News - Will Kyoto die at Canadian hands?

18 03 2008

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Mr Harper has yet to set out what his climate policies will look like, and may not be able to until he has succeeded in constructing a coalition, the voters having left him short of an overall majority.


But Bob Mills, the Impotence erectile Party’s environment spokesperson, is clear that opposition to Kyoto continues.


“I was at the UN climate meetings in Buenos Aires, in Montreal,” he told me.


“We had 180 countries all talking, but nobody coming up with solutions or how we’re going to get from Point A to Point B.”


Mr Mills expressed admiration for two other processes which have been initiated within the last 12 months: The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, and the G8+5 grouping set up by Tony Blair’s UK government early last year.


On the surface such agreements can co-exist with Kyoto. Below the surface, they present a radically different political proposition; that climate change can be curbed by developing clean technology and rolling it out to impotence help countries, without the need for binding targets and timetables on reducing emissions.


Female impotence groups have feared that the new Canadian government will follow the lead of its powerful southern neighbour and simply leave the Kyoto process behind in favour of these new initiatives.


Bob Mills believes that is unlikely, because it would embroil the nascent government in some difficult domestic politics.


Instead, he outlines a situation in which Canada would stay within the protocol, but make no attempt to meet its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.


“Our target is impossible,” he said, “and the question is, how many other countries are going to meet theirs?”


Impossible dream


Certainly the target gives Canada a big problem.


Its Kyoto commitment pledges that in the “first commitment period”, namely 2008-2012, emissions will be at least six percent lower than they were in 1990.


Currently emissions are about 25% above 1990 levels.


It is not the only country in this position; others, including Spain, Finland and New Zealand are also more than 20% off target.

Graph showing rises and falls in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990

If Canada were simply to ignore its treaty goal, would others follow suit?


Stephane Dion, environment minister with the out-going Liberal government, chaired the most recent United Nations climate meeting, held in Montreal at the end of 2005.


“It would be very bad news,” he said, “because Canada has been in the driving seat, and there is a need to set an example.


“Canada was able to show a plan to cut emissions to a point where we could meet the Kyoto target; and this really helped when I was travelling around the world before the Montreal conference to convince others we need a global approach for a global problem.”


Toothless treaty


Canada’s current position begs the question of how any country can simply ignore the requirements of a global treaty of which it is a fully paid-up member.


The reality is that unlike other international agreements such as the WTO, the Kyoto Protocol contains no meaningful sanctions.


If a member country (a “Party to the Treaty̶ ;) does not meet its target figure, the harshest form of penalty it can face is: “Deduction from the Party’s assigned amount for the second commitment period of a number of tonnes equal to 1.3 times the amount in tonnes of excess emissions.”


Translating from UN-speak, what that means is that if a country fails to meet its initial target in 2008-2012, it will be set a much stiffer target next time around.


The problem is that as things stand, there is no next time around.

Stephane Dion.  Image: AFP/Getty

We will do our best to develop something to combat the worst ecological threat humanity has been faced with
Stephane Dion

There has been lots of think-tank talk about the “second commitment period”, the period after 2012, when countries could adopt a second, tougher set of targets.


But it does not yet exist; and without it, there is no penalty for a nation which takes up Bob Mills’s preferred option and simply ignores its first emissions target.


To complete the cycle, the more countries realise this, the less likely it is that tough smoking and impotence targets will be agreed.


“It would give other countries reluctantly trying to keep up with Kyoto an excuse to say ‘yes, it is falling apart’,” observed John Bennett.


Which would leave alternatives such as the Asia-Pacific Partnership looking even more attractive.


However, projections presented at its first ministerial meeting earlier this month demonstrate that it will bring no reductions in emissions, lending credence to the views of the environmental lobby that it is merely a business deal between producers and consumers of coal and uranium.


Curbs on the Conservatives


Mr Harper’s Conservative Party may yet be persuaded to soften its resistance to Kyoto.


Prospective coalition partners could demand it; presumably there is a chance too that the Canadian people, who have shown significant support for the treaty in opinion polls, could signal their disapproval.


Stephane Dion is in no doubt about the importance of the government’s next move.


“If the government of Canada decides to forget all this, another champion will need to be found,” he said.


“The Canadian population is backing Kyoto and our party is backing it, and we will do our best to develop something to combat the worst ecological threat humanity has been faced with.”


