The National Committee for Quality Assurance rescinded its national guidelines for treating diabetes patients in light of a federal study indicating that older patients with heart disease would be harmed if they followed those guidelines. Critics of the guidelines contend they were skewed in favor of providing glucose-lowering drugs because the group receives a portion of its funding from pharmaceutical companies. The committee denies those accusations, but convened a new panel to provide updated guidelines that excludes those over 55 or suffering from heart disease.