Medicine market Sales of prescription drugs in the USA grew by only 3·8% to US$286·5 billion last year, down from a growth of 8% in 2006. Sales of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the market’s bestsellers, decreased by 15·4%. The market analyst company IMS Health attributed this drop to fewer product approvals, safety concerns, and expiring patents, allowing manufacturers to produce cutprice generic versions.

Drug decisions Thailand’s new health minister, Chaiya Sasomsap, has announced that the country will issue compulsory licences for three cancer drugs despite opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. The move is predicted to save Thailand US$100 million over the next 5 years.

Polio and prison Two sets of parents in Belgium each have to pay the equivalent of US$8000 in fines and face the prospect of 5 months in prison because they did not have their children vaccinated against polio. Polio vaccination is mandatory in Belgium, and there are scant grounds for appeal. The parents now have an unspecified period in which to comply if they are to avoid jail.

Pollution The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reduced the permitted concentration of groundlevel ozone from 80 to 75 parts per billion. The cost of implemention should be outweighed by the value of the health benefits. However, the EPA has been criticised for setting this standard since its scientific advisers recommended a concentration of no higher than 70 parts per billion.

Influenza outbreak Primary schools in Hong Kong have closed for 2 weeks, because influenza-like infections have caused three deaths in children. However, health officials said that the virus was not SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which killed almost 300 people in Hong Kong in 2003.

Website launch The Indian Government has launched an interactive website for people with disabilities. There are up to 60 million disabled people living in India and the website, called Punarbhava- meaning to “reinvent oneself”-will offer information and other features such as an online “court” where grievances can be aired and rectified.

Soaring food prices Riots in Africa are indicative that the most vulnerable countries are being hit hardest by the increase in worldwide food prices. Global food stocks are at a record low, which has been attributed to the effect of natural disasters and increased demand for biofuels. According to the UN World Food Programme, this problem is set to continue, and scientists warn it could deteriorate further if a form of black stem rust disease-Ug99-infects wheat in developing countries.

US mental health Utah has the highest number of people reporting mentalhealth problems in the USA, and Rhode Island has the highest percentage of illicit-drug users aged 12 years or older, according to new research by the US Government. The state-by-state analysis showed that substance abuse and psychological problems varied widely across the country, but that every state was struggling with these issues to some extent.

Food and drug safety China’s Ministry of Health is to take control of the State Food and Drug Administration in an attempt to improve food and drug safety, after several problems with substandard products; food poisoning killed 258 people last year. Medical expert, Zhong Nanshan, claims this plan will aid medical reform through increased government supervision of the medicare market.

Violence in education According to South Africa’s Human Rights Commission, 40% of children have been a victim of crime at school. More than a fifth of sexual assaults on South African children happen at school, and school was also the most common site of assault and robbery against pupils.

Who counts? The Government of Malawi has announced that it will introduce compulsory birth certificates as part of its plans to issue documentation to the country’s 12 million citizens. The Government hopes that this new birth-certification policy will help combat child trafficking and offer some protection against other forms of exploitation, such as child labour.

Give a grain The non-profit web phenomenon FreeRice has raised over 23 billion grains of rice for developing countries. The word game has received unprecedented interest, with advertising revenue funding the donated rice. The rice has been distributed to refugees from Burma, school children in Uganda, pregnant and nursing women in Cambodia, and helped to spread the message about world hunger.

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