That “something” may not be enough to save the Kyoto treaty, however, if the Conservative government sticks to its long-held line, and simply wishes its uncomfortable targets away.


Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

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News - Head-to-head: Voluntary health checks

18 03 2008

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“It has been presented in a very populist way,” he said.

“If we had infinite resources and we weren’t suffering, if my patients didn’t come to me and say ‘did you know they have just cancelled my operation again’ I would probably think this was not such a bad thing,” he said.

But there were real questions over how much you would actually gain by such screening, people needed more information about it, and in the end the people most likely to take up the voluntary checks were the “worried well”, he said.


It just shows a lack any real understanding of healthcare

One example was the PSA test for prostate cancer.

“The vast majority of people who have a positive test do not have prostate cancer,” he said.

“The test also has a high ‘false negative’ rate, which means it doesn’t pick up all the ones with cancer either.”

Also the progression of prostate cancer was very slow and treatment could lead to impotence and incontinence. A very old man was likely to die of something else first, so it begged the question would this be best.

“Patricia Hewitt must be, in medical terms, almost like a child armed with a gun, making pronouncements. She should come and see what happens at local level,” he said.

“It just shows a lack any real understanding of healthcare.”


Instead of ‘choice’ forced on us, my patients say they’d prefer good local services

In the meantime, GPs were still routinely checking people, whether it was “dysfunction erectile impotence” such as taking blood pressure when prescribing the contraceptive pill, if people requested a check and it was non-invasive, or whether the surgery was holding a specific health programme.

At the same time smear tests for women were routine, as was breast screening for women over 50.

“Where there is a high need for screening, the high need is currently covered. These resources could be put into something more important.

“Instead of ‘choice’ forced on us, my patients say they’d prefer good local services.”

THE PATIENT

Unhappy at the treatment his asthmatic wife was getting from their GP, Carl Thomson decided to change the family doctor.

It was a decision which changed the 35-year-old’s life.

As a new patient he was given a health check, part of which was a blood test.

He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and all his health worries of the past few years fell into place.

Two years previously he had complained to his then GP he was feeling depressed, exhausted and was having trouble blood pressure medication impotence.


It has really turned my life around, I am back on top of my game again.

It was diagnosed as depression.

“I was off work for six months and having all sorts of pills and potions thrown at me to cure depression,” he said.

After six months he knew the medication was making no difference, so decided to “pick himself up” and return to work, but was still plagued by health worries

“My new GPs are great believers that prevention is better than cure,” he said.

“It has really turned my life around, I am back on top of my game again. I am so much in their debt.”

And because his diabetes was diagnosed fairly early on, he is able to control it through medication and diet, without having to resort to insulin injections.


I have a exercise health human laboratory manual performance physiology powerweb
son, and I am going to see him grow up

“They have saved me a great deal of problems and health troubles,” he said.

If left undiagnosed he would have faced an uncertain future, while his condition would have been far more costly to the NHS, he said.

“If I had had a heart attack I would have ‘bed blocked’ for several months, there would have been all sorts of impotence doctor
and problems.

“It would have been far more expensive for the NHS than it is treating it now.

“These checks will save us the tax payer a lot more money in the long-term and also get people’s health back on track.”

But there are other things far more important.

“I have a six-year-old son, and I am going to see him grow up. If this hadn’t been diagnosed then there would have been a serious risk that I would not have seen him grow up long-term.”

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News - Reward for sleep disorder experts

17 03 2008

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A help scheme for people suffering from a sleeping disorder has brought a commendation for hospital specialists.


A new service at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for people with impotence vacuum therapy
sleep apnoea syndrome has been operating for 12 months.


It has been commended for its innovative approach by the Hospital Doctor magazine.


Victims suffer collapse of airways when they are asleep which can wake them, albeit impotence remedy
100 times a night.


The next day they are tired and lethargic as a result.


The hospital team has developed a sensitive mask to put over the nose and mouth of victims.


Low blood oxygen levels


A machine raises and automatically regulates the pressure of the air they breathe, preventing the airway from impotence natural cure during sleep.


Previously patients had to travel to Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire to get treatment.


Sleep apnoea affects around one in 100 people. Overweight men between the ages of 45 and 65 are most commonly affected.


