A dangerous new form of a powerful stimulant is hitting markets nationwide, for sale by the vial, the gallon and even the barrel, reports the New York Times. The drug is nicotine, in its potent, liquid form — extracted from tobacco and tinctured with a cocktail of flavorings, colorings and assorted chemicals to feed the fast-growing electronic cigarette industry.
GlaxoSmithKline to Employ Doctors to Speak About its Drugs
BMJ reports that the UK based pharmaceutical giant GSK has said that it plans to employ doctors to educate their peers, rather than pay key opinion leaders to speak about its products at medical conferences and other events.
Toyota Expected to Settle With Justice Department Investigation
The New York Times reports that Toyota is expected to pay more than $1 billion to settle a criminal investigation into disclosures around the sudden acceleration of its vehicles, a steep fine that provides a template for authorities investigating a similar case against General Motors.
European Union Adds Teeth to Its Anti-Tobacco Legislation
A new European Union anti-tobacco directive presents some victories for health advocates but industry pressure has weakened the final text, say campaigners, reports John Maurice in the Lancet. The numbers certainly make a strong case for a stronger directive. Every year, on average, 700 000 people in the EU die from tobacco-related causes. The main target of the new directive is young people. Among its provisions is a ban on flavoring of tobacco to give it the taste of, say, vanilla, chocolate, or menthol, and thereby to enhance its appeal to youngsters. Manufacturers must report in detail all additives they put into their tobacco products
Food Fight Starting Early Over School Lunch Rules
Keeping intact a 2010 rewrite of a law that dictates what kids eat in school — from the number of carrots to the amount of salt in their shepherd’s pie — could be a major challenge as some in Congress are already angling for a rollback, writes Tarini Parti and Maggie Severns in Politico. Many of the changes included in the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act have yet to be implemented, and reauthorization of the law is more than a year away. But the food industry and school associations are already lobbying to eliminate key provisions that have been perpetually under contention, such as sodium limits and minimum fruit requirements.
In General Motors Recalls, Inaction and Trail of Fatal Crashes
Almost 50 years ago Ralph Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed, an indictment of the safety record of the automobile industry and General Motors in particular. Last week, reports the New York Times, General Motors recalled nearly 1.4 million cars in the United States, saying that the ignition switches on Cobalts and other brands can shut off a car’s engine and electrical system, and disable its air bags. At least 13 deaths have already been linked to the problem, which the Times called, “a decade-long failure by G.M. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to address a problem that engineers and regulators had been alerted to years ago.”
Industry Voices Dominate the Trade Advisory System
The Obama administration’s corporate-heavy network of official trade advisers has emerged as a point of sharp contention in a process that has been criticized by members of Congress and others as low on public transparency. In a series of infographics, the Washington Post shows the corporate and other ties of the 566 individuals who work with the Obama administration to establish trade policy.
Pharmaceutical Company to Pay Massachusetts $724,000 Over Claims of Illegal Marketing
A manufacturer of pharmaceutical products has agreed to pay more than $724,000 to the Massachusetts Medicaid program over allegations of unlawful marketing practices aimed at promoting the drug Lidoderm for conditions not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Attorney General Martha Coakley announced. The global settlement with Endo Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endo Health Solutions, resolves civil allegations that it illegally marketed Lidoderm for use in connection with lower back pain or chronic pain. The FDA approved Lidoderm only for the treatment of pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia, more commonly known as “shingles.”
‘We Need the iPhone of Guns’: Will Smart Guns Transform the Gun Industry?
One of California’s largest firearm stores recently added a peculiar new gun to its shelves, reports the Washington Post. It requires an accessory: a black waterproof watch. Electronic chips inside the gun and watch communicate with each other. A dream of gun control advocates for decades, the Armatix iP1 is the country’s first smart gun. Its introduction is seen as a landmark event in efforts to reduce gun violence, suicides, and accidental shootings.
Tobacco Lobbying on the Rise Throughout New York
The Wall Street Journal writes that a report by the New York Public Interest Research Group released Wednesday says that the tobacco industry spent $7 million in the first half of 2013 on tobacco lobbying and campaign donations, more than it did on during 2011 and 2012 combined. NYPIRG reports that Altria, formerly Philip Morris, spent the most, with more than $4 million on lobbying and more than $300,000 on campaign contributions. Altria spokesman David Sutton says the company participates in policy-making that could affect it, shareholders and consumers.
Corporations and Health Watch 