Health

Government Scientist Pleads Guilty to Accepting Pfizer Fees

by Bob Burton — December 12, 2006 - 4:33pm

The chief of the geriatric psychiatry branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Pearson Sunderland III, has pleaded guilty to accepting approximately $300,000 in undisclosed fees and expenses from Pfizer between 1997 and 2004. The NIMH is a part of the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health (NIH), which conducts and funds medical research projects.

Main Source: 
Baltimore Sun, December 9, 2006

Was Epidemiologist Doll a Monsanto Puppet?

by Diane Farsetta — December 11, 2006 - 1:58pm

"Sir Richard Doll, the celebrated epidemiologist who established that smoking causes lung cancer, was receiving a consultancy fee of $1,500 a day in the mid-1980s from Monsanto," reports The Guardian. "While he was being paid by Monsanto, Sir Richard wrote to a royal Australian commission investigating the potential cancer-causing properties of Agent Orange, made by Monsanto and used by the US in the Vietnam war.

Main Source: 
The Guardian (UK), December 8, 2006

Doctors Seek Ban on Junk Food Ads

by Sheldon Rampton — December 7, 2006 - 2:08pm

The American Academy of Pediatrics has become the latest organisation to call for a ban on the advertising of junk food during children's television programs.

Main Source: 
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), December 7, 2006

New York City Becomes First Big City to Ban Trans Fats

by Jonathan Rosenblum — December 6, 2006 - 9:13am

Bucking intense restaurant industry opposition, New York City has banned all added trans fats in restaurant food. The ban was passed by the city's Board of Health on December 6, 2006, and takes effect in July 2007. Donut makers get a one-year reprieve in order to find a substitute oil for the deep-fried dough. The board's action also included a requirement that restaurant chains post nutritional information.

Main Source: 
Alternet, December 6, 2006

Perchlorate Makers Blow Smoke on Health Issue

by Diane Farsetta — December 5, 2006 - 7:02pm

The Los Angeles-based group Environment California says an industry-funded group is using "misleading research and tobacco industry-style lobbying to influence the debate on the effects of perchorate." Perchlorate is a rocket fuel ingredient and "a known thyroid inhibitor" often present in water supplies near military and manufacturing sites.

Main Source: 
DailyBulletin (Ontario, California), December 4, 2006

Implant Flacks

by Bob Burton — November 23, 2006 - 5:55am

On November 17 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved silicone breast implants manufactured by Mentor Corporation and Allergan. PR Week reports that the PR firm MS&L "began working with Inamed Corp.

Main Source: 
PR Week (sub req'd), November 21, 2006

Drug Industry's Glory Days May Be Over

by Bob Burton — November 22, 2006 - 4:24am

The drug industry is bracing itself for major legislative changes once the new Congress sits. Forbes journalist Matthew Herper notes that, following the mid-term elections, major drug company shares have dropped by over 5%.

Main Source: 
Forbes November 16, 2006

Fast Food Nation Interview: Eric Schlosser On Obesity, Kids, and Fast Food PR

by Jonathan Rosenblum — November 17, 2006 - 6:08pm
  • Topics: Crisis Management, Obesity, Front Groups, Children, Health, Public Relations

    • When PR Watch most recently caught a cell phone signal from Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and the new Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food, Schlosser was rushing from car to car in New York City, after London, which was just after Berkeley, where he was giving students a preview of the indie film version of "Fast

    One "Bad Event" Could Ruin An Industry ... And A Whole Lot More

    by Bob Burton — November 15, 2006 - 4:14am

    Jim Rogers, the Chief Executive of Duke Energy, a power company that is keen to build nuclear power plants in North and South Carolina, told reporters at an energy conference that he was "cautiously optimistic on nuclear, but public opinion turns on a dime." The nuclear industry faces considerable hurdles.

    Main Source: 
    Reuters, November 15, 2006
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