Search engine operator and online marketing company Google has decided to stop advertisements of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in Finland from Tuesday, reported the Financial Times. The decision follows introduction of a new rule by Google in its advertisement policy that bans advertisement of alcoholic products. The ban will be also applicable in China, Poland, Vietnam, and South Korea. Google decided to ban advertisements of alcoholic products on its own volition, its product manager Sami Kankkuan said, adding that no country had directed them in this regard.
UN General Assembly approves Small Arms Trade Treaty
The New York Times reported last week that the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to approve a pioneering treaty aimed at regulating the enormous global trade in conventional weapons, for the first time linking sales to the human rights records of the buyers. Although implementation is years away and there is no specific enforcement mechanism, proponents say the treaty would for the first time force sellers to consider how their customers will use the weapons and to make that information public. The goal is to curb the sale of weapons that kill tens of thousands of people every year.
Indian high court preserves access to low-cost medications
People in developing countries worldwide will continue to have access to low-cost copycat versions of drugs for diseases like H.I.V. and cancer, at least for a while, reports the New York Times. While advocates for the pharmaceutical industry argue that liberal rules on patents spur innovation, a growing number of countries are questioning why they should pay high prices for new drugs. Production of the generic drugs in India, the world’s biggest provider of cheap medicines, was ensured on Monday in a ruling by the Indian Supreme Court. Specifically, the decision allows Indian makers of generic drugs to continue making copycat versions of the drug Gleevec, used to treat forms of leukemia, which is made by Novartis. The ruling will also help India maintain its role as the world’s leading provider of inexpensive medicines. Gleevec, for example, can cost as much as $70,000 a year, while Indian generic versions cost about $2,500 a year.
EPA proposes new auto pollution standards
New standards for cleaner fuel and vehicles proposed last week will reduce air pollution and help prevent thousands of deaths and hospitalizations each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says. The EPA’s proposals to slash emissions of harmful pollutants include reducing smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, reducing fuel vapor emissions to near zero and cutting vehicle emissions of toxic air pollutants by up to 40 percent. By 2030, the new regulations will help prevent up to 2,400 premature deaths, 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, and 3,200 hospital admissions and asthma-related emergency room visits a year, the EPA estimates.
China imposes strict fuel economy standards on automobile industry
China imposed stringent new fuel economy standards, reports Reuters, imposing new burdens on cash-strapped domestic auto makers in China but promising easier breathing and less respiratory disease for the people of China.
New Access to Nutrition Index rates food companies
The first edition of the global Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) report and rankings was released recently, reports Triple Pundit. The good news is that finally we have the metrics to evaluate how these companies address challenging nutritional issues, the bad news is that most of them perform quite poorly. When almost all of the top 10 pupils in your class get an F grade, it’s usually due to one of two causes – either the test you gave is not fair, or there’s something very wrong with this class. Read more to find the answer in this case.
Spending on drugs slows due to increased use of generics but new price increases loom
Spending on prescription drugs nationwide has been slowing for years, reports the New York Times, because of the increasingly widespread use of low-cost generics. But in 2012, something unheard-of happened: money spent on prescription drugs actually dropped. But some are warning that the ever-expanding use of generics has masked a growing problem for the government, insurers and others who pay the bill for prescription drugs: the rising cost of complex specialty medicines that treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.
Access to Nutrition Index: Corporate responsibility or opening markets?
A new initiative launched today called Access to Nutrition Index – sponsored by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) (1) and the Gates Foundation has been slammed by critics as a whitewash. GAIN is a new type of public private entity which claims to work to tackle malnutrition – but Patti Rundall, Co-Chair of the International Baby Food Action Network, says its work seems to focus on opening up markets for its 600 partner companies (including Danone, the world’s second largest baby food company, Mars, Pepsi, and Coca Cola).
New report on tobacco industry efforts to undermine health in Latin America
A new report, issued in Spanish under the title “Health is non-negotiable; Civil society addresses the tobacco industry’s strategies in Latin America” describes the range of strategies the global tobacco industry deploys to circumvent the restrictions imposed on cigarette advertising. The report was prepared by the Argentine and Mexican chapters of the Inter-American Heart Foundation (Fundación Interamericana del Corazón, FIC) and Brazil’s Alliance for the Control of Tobacco Use (Aliança de Controle do Tabagismo, ACT), among other organizations.
New York Times urges Bloomberg to pursue soda tax instead of portion size limitation
In an editorial, the New York Times urged Mayor Bloomberg not to appeal a judge’s decision to reject the city’s proposed limitation on soda portion size and instead to pursue a penny-per ounce state tax on sugary drinks. “Just as taxes helped cut the use of cigarettes,” argued the Times, “taxes could help cut the public’s indulgence in high-calorie, giant drinks.”
Corporations and Health Watch 