Funding cuts halt UK pill safety study.

Plans for 1 of the biggest investigations yet into the safety of the contraceptive pill may have to be abandoned because the British organizers cannot persuade research authorities in this country to contribute to the cost. In the study, 3000 family doctors were to help keep track of the health records of 120,000 women for at least 5-10 years, to test the risks and benefits associated with the latest generations of oral contraceptives. With 60 million Pill users worldwide, including nearly 3 million in Britain, the project attracted international support, and funding from the US and from the World Health Organization had been offered. But the UK Medical Research Council blames a government squeeze on its resources for its inability to find the 80,000 pounds a year needed to ensure the survival of the project.