TT Note: We've always wondered about potential dangers with the popular use of botox injections. This story really made the hair on our heads stand up. We knew you'd want to read it as well.
Botox users and their families have filed a class action lawsuit against Allergan, claiming the company failed to adequately warn users of the drug's dangers....
Read the story.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
HHS Announces New International Programs to Enhance Drug and Food Safety Joint Inspections with European Union and Australian Regulators
HHS Announces New International Programs to Enhance Drug and Food Safety Joint Inspections with European Union and Australian Regulators; Third-Party Certification Program Are Latest Steps toward Implementing New Import Strategy
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced two groundbreaking programs designed to enhance the safety of food and medical products exported to the United States.
"These programs will significantly increase our collaboration with international and private sector partners to enhance the safety of imported food and medical products," Secretary Leavitt said. "Working together, we intend to offer expedited access to those products shown to
meet our standards and to focus more of our resources on those products that present higher risks."
Secretary Leavitt made the announcement in a speech to hundreds of industry leaders at an Import Safety Summit in Washington. He described the twin initiatives as the latest steps in a fundamental, government-wide shift to implement the Interagency Import Safety Action Plan finalized in November 2007. Historically, U.S. authorities have primarily relied on intervening at the border to intercept unsafe goods.
The new strategy calls for actively working with trading partners to help ensure they build quality into every step of a product's life cycle, targeting critical points where risk is greatest, and focusing attention and resources on these areas.
The first initiative is a pilot project the HHS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is undertaking with its counterparts in the European Union and Australia to jointly plan, allocate for and conduct inspections of drug-manufacturing facilities. The project will initially focus on makers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. If successful, this program could expand to include other types of manufacturing facilities. The novel collaboration will allow HHS/FDA to
more fully take advantage of information gathered by trusted inspection and regulatory systems in other countries.
The second initiative is a third-party certification pilot program involving aquacultured (farm-raised) shrimp. HHS/FDA is seeking the participation of certification bodies that currently certify foreign processors of aquacultured shrimp for compliance with the FDA's seafood regulations. The project is designed to help HHS/FDA learn how to evaluate third-party certification programs and implement them in the field -- a key part of leveraging the additional resources of the private sector and other regulators.
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced two groundbreaking programs designed to enhance the safety of food and medical products exported to the United States.
"These programs will significantly increase our collaboration with international and private sector partners to enhance the safety of imported food and medical products," Secretary Leavitt said. "Working together, we intend to offer expedited access to those products shown to
meet our standards and to focus more of our resources on those products that present higher risks."
Secretary Leavitt made the announcement in a speech to hundreds of industry leaders at an Import Safety Summit in Washington. He described the twin initiatives as the latest steps in a fundamental, government-wide shift to implement the Interagency Import Safety Action Plan finalized in November 2007. Historically, U.S. authorities have primarily relied on intervening at the border to intercept unsafe goods.
The new strategy calls for actively working with trading partners to help ensure they build quality into every step of a product's life cycle, targeting critical points where risk is greatest, and focusing attention and resources on these areas.
The first initiative is a pilot project the HHS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is undertaking with its counterparts in the European Union and Australia to jointly plan, allocate for and conduct inspections of drug-manufacturing facilities. The project will initially focus on makers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. If successful, this program could expand to include other types of manufacturing facilities. The novel collaboration will allow HHS/FDA to
more fully take advantage of information gathered by trusted inspection and regulatory systems in other countries.
The second initiative is a third-party certification pilot program involving aquacultured (farm-raised) shrimp. HHS/FDA is seeking the participation of certification bodies that currently certify foreign processors of aquacultured shrimp for compliance with the FDA's seafood regulations. The project is designed to help HHS/FDA learn how to evaluate third-party certification programs and implement them in the field -- a key part of leveraging the additional resources of the private sector and other regulators.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Americans Eating More Processed Sugar, Study Finds
Americans are getting more than 10 percent of their daily calories from fructose, used mainly in sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods, a new study finds.
The study, analyzing the amount and sources of dietary fructose consumption among U.S. children and adults from 1988 to 1994, was published in the July 9, 2008 issue of The Medscape Journal of Medicine.
Fructose occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables, however, it is added to many processed foods as table sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup.
"Measurement of fructose consumption is important because growing evidence suggests that it may play a role in health outcomes," says lead study author Miriam Vos, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine.