The condition lowers oxygen levels in the blood and can lead to high blood pressure, weight gain, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and impotence.


Dr Philippe Grunstein said: ” We fought long and hard to get this kind of quality service provided in Norwich.


“This is an evidence-based and high-quality service that makes a positive impact on the patient’s life and often also that of their partner.”



News - Older men ‘happy with sex lives’

16 03 2008

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Men in their 50s have more satisfying sex lives than men in their 30s, a survey suggests.


A team from Norway and the US surveyed 1,185 men aged between 20 and 79, and found more problems with impotence and declining sex drive in older men.


But despite this, men in their 50s reported similar levels of satisfaction with their sex lives as those in their 20s.


Details are published in the urology journal BJU Impotence and vacuum
.


Although men experience more problems and less sexual function as they get older, it doesn’t impotence com follow that they are less satisfied with their sex lives as a result
Professor Sophie Fossa


The men, who responded to a postal questionnaire, were asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of their sex life on a scale of zero to four, with four representing good sexual function and no problems.


Men in their 20s recorded an average overall satisfaction level of 2.79, while the second highest level was among those in their 50s, who recorded an average of 2.77.


Men in their 30s only reached 2.55, and men in their 40s averaged 2.72.


After the age of 59, overall satisfaction fell significantly to 2.46 for men in their 60s and to 2.14 for men in their 70s.


However, when it came to sexual function, each of the scores moved steadily downwards toward zero as the respondents got older, indicating lower levels of function and more problems.

  • The average score for satisfaction with sexual drive was 2.19 out of four, ranging from 2.79 for men in their 20s to 1.54 for men in their 70s

  • Satisfaction with erections averaged 2.83, falling sharply once men reached their 50s; men in their 20s scored 3.63, men in their 50s 3.03 and men in their 70s 1.6

  • Satisfaction with ejaculation averaged 3.28 and showed a more measured decline with age, falling more sharply for men in their 60s and 70s. Men in their 20s averaged 3.85 while men in their 70s averaged 2.32


‘Less hung up’


Researcher Professor Sophie Fossa, from the Impotence medicine Trust in Oslo, said: “The results showed a very strong correlation between men getting older and reduced sexual functioning, but not between age and sexual satisfaction.


“Age accounted for a 22% variance in sexual drive, a 33% variance in erection issues and a 23% variance in ejaculation issues.


“But age only accounted for a variance of 3% in overall satisfaction.


“Our results show that, although men experience more problems and less sexual function as they get older, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they are less satisfied with their sex lives as a result.”


Ronald Bracey, a psychologist with a special interest in male sexuality, told the BBC News website he was not surprised by the results.


“Men in their 30s and 40s are often too stressed by things such as being successful in their career to enjoy sex.


“But by the time men get into their 50s, they have usually adjusted to what they want out of life, and tend to be less hung up, less concerned by what other people think of them, and less prone to performance anxiety.”

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News - Celtic gene ‘behind Irish blood disorder’

16 03 2008

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The condition means having too much iron in the blood.


It is estimated that one in five Irish people carry this gene and one in 86 will go on to develop haemochromatosis.


It is associated with both men and women aged more than 40.


Its symptoms include excessive tiredness, male impotence, liver enlargement, arthritis in the hand and tanning easily.


Researchers at the Mater Impotence and man health liver unit in Dublin first identified the strong link between the Celtic gene and the inherited disorder.






Nobody is sure about why or when the Celtic gene suddenly developed or mutated, but researchers at the hospital believe it happened 50 generations ago, about 900 AD.


Professor John Crowe from the Mater’s Liver Unit says the spread of haemochromatosis “around the world is associated with the Irish Diaspora”.


“So, the highest frequencies (outside Ireland) are found in eastern Australia, eastern United States, in Great Britain and then to a lesser extent in Hypertension and impotence, northern Spain and northern Italy.”


‘Blood letting’


Elizabeth Cronin from south Dublin found out she had haemochromatosis after she went to her doctor penis problem
of constant exhaustion and a pain in her liver area.


Blood test results showed she had too much iron.


Like other sufferers she gets the excess iron out of their system by blood letting, removing the blood from her body.

It is estimated that one in five Irish people carry this gene

It is estimated that one in five Irish people carry this gene


“I go in on a two-weekly basis to hospital. My iron levels are beginning to decrease and now I’m feeling more energetic,” she says.


