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

New Heroin Aimed at Middle-Class Americans

High-purity heroin that can be smoked instead of injected is being targeted at middle-class Americans, warns a United Nations drug agency report released Wednesday.

Drug producers and traffickers are pushing this kind of drug to appeal to Americans who are put off by the thought of injecting drugs, says the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report. The INCB is an independent U.N. body that tracks the global drug situation.

"This shows how the illicit market operates in a very smart way by selling a drug to a new class of users by telling them, 'Use it in a different way and you won't become addicted,' " INCB member Rainer Wolfgang Schmid told the Associated Press.

He also said drug dealers have many intelligent methods to sustain their drug production and business.

The INCB report also says drug dealers use the Internet to directly market controlled substances to vulnerable people, including those who want to get prescription drugs without having to see a doctor and users who are addicted to numerous drugs.

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McDonald's Dumps Supersized Fries and Drinks

Fast-food giant McDonald's is eliminating supersized fries and drinks from its menu.

The company announced Tuesday that it has started phasing out those supersize menu items in its more than 13,000 U.S. outlets. They'll be off the menu altogether by the end of the year but will return for promotions, the Associated Press reports.

McDonald's says it made the cuts in order to trim its menu.

"The driving force here was menu simplification. The fact of the matter is not very many Supersize fries are sold," company spokesman Walt Riker said.

McDonald's and other fast-food companies in the United States have been under pressure to provide more healthy food choices. Several highly publicized yet unsuccessful lawsuits contended that McDonald's' giant servings contributed to obesity among some customers.

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Neil Simon Gets New Kidney

Playwright Neil Simon is recovering at a New York City hospital after he received a new kidney Tuesday from his friend and longtime press representative Bill Evans.

"Everything is excellent," Simon's wife, Elaine Simon, told The New York Times.

Simon, 76, has been plagued by kidney problems for several years. Before the transplant, he'd been receiving dialysis treatment three times a week.

Evans, 53, who has been the publicist for many of Simon's plays, had a number of tests to ensure his kidney would be suitable for Simon.

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FDA Aims to Boost Generic Drug Development

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday new measures it says will improve patient access to generic drugs.

In a news release, the agency said it will provide more public information in order to help generic drug applicants determine if they qualify for 180-day marketing exclusivity for products.

That marketing exclusivity provides an incentive for generic drug development. Access to more information will help generic drug manufacturers to better plan development of additional generic products, the FDA says.

"The steps we are announcing today will further spur the development and availability of generic drugs, which are an increasingly important way to provide the American people with safe, effective, and affordable medical treatment," FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark B. McClellan says in a prepared statement.

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Scientists Complete Chicken Genome

An international team of scientists has mapped the domestic chicken's genetic code and published it in a free database so that it can be accessed by biomedical and agricultural researchers.

The mapping outlines variations between three different strains of layer and broiler chickens from China, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, CBC News Online reports.

In a related development, scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced they'd completed the genome of the red jungle fowl, the ancestor of domestic chickens.

Recent outbreaks of avian flu highlight the importance of learning more about the chicken genome and how certain genetic variations may resist the virus that causes the disease.

Information about the chicken genome may also improve poultry breeding and food safety. Chickens are also used in research into embryo development and the link between viruses and some cancers.

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New Guidelines to Limit Antibiotics for Ear Infections

The American Academy of Family Practice and the American Academy of Pediatrics are expected to recommend this spring that doctors refrain from using antibiotics to treat most middle ear infections in children.

Even though such a recommendation runs counter to years of pediatric practice, health officials feel it may help reduce the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant germs resulting from overuse of the drugs, the Associated Press reports.

Most of the antibiotics that doctors prescribe for children are for the treatment of ear infections. Under the new guidelines, antibiotics would be prescribed only for children with serious middle ear infections. Doctors would simply monitor milder ear infections.

The new guidelines must be formally approved by both medical groups before they're published, the AP says.

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