NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : FDA Refuses to Ban Anti-Depressant

The Food and Drug Administration rejected a request by a group affiliated with the Church of Scientology that it ban Prozac, the anti-depressant drug, on grounds that it makes people suicidal and violent. The FDA released a letter to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights saying it had found no evidence for these claims or for the commission’s additional claims that Prozac is addictive and causes movement disorders. The FDA said it reviewed the evidence provided by the group, along with data supplied by the drug’s manufacturer, Eli Lilly & Co. The group’s petition cited cases of patients being treated with Prozac who committed or attempted suicide.