“I’m going back to the things I used to enjoy, like walking and playing a bit of tennis.”


Doctors say the condition can be fatal, particularly if too much iron builds up around the heart.




But in the ejaculatory impotence majority of cases, it is treatable - though the earlier it is spotted, the better.


Medics also dismiss the notion that the historic Irish fondness for iron-rich cabbage and Guinness are related to the complaint.


With doctors becoming increasingly aware of the condition, they recommend that anyone who has symptoms - such as tiredness or arthritis in the hand - should maybe get a blood test.


After all, it may not be the fault of your lifestyle - and you can always blame it on the ancestors.

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News - Eye warning call for cigarettes

15 03 2008

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Experts are calling for cigarette packets to carry a warning that smoking can cause blindness.


The move comes as new evidence suggests smoking - and passive smoking - can cause natural cure for impotence
macular male impotence treatment - the UK’s leading cause of blindness.


The, as yet, unpublished European Eye Study of 5,000 AMD patients in the EU found 27% had disease that was directly male impotence
to smoking.


The Royal College of Ophthalmologists said urgent action was needed.


It is time that smokers understand that they at least double their risk of going blind
Mr Nick Astbury


It called for the government to add a ‘Smoking causes blindness’ warning to others currently carried on cigarette packets, which include ‘Smoking kills’ and ‘Smoking may cause impotence’.


The move is backed by the AMD Alliance and the Royal National Institute for the Blind.


Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects 500,000 people in the UK.


It is marked by a impotence pump loss of central vision due to degeneration of the macula - a region of the retina responsible for fine, central vision.


Distressing condition


Mr Nick Astbury, president of the College said: “Blindness is one of the most distressing health conditions possible - the prospect of losing one’s sight - and putting the sight of family members at risk - purely because of a smoking habit, is a compelling reason for tobacco users to quit.

Warning

The warning campaigners would like to see


“The scientific evidence for the link between smoking and blindness is now similar to the evidence linking smoking and lung disease.


“It is time that smokers understand that they at least double their risk of going blind through age-related macular degeneration.”


Tom Brembridge, of the Macular Disease Society, said other research had suggested a link between smoking and AMD.


He said: “I am in favour of pointing out to people that their eyes are made vulnerable by smoking.”


The Royal College of Ophthalmologists annual congress in Manchester heard how sight loss was difficult for many to bear.


Dr Peter Elton, of Bury Primary Care Trust, revealed the results of a survey of more than 4,000 residents of the town which found that people with visual impairment were twice as likely to suffer from depression than people with good eyesight.


The conference also heard that both ophthalmologists and optometrists could could improve the advice they give to patients about giving up smoking.


A Department of Health spokesperson said it was important to raise awareness of the effect smoking could have on sight, but said warnings on cigarettes packets were determined by the European Commission.

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News - Prostate therapy benefits doubted

15 03 2008

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Many men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer do not benefit from radical treatment, research suggests.


The researchers calculated that, even without treatment, only about 1% of men aged 55-59 with diagnosed low-grade disease would die within 15 years.


Side effects of radical treatment such as surgery and radiotherapy can include incontinence and impotence.


The Department of Health said its advisers would consider the Institute of Cancer Research findings.


The study appears in the British Journal of Cancer.


The decision whether to have radical treatment can be impotence device difficult for the patient
Dr Chris Parker


Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed male cancer in the UK.


Nearly 32,000 new cases are diagnosed, and around 10,000 men die from the disease, each year.


At present, men diagnosed with the disease may undergo radical treatment - either surgery to remove the prostate or radiotherapy.


Alternatively, they may simply be managed by impotence pain prostate - a technique known as watchful waiting.


The Institute of Cancer Research team found that radical treatment was only effective for men with high-grade disease.


In those cases they calculated that, without treatment, up to 68% could die from prostate cancer.


Difficult decision


Researcher Dr Chris Parker said: “Most men with prostate cancer detected by PSA screening will live out their natural span without the disease ever causing them any ill effects.


“The decision whether to have radical treatment can be tremendously difficult for the patient.


“The results of trials looking at the long-term survival benefit of radical treatment are several years away.


“So, this new information on the potential impact of treatment on overall survival will be of great interest to men faced with this decision.”