Vos and colleagues examined fructose consumption patterns by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and body mass index for 21,483 U.S. children and adults. They used a single 24-hour dietary recall administered in the third National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), the only nationally representative survey in the past 20 years to include fructose content as a reported variable.
The study found that U.S. children and adults consumed 54.7 grams of fructose per day, an almost 50 percent increase from a national study sample conducted in 1977-1978, which estimated mean consumption of fructose at 37 grams per day.
Fructose consumption was highest among adolescents ages 12 to18 at 72.8 grams per day. Among racial and ethnic groups, non-Hispanic blacks consumed the most fructose at 57.7 grams per day, or 11 percent of total calories. Normal-weight participants (56.2 grams) consumed more fructose than obese persons (51.1 grams). And those in the highest-income category consumed less of their total calories from fructose than those in the lowest-income category.
The largest source of fructose was sugar-sweetened beverages (30.1 percent), followed by grains, which include processed foods such as cakes, pies and snacks, breads and cereals (21.5 percent), and fruit or fruit juices (19.4 percent).
"Short-term studies have shown that fructose can elevate plasma triglycerides," says Vos. "Further surveillance and research are needed to assess trends in fructose consumption and to develop a better understanding of the health impact of this common additive in the food supply."
The study, analyzing the amount and sources of dietary fructose consumption among U.S. children and adults from 1988 to 1994, was published in the July 9, 2008 issue of The Medscape Journal of Medicine.
Fructose occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables, however, it is added to many processed foods as table sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup.
"Measurement of fructose consumption is important because growing evidence suggests that it may play a role in health outcomes," says lead study author Miriam Vos, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine.
Vos and colleagues examined fructose consumption patterns by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and body mass index for 21,483 U.S. children and adults. They used a single 24-hour dietary recall administered in the third National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), the only nationally representative survey in the past 20 years to include fructose content as a reported variable.
The study found that U.S. children and adults consumed 54.7 grams of fructose per day, an almost 50 percent increase from a national study sample conducted in 1977-1978, which estimated mean consumption of fructose at 37 grams per day.
Fructose consumption was highest among adolescents ages 12 to18 at 72.8 grams per day. Among racial and ethnic groups, non-Hispanic blacks consumed the most fructose at 57.7 grams per day, or 11 percent of total calories. Normal-weight participants (56.2 grams) consumed more fructose than obese persons (51.1 grams). And those in the highest-income category consumed less of their total calories from fructose than those in the lowest-income category.
The largest source of fructose was sugar-sweetened beverages (30.1 percent), followed by grains, which include processed foods such as cakes, pies and snacks, breads and cereals (21.5 percent), and fruit or fruit juices (19.4 percent).
"Short-term studies have shown that fructose can elevate plasma triglycerides," says Vos. "Further surveillance and research are needed to assess trends in fructose consumption and to develop a better understanding of the health impact of this common additive in the food supply."
India's Public and Private Sectors Should Unite to Address Diabetes Epidemic
Central and state governments as well as private industry and universities are among some of the groups that should unite to enact policy changes addressing India's growing diabetes epidemic, say leading U.S. and global diabetes researchers.
The researchers include Karen Siegel, MPH, a research associate at MATRIX Public Health Solutions, Inc., K. M. Venkat Narayan, MD, MSc, MBA, of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, and Sanjay Kinra of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom. Their recommendations for diabetes prevention and control policies in India are published in the July 8, 2008 issue of Health Affairs.
"Diabetes is part of a larger global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases," says Narayan. "Because these diseases share many risk factors, policies that encourage healthy eating and active living will prevent not only diabetes, but also obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illnesses and diet-related cancers. An integrated system can maximize disease prevention while avoiding the need to develop separate courses of action."
India is currently home to 35 million people with diabetes, a number that is expected to double by the year 2025. This places a large burden on India's health system, and threatens to cripple the country's rapidly growing economy. The World Health Organization estimates that India will lose $237 billion in national income due to diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Siegel, lead author of the paper, adds, "Economic growth policies aimed at transforming India into a developed nation by 2030 are contributing to escalating diabetes rates that threaten to cripple the rapidly emerging economy. Research shows that diabetes is preventable through physical activity and healthy eating, but current conditions in India promote sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating.
"Updated policies and comprehensive action to address diabetes are needed to incorporate health as a national priority, and to encourage healthy lifestyles as well as economic growth," says Siegel.
Among the policy recommendations proposed by Siegel and Narayan are comprehensive, multisectoral national actions that address diabetes risk factors.
