Health

U.S. Lobbies Against U.K. Drug System

by Bob Burton — November 15, 2006 - 12:26am

US Deputy Health Secretary, Alex Azar, is lobbying the Britain's Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, to ease restrictions on the drug industry. In particular, the U.S. drug companies want the ban on direct-to-consumer advertising dropped and to increase the prices the government pays for drugs.

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), November 14, 2006

Tobacco Lobby Aims To Stub Out Safer Cigarettes

by Bob Burton — November 13, 2006 - 4:43am

The Tobacco Manufacturers Association (TMA), a U.K.-based trade association, is lobbying against a European Union proposal to require companies to manufacture cigarettes that reduce the chances of causing a fire if not being smoked.

Main Source: 
The Observer (UK), November 12, 2006

Drugging Kids

by Bob Burton — November 13, 2006 - 4:37am

Even though the European Medicines Agency has endorsed the use of Prozac and similar drugs in children over eight, medical researchers doubt the appropriateness of prescribing such powerful drugs in all but rare cases.

Main Source: 
The Sunday Times (UK), November 12, 2006

Drug Company Pulls Funding After Conference Criticism

by Bob Burton — November 10, 2006 - 11:10pm

Adriane Fugh-Berman, an Associate Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, recounts her experience of speaking at a recent medical conference in New Mexico on the topic of drug industry influence in medical education. "Immediately after my talk, one pharmaceutical company representative announced to a conference organiser that her company would no longer support the annual conference. Another packed up his exhibit and walked out," she writes in the British Medical Journal.

Main Source: 
British Medical Journal, November 11, 2006

Why Did KFC Cross the Road? (Because PR Was On The Other Side)

by Jonathan Rosenblum — November 10, 2006 - 11:38am

When KFC crowed on October 30, 2006, that it was planning to ban transfats in its U.S. fried chicken, the company had a PR machine behind it ready to score a news hit in one of the nation's fast food capitals, New York City.

Main Source: 
PR Week, November 6, 2006 (sub req'd)

Opposition Builds to CanWest's Bid to Kill Canada's Drug Ads Ban

by Bob Burton — November 7, 2006 - 10:50pm

A coalition of unions, women's and health groups have been granted intervenor status in a case in which CanWest MediaWorks is seeking to overturn the Canadian government's ban on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). The groups argue that if CanWest is successful it would push up healthcare costs and undermine the sustainability of the Canadian healthcare system.

Main Source: 
NewsWire, November 6, 2006

Degrees of Dependency: Drug Companies & Patient Groups

by Bob Burton — November 7, 2006 - 10:38pm

In a survey of 29 U.S. patient groups, New Scientist found only two ruled out drug company funding. Seven of the patient groups surveyed received less than 5% of their income from drug companies, while others were reliant on them for over one-third of their budget.

Main Source: 
New Scientist, 27 October 2006

Hyping Heart Attacks

by Bob Burton — November 3, 2006 - 4:34am

Alan Cassels notes that disease mongering advertisements for cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as for Pfizer's Lipitor, hype the risk of heart attacks for those people with 'high' cholesterol.

Main Source: 
Common Ground (Canada), November 2006

Restaurant Industry Can't Stop Trans Fat Grease Fire

by Jonathan Rosenblum — November 1, 2006 - 10:11am

New York City, with the support of Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg, aggressively is moving forward to ban trans fats from restaurants--the stuff that says “hydrogenated” before the word oil in fast foods, snacks and many other processed and restaurant foods. Other cities are contemplating similar action.

Main Source: 
The New York Times, October 31, 2006

European Brewers Aim to Derail Alcohol Strategy

by Bob Burton — October 30, 2006 - 2:46pm

The European Commission "may be the victim of a carefully planned attack by representatives of the alcohol industry" to derail the adoption of a strategy to reduce the health effects of alcohol, warns Martin McKee, professor of European public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Main Source: 
British Medical Journal, October 28, 2006
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