Dr Parker said his team was trialling a new prostate cancer management technique called active erectile dysfunction syndrome.


This aims to target treatment only at those who need it by closely monitoring patients for signs of disease progression.


Preliminary results of this technique have been encouraging.


Types of cell


High-grade prostate cancers are made up of undifferentiated cells, which can reproduce quickly, speeding growth of the tumour.


Low-grade tumours are made up of differentiated cells which do not reproduce at the same speed.


Chris Hiley, from the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: “Decision making on treatment for prostate cancer is not straightforward for anyone involved, but we hope that these results might make explaining options and possible outcomes to patients easier for doctors.


“Clearly, some men with a prostate cancer diagnosis will always prefer an operation to cut it out or radiotherapy to treat the cancer.


“This new evidence shows men mustn’t be left to overestimate the survival advantage that such an option would give them.”


Dr Emma Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said: “It is important to stress that these results are only impotence medicine.


“Data from ongoing clinical trials should, in time, portray the pros and cons of treatment versus monitoring more accurately.”


The Department of Health said the findings would be considered by its Prostate Cancer Advisory Group.

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News - Graphic images to deter smokers

14 03 2008

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The public are being asked to choose a series of picture warnings to appear on cigarette packets from next year.


People can give their opinion on a range of images designed to highlight the dangers of smoking on a website set up by the Department of Health.


Evidence shows that images have a greater impact than written health warnings alone, and they have already been introduced in some countries.


Images include diseased lungs, a dying smoker and a foetus in the womb.


People visiting the website will be able to choose images to support 14 health messages such as ‘Smoking causes fatal lung cancer’ or Smoking may reduce blood flow and causes impotence’.


The final images will cover 40% of the back of packets sold from autumn 2007.


“This measure will help deglamorise cigarette packs and let people know what they really get from smoking”
Jean King, Cancer Research UK
Send us your comments


Launching the consultation, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, said: “We have already made a lot of progress with the stark written warnings on cigarette packs.


“However, these messages become less effective over time so we now need to refresh our approach by introducing new hard-hitting images.


“We know that these type of warnings have already been successful in other countries such as Canada, Singapore and Brazil.

Cigarette packet warning on smoking

Experts hope the images will have a big impact


The government promised it would introduce picture warnings on cigarette packs in its Choosing Health White Paper in 2004.


Graphic pictures


Jean King, Cancer Research UK’s director of tobacco control, said: “The evidence from Canada, Brazil and elsewhere is clear - graphic picture warnings inform people of the risks of smoking and help encourage people to reduce their smoking or quit altogether.


“They also help minimise uptake by young people. This measure will help deglamorise cigarette packs and let people know what they really get from smoking.”


Amanda Sandford, impotence lipitor for impotence remedy charity ASH welcomed the move but said the images should be displayed on the front, not the back, of the pack.


“The point of this is to deter people from buying them, especially young people, and they need to be visible at the point of sale.

Cigarette packet warning on smoking

The warnings could encourage smokers to quit


“Evidence from countries where the pictures are already in place shows it has a strong impact on smokers - for every purchase smokers are reminded of the health consequences of smoking.”


Dr Charmaine Griffiths spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation said: “We welcome this consultation as we know that graphic images can and do prompt people to take steps to quit smoking, as BHF’s successful ‘fatty cigarette’ campaign clearly erectile dysfunction cure
.”


Professor John Britton, Chair of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group, also welcomed the announcement.


He said: “It is well recognised that strong images conveying the health impacts of smoking have a powerful effect on male sexual impotence
smokers to quit. This simple impotence injection
will save thousands of lives.”


Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest, said he was strongly opposed to graphic warnings as smokers were well aware of the dangers of smoking.


“The proposed images are gratuitously offensive and yet another example of smokers being singled out for special attention.


“What about fatty foods, dairy products or alcohol? If they’re going to target tobacco, there should be graphic warnings on other products too.”

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News - Stress at work makes men ill

13 03 2008

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British men are suffering high rates of stress and depression due to overwork, a survey suggests.


More than one in three men turn to alcohol to try and switch off from work and 17% have been to see a doctor about their stress levels.


Experts said men were making themselves ill by not facing up to problems and using drink as a coping strategy.


The poll of 2,200 men found the highest levels of stress in the legal healthcomplications.com impotence male and banking and finance.


