France Bans 32 Drugs to Thwart ‘Mad Cow’ Disease
Fearing that the deadly “mad cow” disease may spread to humans, France ordered 32 over-the-counter drugs containing cattle tissue off the market Friday.
The Health Ministry communique announcing the withdrawal called the move “preventive.”
“At the moment, there exists no scientific proof that these drugs have caused or could cause transmission of the sickness to man,” the statement said.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a fatal brain ailment that strikes cattle. It first appeared in Britain in 1986 and later was reported in Ireland, Switzerland, Oman and France.
Scientists do not know what causes the disease. There have been no cases reported in humans.
The majority of the products banned Friday were “fortifiers,” designed to increase strength.
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