Health

Restless Drug Promotion

by Bob Burton — August 11, 2006 - 3:10am

GlaxoSmithKline breached the British drug industry's own self-regulatory code of conduct by promoting ropinirole to treat restless legs syndrome before the drug had been approved for that use.

Main Source: 
The Sunday Times (UK), August 6, 2006

Doctors Addicted To Freebies

by Bob Burton — August 4, 2006 - 3:33am

A study published in the Internal Medicine Journal reveals that many Australian medical specialists seek gifts from drug companies. The study of 823 specialists, Melissa Fyfe writes in the Sydney Morning Herald, "found that personal gifts offered to doctors were valued up to $40,000 and included wine, flowers, a 'spa' dinner, harbour cruises, tickets to the movies, the circus, concerts, opera and sporting events." Six specialists sought funding for the salaries of nurses, one for A$80,000 (US$60,000).

Main Source: 
Sydney Morning Herald, August 4, 2006

Reynolds Tobacco Fills Front Groups' Coffers

by Bob Burton — July 31, 2006 - 4:50am

Reynolds American, the parent company of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, is spending approximately $40 million in an attempt to defeat anti-smoking ballot initiatives to be voted on in November. Part of the tobacco industry campaign involves having front groups promoting alternative measures to those proposed by tobacco control groups.

Main Source: 
The Detroit News, July 28, 2006

Junk Food Ads Dominate In Television Food Advertising

by Bob Burton — July 27, 2006 - 4:51am

A survey (pdf) by the Cancer Council of New South Wales has found that 81% of all food being advertised on television in Australia was for junk food. The study, which has been published in Health Promotion International journal, recorded 645 hours of television between 7am and 9pm on both weekdays and weekends in four different locations. It found that 31% of all ads were for food, with fast food and takeaway foods being the most common.

Main Source: 
Cancer Council of NSW, July 27, 2006

Drug Companies Directed to Reveal Funding Of Doctors' Events

by Bob Burton — July 27, 2006 - 3:56am

Australian drug companies have been directed to disclose details of their funding of 'educational' events for doctors.

Main Source: 
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, July 26, 2006.

Long Island Drug Bust

by Bob Burton — July 26, 2006 - 6:49am

In March this year Dr. Peter Gleason, a Maryland psychiatrist, was arrested by the FBI at a Long Island train station and later charged for promoting off-label use of Xyrem, a prescription drug manufactured by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. The New York Times reports that federal prosecutors allege that "at hundreds of speeches and seminars where he was rewarded with generous fees, Dr.

Main Source: 
New York Times, July 22, 2006

Investigation Sought Into Campaign Against Drug Whistleblower

by Bob Burton — July 21, 2006 - 5:20am

Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley has written to the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services seeking an investigation into whether the Food and Drug Administration and Merck collaborated to try and discredit

Main Source: 
Newsday, July 19, 2006

Medical Journal Bats On After Three Strikes

by Bob Burton — July 20, 2006 - 2:27am

For the third time in two months, Catherine DeAngelis, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), has been embarrassed by revelations that articles published in the journal have not included full disclosure by authors of their drug industry funding. The latest edition of JAMA includes a study which links severe migraines to heart attacks in women.

Main Source: 
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 19, 2006

Cosmetic Solutions: The Makeup Industry Gives Itself a Health Hazard Makeover

by Diane Farsetta — July 14, 2006 - 6:32pm
  • Topics: Activism, Children, Environment, Health, Public Relations

    • Breast cancer. Genital abnormalities. Distortion and damage of genetic material.

    Common ingredients in cosmetic products have been linked to these hazards. As further research is conducted into the long-term and cumulative effects on cosmetics users, their children and the water supply that products are washed off into, more questions arise. Not that you'd know it by listening to the cosmetics industry.

    An important underlying issue is that the industry is largely self-regulated. While interstate trade in "adulterated or misbranded cosmetics" is prohibited, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not review new cosmetics before they are marketed and cannot order recalls of hazardous cosmetics. "Cosmetic firms are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products and ingredients," reads the FDA's own explanation.

    The industry's trade group, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA), likes this hands-off approach. CTFA has 600 member companies, including Aveda, Clairol, L'Oréal and Unilever, and standing committees on government relations, public affairs and international issues. Its website says CTFA promotes "industry self-regulation and reasonable governmental requirements." But reasonable to who?

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