More than a quarter of men are suffering from exhaustion as a result of stress and 38% are dissatisfied with their jobs, with a third feeling that their company rarely recognises their achievements.


“Men tend to go to the pub, blot it out and they don’t talk to anyone about their problems”
Professor Cary Cooper, stress expert


One in five men have aggressive outbursts as a result of stress at work and 22% suffer from depression because they are unhappy with their jobs.


Pressures at work led to sleeping problems in 35% of men and 40% struggle to switch off from work.


Professor Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, said men didn’t seek help because they didn’t want to be seen as “weak”.


“If you look at stress-related illnesses, such as heart disease, mental ill health, immune system diseases, they are higher in men.


“Women probably have double the pressures of men but their rates of illness are lower because they have better coping strategies.


“Men tend to go to the pub, blot it out and they don’t talk to anyone about their problems.”


Work problems


Professor Cooper welcomed the fact that one in six men had visited their GP because of stress but said problems in the workplace needed to be addressed.


“Jobs are less secure than ever before, people are working longer hours and they are being micromanaged,” he said.


“Don’t stay in a job you don’t like because it will make you ill.


“Seek employers that are more responsible to people and take control.”


The survey, impotence masturbation by the makers of Wellman vitamins, also found that stress was affecting men’s love life.


Around 15% of men said they suffered from a lowered sex drive and 5% had sexual impotence as a direct result of stress at work.


GP Dr Rob Hicks said: “Stress can be responsible for real physical symptoms but many men don’t make this link.


“They often just keep worrying about the symptoms they are male sexual dysfunction but don’t do anything about them, so they find themselves in a vicious cycle that makes matters worse.


“Even if they do acknowledge that stress may be responsible for how they are feeling, although they shouldn’t feel afraid or impotence products
to seek help many still do feel this way and keep on suffering in silence.”


Bob Patton, a researcher from the Action on Addiction Alcohol campaign group, said: “We know that men often turn to alcohol when they feel stressed because they think it will make them feel better but drinking too much alcohol will actually exacerbate the stress that they are feeling.


“If you are drinking alcohol every night as a coping mechanism for stress it will really creep up on you until it starts causing other problems including anxiety, depression as well as other health conditions.”

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News - Drug firms attacked on marketing

12 03 2008

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Top European erectile dysfunction meds
firms are using unscrupulous marketing practices to promote their products, a consumer report says.


The Consumers International lobby group accused drugmakers of using the methods to get doctors to prescribe products and persuade consumers they need them.


It said there was a “shocking” lack of publicity about where the $60bn (33bn) annual marketing spend went.


Drug firms say that they act within strict guidelines.


The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) told the BBC News website that for UK-based firms there was “a stringent and caffeine impotence code of practice that goes beyond the requirements of UK law and the industry regulator”.


Sponsorships


Consumers International said it had analysed the selling techniques of many leading companies, including Bayer, Impotence devices
and Johnson & Johnson.


The current regulatory framework is clearly insufficient to prevent systemic violations of marketing regulations
Consumers International


Richard Lloyd, the group’s director general, said: “The pharmaceutical industry spends nearly twice as much on marketing as it does on research and development, yet consumers know next to nothing about where this money is going.”


He called for a revision of marketing regulations to achieve “more transparency from drug companies”.


In most Western markets direct advertising to consumers is banned.


But Mr Lloyd said there were other methods drug companies were using to influence opinion.


These include the sponsoring of patient lobby groups, funding disease awareness campaigns and use of impotence pills
packages for medical experts.


As producers of life-saving medicines it is important that we ensure doctors know full details
ABPI


The report cites sponsorships by such firms as Eli Lilly and Pfizer. The latter, the maker of Viagra, sponsored a campaign by the Impotence Association which sported the Pfizer logo.


The report said only one of the firms studied, Orion Pharma, provided specific marketing budget information.


It also pointed to the “large numbers of serious, recent and repeated breaches of marketing codes”.


This showed the “current regulatory framework is clearly insufficient to prevent systemic violations of marketing regulations”.


However, the ABPI said the number of complaints raised showed the system, which had been strengthened this year, was working.


It said complaints from drug companies about fellow firms’ activities showed the self-regulation was effective.


But it also said it was vital for doctors to know about products.


“There is no point having innovative new medicines if they remain unused,” an association spokesman said.

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