October 2nd 2008
This week in medicine
The following will appear in the Oct 4 issue of The Lancet:
Industry transparency Starting in 2009, Eli Lilly will disclose payments to doctors who speak or advise on behalf of the company. Merck followed with an announcement of similar plans. The statements come at a time of continuing debate in the US Congress about the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which would require disclosure of such details.
Open drug discovery In an effort to accelerate drug discovery for tuberculosis, the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has launched the Open Source Drug Discovery programme. The Indian Government has committed US$38 million to the programme, which aims to foster collaboration between researchers by making all discoveries open access. New drugs will become generic immediately, allowing pharmaceutical companies to jointly bring the drugs to the market and maintain competitive prices.
US Mental Health Bill The US Congress has passed a bill that will force private health insurers to provide the same benefits for mental illness as they do for physical ailments. The legislation has firm support in the House, the Senate, and the medical community but there is growing debate about how to fund the changes, which will cost the federal government an estimated US$3·4 billion over 10 years.
Cholera outbreak 291 people have died from cholera on the island of West Papua, Indonesia, since April this year, prompting fears of a major epidemic. Distrust of outside groups and the military in the affected tribal population could hinder any response to the potential crisis, say observers.
Under the skin Lenalidomide, which is licensed in the USA for the treatment of multiple myeloma and anaemia associated with myelodysplastic syn-dromes, has been included by the US Food and Drug Administration in a list of drugs with potential safety issues. Serious skin disorders such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome have been reported in some patients taking lenalidomide, and doctors are urged to be alert for rare but serious skin reactions.
Middle East Quartet 21 aid agencies and human-rights organi-sations have launched a report criti-cising the lack of progress made by the Middle East Quartet (European Union, Russia, UN, USA) towards improving the lives of Palestinians. The report, released on Sept 25, highlights areas that the Quartet has failed to make improvements in since the Annapolois Conference in 2007, where it launched its bid for peace in the Middle East.
School dinners The UK Labour party’s election manifesto includes a scheme to provide every primary school child in England with free healthy school meals. The idea is to be piloted for 2 years to assess the effect of healthy eating on the behaviour and academic attain-ment of pupils aged 4-11 years. If enacted, the plan will contribute to the Government’s efforts to halt rising obesity levels.
Hepatitis B testing African and Asian immigrants in the USA should be tested for chronic hepatitis B infection as part of guidelines announced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidelines call for the testing of all high-risk groups, including injection drug users and men who have sex with men, and provide recommendations for lasting medical care, in view of the increased risk of liver disease and liver cancer.
Guinea worm The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has committed £10 million to tackling guinea worm in South Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, and Mali. The cash will provide additional health workers, water filters to ensure access to clean water, and education about avoid-ing the disease. This newest pledge raises DFID’s contribution to fighting neglected tropical diseases around the world to £50 million.
Abortion rule opposed Several medical associations and 13 state attorneys in the USA have objected to a federal rule proposed by the Bush Administration that gives stronger job protection to doctors who refuse to participate in abortions because of religious or moral reasons. Opponents of the rule fear that it might result in physicians being able to deny access to contraception.
Mental health highlighted Oct 10 is World Mental Health Day. Since its inception in 1992, each year of the campaign has had a different theme. This year it focuses on making mental health a global priority and scaling up services through citizen advocacy and action, emphasising the fact that mental health is an international concern that societies can address.
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