Players, they say, should include central/state governments, multilateral organizations, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, academics and researchers, public-private partnerships, health care sector and the media.
Siegel and Narayan also recommend "best buys" for diabetes prevention and treatment based on impact, cost and effectiveness, including:
• Working with the private sector to encourage investments in employee health Promoting physical activity, especially active transport
• Modifying agricultural policies and practices to encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Creating research and development policies that focus on innovative ways to deliver affordable fruits and vegetables on a mass scale
• Spearheading national efforts to reduce salt, fat and sugar in processed foods
• Building capacity in public health schools, medical schools and other institutions
The researchers include Karen Siegel, MPH, a research associate at MATRIX Public Health Solutions, Inc., K. M. Venkat Narayan, MD, MSc, MBA, of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, and Sanjay Kinra of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom. Their recommendations for diabetes prevention and control policies in India are published in the July 8, 2008 issue of Health Affairs.
"Diabetes is part of a larger global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases," says Narayan. "Because these diseases share many risk factors, policies that encourage healthy eating and active living will prevent not only diabetes, but also obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illnesses and diet-related cancers. An integrated system can maximize disease prevention while avoiding the need to develop separate courses of action."
India is currently home to 35 million people with diabetes, a number that is expected to double by the year 2025. This places a large burden on India's health system, and threatens to cripple the country's rapidly growing economy. The World Health Organization estimates that India will lose $237 billion in national income due to diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Siegel, lead author of the paper, adds, "Economic growth policies aimed at transforming India into a developed nation by 2030 are contributing to escalating diabetes rates that threaten to cripple the rapidly emerging economy. Research shows that diabetes is preventable through physical activity and healthy eating, but current conditions in India promote sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating.
"Updated policies and comprehensive action to address diabetes are needed to incorporate health as a national priority, and to encourage healthy lifestyles as well as economic growth," says Siegel.
Among the policy recommendations proposed by Siegel and Narayan are comprehensive, multisectoral national actions that address diabetes risk factors.
Players, they say, should include central/state governments, multilateral organizations, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, academics and researchers, public-private partnerships, health care sector and the media.
Siegel and Narayan also recommend "best buys" for diabetes prevention and treatment based on impact, cost and effectiveness, including:
• Working with the private sector to encourage investments in employee health Promoting physical activity, especially active transport
• Modifying agricultural policies and practices to encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Creating research and development policies that focus on innovative ways to deliver affordable fruits and vegetables on a mass scale
• Spearheading national efforts to reduce salt, fat and sugar in processed foods
• Building capacity in public health schools, medical schools and other institutions
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
'Natural' On The Label Can Be Misleading
TT Note: Yet another reason not to believe everything you hear--
The government has some very precise rules about what food can be labeled "organic." But there are few real rules to govern the use of "natural," and the result, food producers warn, can lead to consumer confusion......
Read the story.
The government has some very precise rules about what food can be labeled "organic." But there are few real rules to govern the use of "natural," and the result, food producers warn, can lead to consumer confusion......
Read the story.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Student "Ambassador" Dies Neglected & Alone
A Minnesota family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a company that offers educational trips for students -- and claims to have ties to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- in connection with last summer’s death of their teenage son.
The lawsuit filed against People to People Student Ambassador Programs alleges the travel organization and its representatives refused to get 16-year-old Tyler Hill the medical attention he requested after climbing Mount Fuji....
Read the story.
By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
"Copyright (c) 2008 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. All Rights Reserved"
Printed with permission
The lawsuit filed against People to People Student Ambassador Programs alleges the travel organization and its representatives refused to get 16-year-old Tyler Hill the medical attention he requested after climbing Mount Fuji....
Read the story.
By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
"Copyright (c) 2008 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. All Rights Reserved"
Printed with permission
Monday, June 23, 2008
Coming Soon: Generic Drugs from China
TT Note: Say it ain't so. Yet again, China appears to be on the brink of exporting more into the country and this time, it's something that could really hurt or kill us. With all the safety issues with all of the recalls, do you want to trust they will make drugs safe? Here's the full story from Consumer Affairs.
If you liked the heparin, dog food, lead-painted toys, toothpaste and truck tires from China, you'll be happy to hear that Chinese-made generic drugs are making their way to the U.S. While the development raises some safety concerns....
Read the story.
If you liked the heparin, dog food, lead-painted toys, toothpaste and truck tires from China, you'll be happy to hear that Chinese-made generic drugs are making their way to the U.S. While the development raises some safety concerns....
Read the story.
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