New Ruling On Patent Medicines

A California law requiring warning labels for ingredients that cause cancer or birth defects applies to over-the-counter medicines, a state appeals court has ruled. A Court of Appeal panel in San Francisco reinstated a suit yesterday that aims to get new or additional warning labels on patches and other products containing nicotine that help people quit smoking. A San Francisco Superior Court judge said the California law, Proposition 65, passed in 1986, conflicted with federal regulation of the same products. The U-S Food and Drug Administration had objected to the additional warning labels, saying it didn´t want to discourage people from using the anti-smoking products. But the appeals court ruled that federal law exempts California from a uniform labeling requirement.