Ten of the world’s biggest automakers were sued last week by U.S. consumers who claim they concealed the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning in more than 5 million vehicles equipped with keyless ignitions, leading to 13 deaths, reports The Associated Press. According to the complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles, carbon monoxide is emitted when drivers leave their vehicles running after taking their electronic key fobs with them, under the mistaken belief that the engines will shut off.
British doctors face compulsory system to declare gifts and hospitality from drug companies
The BMJ reports that British doctors will be forced to declare any gifts or trips they have received from drug companies from next year. The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said that he plans to extend the existing rules and regulations over gifts and hospitality in connection with the promotion of medicines to anyone able to supply or prescribe them.
NRA and gun industry sue over Seattle’s adoption of “gun violence tax”
The Associated Press reports that National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, (the trade association of gun makers) and the Second Amendment Foundation sued the city of Seattle on Monday over its adoption of a so-called “gun violence tax,” a tax on firearms and ammunition designed to help offset the financial toll of gun violence.
Pharmaceutical industry attempting to undermine access to affordable medicines
South Africa’s eligibility for ongoing inclusion in the African Growth and Opportunity Act is being used as a bargaining chip in pressure by the pharmaceutical industry to get the country to backtrack on intellectual property law reforms aimed at promoting access to more affordable medicines, charged several South African advocacy and human rights groups, reports Times Live, a South African newspaper.
Surgeon general: I have no regrets about calling gun violence public health issue
The nation’s chief doctor said he doesn’t regret saying gun violence is a public health issue, reports Associated Press. Vivek Murthy called his difficult confirmation process a consequence of speaking out. He was confirmed in December in the face of opposition from the National Rifle Association, in a rare defeat for the powerful gun lobby.
Seattle passes laws to tax guns and ammo, require report of stolen firearms
The New York Daily News reports that the Seattle City Council unanimously approved two laws designed to curb gun violence and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the city. The “gun violence tax” requires gun dealers to pay $25 for every firearm sold and 5 cents for every round of ammunition. The revenue will go toward prevention programs and research “intended to reduce the burden of gun violence” in crime-riddled neighborhoods. “Taxpayers in Seattle pay for millions of dollars in emergency medical care every year for people who have been shot,” City Council President Tim Burgess said. “It’s time for the gun industry to chip in to help defray these costs.”
Court rules that FDA cannot restrict off-label marketing
BMJ reports that a federal judge in New York has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration cannot restrict off-label marketing information for an approved drug so long as the information is truthful and not misleading. The judgment was based on the First Amendment—the right to free speech.
Drug Manufacturers’ Delayed Disclosure of Serious and Unexpected Adverse Events to the US Food and Drug Administration
Federal regulations require drug manufacturers to report previously unknown side effects and complications of their products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 15 days of receiving reports of patient injury or death. But a new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota showed that between 2000 and 2014, drug manufacturers didn’t disclose more than 160,000 serious adverse events within the 15-day time frame.
A Common-Sense Public Health Approach to Gun Violence
Every year, wrote Tim Burgess, the Seattle City Council president, in Capitol Hill Times, taxpayers in Seattle pay for millions of dollars of emergency medical care for people who have been shot. It’s time for the gun industry to chip in to help defray these costs. The City Council will soon consider two gun-safety measures to address these issues in our continuing effort to reduce gun violence in Seattle.
Experts support call for lower cancer drug prices
Reuters reports that a group of 118 leading cancer experts have developed a list of proposals designed to reduce the cost of cancer drugs, and support a grassroots patient protest movement to pressure drug companies to charge what they deem a fair value for treatments.
Corporations and Health Watch 