescription drug coverage once the Medicare drug plan begins in 2006, according to new government estimates cited by The New York Times.

The Department of Health and Human Services analysis says the actions by private employers is likely to leave 3.8 million retirees with fewer or no drug benefits, the newspaper reported.

The analysis appears to contradict the claims of senior department officials, who have said for weeks that they expect that federal subsidies will encourage the private employers to retain the retiree benefits, the Times said.

Under the new Medicare law, the government has budgeted $71 billion on subsidies to employers from 2006 to 2013. To qualify for a subsidy, each employer would have to certify that its drug plan is worth at least as much as the standard Medicare benefit, according to the Times account.

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FDA Says It Purchased Bogus Canadian Drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it's offering new proof that the burgeoning practice of Americans buying less expensive drugs from Canada is unsafe.

In a statement on the FDA Web site, the agency says it bought three popular drugs online labeled "Canadian Generics" that wound up being fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous.

The agency said the purchases were made from an unidentified Web site that had been spamming e-mail accounts with claims to sell generic versions of Viagra (impotence), Lipitor (cholesterol), and Ambien (insomnia).

Not only aren't generic versions of any of those drugs legal, the FDA statement said, but the products purchased frequently contained too much or too little of the active ingredient.

The version of Ambien, for example, was "superpotent," the agency said, which put users at risk for central nervous system depression, especially among elderly patients.

Testing on the "generic" versions of Viagra and Lipitor, by contrast, found that the products had too little of the active ingredients, the agency said.

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Food Pyramid To Be Revamped

Uncle Sam has cried uncle over its failed Food Guide Pyramid.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that the program, which has been used to help guide Americans' eating habits for years, is about to undergo what the agency called "a comprehensive review and update."

While 80 percent of Americans are familiar with the guide -- with sweets, fats, and oils at the narrow tip and breads and cereals at the broad base -- most aren't following it, agency officials admitted to the New York Times. The increasing number of obese and overweight people is proof that something's amiss.

"We've got to reverse some trends," Eric Hentges, executive director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at the Agriculture Department, told the newspaper. "We've got to connect with individuals. We've got to be able to communicate the major message of what's appropriate for you."

The USDA is inviting the public to comment on how best to overhaul the pyramid. "We are seeking public input on how to best present the most current nutritional science in a form that assists the public in personalizing the information, so they can make healthier choices," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said in a statement.

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France Berates U.S. Over AIDS Drugs

French President Jacques Chirac blasted the United States on Tuesday for pressuring Third World nations to give up their right to make cheaper, generic anti-AIDS drugs in exchange for free-trade agreements with the U.S.

The French leader accused the Bush administration of policies that are "tantamount to blackmail," an allegation that an unidentified U.S. official dismissed as "nonsense," the Associated Press reported.

Chirac's comment appeared timed to revelations at the International AIDS Conference in Thailand that only about 7 percent of the 6 million people who need HIV/AIDS treatments are getting them. Brand-name AIDS drugs cost up to $5,000 per person each year, but generic versions could be available at a tiny fraction of that price, experts say.

Since the last AIDS conference in 2002, 6 million people have died from AIDS and 10 million have become infected, the AP reported, citing figures from the World Health Organization.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the United States to take the world's helm in fighting AIDS, as it has done in combating terrorism. "We really do need leadership. America has a natural leadership capacity because of its resources, because of its size," he said.

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