Health Highlights: April 2, 2009
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
House Expected to Pass Tobacco Regulation Bill
Supporters of a bill that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products are confident the House will pass the legislation in a vote scheduled for Thursday morning.
The legislation would still require Senate approval and President Barack Obama's signature before it could become law, but proponents feel both those steps can be achieved, according to the Associated Press.
"We have come to what I hope will be an historic occasion, and that is finally doing something about the harm that tobacco does to thousands and thousands of Americans who die each year," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Wednesday
Under his Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the FDA couldn't ban tobacco or nicotine, the AP reported. But the agency would have the power to regulate the contents of tobacco products, make the ingredients of tobacco products public, require much larger warning labels, strictly control or forbid marketing campaigns, and prohibit flavoring.
-----
Journal Retracts Gene Therapy/Diabetes Study
A study that claimed gene therapy led to remission of type 1 diabetes in rats and mice has been retracted by the journal Nature at the request of three of the five authors.
The researchers asked for the retraction, because they couldn't reproduce the results of their study, which was published more than eight years ago, said the Associated Press. A fourth author insists the results are still valid, and a fifth author is deceased.
In the study, the researchers said they created a gene designed to produce an insulin-like chemical. After the gene was given to rodents with type 1 diabetes, they no longer suffered from the disease, according to the study. At the time, the researchers said this technique might prove effective in people.
However, after the study was published, diabetes experts told the AP that it wasn't clear the gene therapy would work in humans.
-----
Medical Groups Must Sever Industry Ties: Article
Professional medical groups must "wean" themselves from drug and medical device industry financial support and ties, a group of prominent physicians and researchers write in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
They urged medical associations to adopt stricter conflict-of-interest guidelines that go beyond requiring disclosure of financial links to companies. The group also wants medical associations to forbid members who receive industry money from serving in leadership positions and on influential committees, The New York Times reported.
The group also called for a ban on corporate money for things such as souvenir pens, tote bags and sponsorship of committees that develop clinically important guidelines and training programs.
The authors of the article said it would be difficult to achieve these reforms, but such action is necessary if medical groups want to maintain their scientific integrity and the trust of their patients, the newspaper reported.
