A new report from the Children’s Food Campaign of Sustain, a food advocacy group in the UK, says that its government’s Responsibility Deal with the food industry about marketing practices is good for food companies but not so effective for public health.
Global Public Health Implications of Social Media Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising
In a recent article in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Liang and Mackey assess the global public health and patient safety implications of unregulated social media direct-to-consumer advertising using web 2.0 (eDTCA 2.0) by online pharmacies and pharmaceutical corporations. They conclude that both pharmaceutical companies and illicit online drug sellers use eDTCA 2.0 to market themselves and their top-selling drugs, requiring regulators worldwide to take into account the current eDTCA 2.0 presence when attempting to reach policy and safety goals.
Study Finds Density of Alcohol Outlets in United Kingdom Harms Young People
One on Every Corner, a new report from Alcohol Concern, a United Kingdom alcohol research organization, found that the greater the availability of alcohol in a community, the greater the risk of young people suffering alcohol harm. The report suggests policies to limit density of alcohol outlets.
CEOs Rake it in while their Corporations Avoid Taxes
Executive Excess 2011, a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies, found that 25 major U.S. corporations last year paid their chief executives more than they paid Uncle Sam in federal income taxes. Included on the list is Ford Motor Company executive Alan Mulally who received $26,520,515 in compensation in 2010, a 48 percent increase from 2009, while Ford had a $69 million credit on 2010 corporate income tax. Also on the list is Coca Cola Enterprises CEO John F. Brock who was compensated $19,114,318 in 2010, a 71 percent increase from 2009, while Coca Cola paid $8 million in 2010 corporate income tax.
NRA and Gun Industry Team Up to Oppose UN Small Arms Treaty
“I just delivered a message to those anti-gun elitists at the United Nations, who are meeting to discuss ways to craft an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that could go after your Right to Keep and Bear Arms,” wrote Wayne La Pierre, Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association of America recently.
Beginning in 2001 at the first UN Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, the United Nations has convened member states to draft a treaty to regulate the international trade in small arms, a treaty scheduled to be ready for a vote in July of next year.
At the behest of the arms industry and the NRA, the US has for the most part opposed the treaty. Now some gun proponents are worried they can’t depend on the Obama Administration to defend their interests. To date, 57 senators have vowed they will not approve a treaty that in their view undermines the Second Amendment. The small arms the treaty addresses are weapons estimated to contribute to about 200,000 deaths a year, a body count that does not include those killed in military conflicts. Other groups, including the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) have supported the treaty, claiming it would help to slow illegal gun trafficking and the diversion of arms to gangs, drug dealers and terrorist organizations. “By recognizing the interconnectedness of the unregulated arms trade, armed violence and the undermining of human rights, including implicitly the right to health, a robust ATT would help prevent the misuse of arms and thus reduce resultant deaths and injuries,” noted Dr. Robert Mtonga MD, IPPNW co-president.
International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Define Role in Responding to Non-Communicable Diseases
In preparation for the UN High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) released its Framework for Action to outline the pharmaceutical industry’s focus in NCDs “The NCD framework is just the beginning; our vision is to work with others to identify what can be done in practice to help poor people access the care and treatment they need,” said IFPMA Director General Eduardo Pisani. “Together, we want to find ideas for concrete actions to put on the table in the aftermath of the UN NCD Summit in September. The Framework is our roadmap for this work.” IFPMA’s Framework for Action centers on four main areas: innovation and research, access and affordability, prevention and health education, and partnerships.
Corporate Accountability International Call for Review of Conflicts of Interest at UN Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases
Corporate Accountability International, a global non-governmental organization, has called for closer monitoring of corporate conflicts of interest at the UN High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases. “If we are to reverse the staggering rates of preventable illness and death, the WHO and UN must safeguard public health policy from conflicts of interest,” said Gigi Kellett, a campaign director with Corporate Accountability International. “A fox guarding a hen house is a fox guarding a hen house. The global community has removed the tobacco industry’s seat from the tobacco control table due to its history of interference in policy. It’s time we hold other industries contributing to or profiting from today’s public health epidemics similarly accountable.” The group’s call was based in part on a recent report by the United Nations Joint Inspection Panel that recommended closer scrutiny of corporate involvement in the Global Compact, an agreement that brings corporations into UN work.
Wine Retailers Protest Domination by Alcohol Wholesalers
How does the alcohol industry influence politics? The Specialty Wine Retailers Association, a sector of the industry fearful of domination by alcohol wholesalers, recently released a report called Toward Liquor Domination How Alcohol Wholesalers, Time and Money Have Corrupted the American Alcohol Industry —A Study of Political Money and the Alcohol industry from 2005 to 2010. It states that in the three election cycles between 2005 and 2010, American alcohol wholesalers have spent $82 million on contributions to federal and state political campaigns and federal lobbying efforts. The report also charges that “the success of the American alcohol wholesaler in buying protection from competition has put the other sectors of the alcohol industry under their control, reduced state tax revenues, and severely limited consumer access to new products.”
US Pharmaceutical Companies Test Drugs on India’s Poor
A recent report on Al Jazeera English found that US drug companies like Merck and AstraZeneca are increasingly conducting their clinical trials of new drugs in countries like India, Russia, China, Brazil, Poland, Uganda and Romania. Zeina Awad, a reporter for Al Jazeera’s “Fault Lines” program, traveled to India to investigate clinical research being conducted there. In an interview, Awad said she found many hospitals and doctors in India failed to follow international guidelines for clinical research.
Washington Budget Deal Threatens Consumer Protection and Public Health
The recent budget deal negotiated by President Obama and Congress will lead to more polluted water, less consumer protection, smoggy skies, crumbling bridges, less education funding—and more unhealthy Americans, writes Andy Kroll in Mother Jones. The White House’s plan would slash this type of spending nearly in half as a percentage of gross domestic product, from about 3.3 percent of America’s GDP to as low as 1.7 percent, the lowest in nearly half a century, says Ethan Pollack, a senior policy analyst at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
Corporations and Health Watch 