News

Who’s Minding the Children? In the UK it’s GlaxoSmithKline One of the World’s Largest Pharmaceutical Companies.

06 July 2008
London’s Daily Mail reports that a scandal is escalating in England because their Schools Secretary appointed a GlaxoSmithKline executive to the board of the government’s official education watchdog agency, known as Ofsted. This appointment occurred less than a month before the government awarded a reported $200 million contract to Glaxo for its HPV (Human papillomavirus) vaccine for sexually transmitted diseases for school-age girls as young as 12 years, which some parents fear will give a green light to teenage sex. The appointment also comes at a time when children are being target marketed by the drug company with psychotropic drugs for treating ADHD, in particular, Glaxo markets Dexedrine in the US for ADHD and a growing number of families are filing lawsuits against Glaxo over its Paxil antidepressant, claiming the drug caused suicide or attempted suicides. (Paxil is called Seroxat in the UK).

New Journal Study Reveals Magnesium Linked to Fewer Gallstones

26 February 2008
Increased intake of magnesium from dietary supplemental forms may decrease a man's risk of developing gallstones, suggests a new study from the US. The highest intake of magnesium was associated with a 28 per cent reduction in the risk of gallstones, according to the study with 42,705 male Americans published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Beyond Advertising: The Pharmaceutical Industry's Hidden Marketing Tactics.

21 February 2008
In early January, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce began investigating celebrity endorsements in television ads for brand-name drugs. The investigation was sparked by Pfizer's commercials for its best-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor. These direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads feature Dr. Robert Jarvik, a pioneer in the development of the artificial heart. Viewers are not told that Jarvik is not a cardiologist, nor is he even licensed to practice medicine.

The “Business” of Drugs: FDA Announces Plan to Eliminate Vitamin Companies

20 January 2008
Over the last 3 years we have been communicating the dangers of the EU Food Supplements Directive and the efforts of Codex Alimentarius in eliminating a number of available food supplements, beneficial ingredients and marginalizing others through enforcement of low dose limitations – not to mention severely increasing restrictions in promotion concerning food supplement benefits. The following information explains quite a bit about what has been going on and the U.S. FDA’s current effort to sabotage the well intentioned food supplement manufacturers and practitioners who depend on them – not to mention the consumers who benefit from them.

CODEX ALIMENTARIUS: THE CONTROL AND DENIAL OF SCIENCE

10 January 2008
Please take the time to fully read the detailed article (below) by Mr. Paul Anthony Taylor, a well respected and long standing natural health advocate and Chairman of the National Health Federation and the External Relations Director for the Dr. Rath Health Foundation. Mr. Taylor’s eye-witness report describes how Codex Alimentarius continues to deny the health benefits of vitamins, micronutrients and nutrition in the battle against today's most common diseases and explains how Codex’s key beneficiaries are the large multinational food, biotech and pharmaceutical corporations.

Big Pharma Faces Grim Prognosis

06 December 2007
Industry Fails to Find New Drugs to Replace Wonders Like Lipitor. Some of the top-selling drugs in industry history will become “history” as patent protections expire, allowing generics to rush in at much-lower prices. See what Big Pharma has been doing about it.

Vitamin C Tied to Healthy Weight Loss:

03 December 2007
According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Individuals with adequate vitamin C oxidize 30% more fat during a moderate exercise period than individuals with low vitamin C; thus, vitamin C depleted individuals may be more resistant to fat mass loss. Vinegar and peanut ingestion can reduce the glycemic, (causing sugar in the blood), effect of a meal, a phenomenon that has been related to satiety and reduced food consumption. Thus, the effectiveness of regular exercise and a prudent diet for weight loss may be enhanced by attention to specific diet details.

Low vitamin D levels linked to higher blood pressure

25 July 2007
According to the American Journal of Hypertension, people with low blood levels of vitamin D may be at an increased risk of higher blood pressure - a problem that could be easily remedied with supplements, says a new study. "This finding may have public health significance, as vitamin D levels can easily, and cheaply, be increased by a modest increase in sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation," wrote lead author Robert Scragg in the American Journal of Hypertension.

The Worrying 32 Billion Dollar ‘Wonder’ Drug

02 July 2007
Statins, cholesterol lowering pharmaceutical drugs, have been credited with life-prolonging - and life-threatening properties. Statins, which were introduced in the late 1980s, include the brands Zocor, Lipitor and Crestor, have been hailed as a wonder drug. ...But if your hand is moving closer to the tablets, hold fire. Because, despite global approbation, the murmurs that statins are not quite the Holy Grail are getting louder.

Aspartame found to cause breast cancer, leukemia and lymphomas in latest animals experiments

28 June 2007
A new study on aspartame conducted by the European Ramazzini Foundation reveals that aspartame causes a dose-dependent increase in cancers (lymphomas, leukemias and breast cancers) when consumed at levels approaching those consumed by humans in diet soft drinks.

FDA Issues Dietary Supplements Final Rule

22 June 2007
The following briefing comes from International media, FDA press releases and their own documents. It concerns new rules established and implemented today by the FDA requiring the manufacturing and labeling of dietary supplements to be in compliance with cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices).

Changes in Arctic Diet Raise Risks of *Rickets

10 June 2007
*Rickets: a disease, especially of children, caused by a deficiency in vitamin D that makes the bones become soft and prone to bending and structural change.

Officials develop programs that put them on the cutting edge of vitamin D promotion.

A vitamin B12 a day may keep birth defects away

19 May 2007
Globe and Mail – Article by Paul Taylor. Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin B12 are at a heightened risk of having a child with a serious birth defect, according to Canadian researchers. For their study, led by Joel Ray of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, the researchers examined blood samples from a large group of pregnant women. The findings, published in the journal Epidemiology, revealed that women with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 had three times the risk of delivering babies with neural tube defects such as spina bifida, in which the spine is severely deformed. The main dietary sources of B12 are fish, meat, dairy products and eggs.

Britain to add folate to bread

17 May 2007
London – United Press International reported that British food regulators say folic acid should be added to all packaged white bread. Folic acid is a source of folate, a B-vitamin needed for the rapid cell division and growth that takes place during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when women are advised to take a supplement of 400 micrograms a day. The Food Standards Agency's action marks the first compulsory fortification of food since WWII, when the addition of calcium, iron, vitamin B1 and B3 to flour was mandatory.

In Guilty Plea, Narcotic Painkiller Manufacturer to Pay $600 Million for Misleading Regulators, Doctors and Patients on Addiction Risks

12 May 2007
Abington, Virginia - The company that makes the narcotic painkiller OxyContin and three current and former executives pleaded guilty today in federal court here to criminal charges that they misled regulators, doctors and patients about the drug’s risk of addiction and its potential to be abused. In what amounts to the third-highest amount ever paid by a drug company in such a case, the parent of Purdue Pharma, the company that markets OxyContin, agreed to pay more than $600 million in fines. Also, in a rare move, three executives of Purdue Pharma, including its president and it top lawyer, pleaded guilty today as individuals to misbranding charges, a criminal violation. They agreed to pay a total of $34.5 million in fines.

IADSA gets Codex to rethink nine additives

07 May 2007
The International Alliance of Dietary Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) reports that it is slowly succeeding in melting barriers to international trade of dietary supplements by influencing the Codex General Standard for Food Additives list set to affect the regulatory practices of governments worldwide. Members of the group have been gathering technical information on nine additives over the past two years in order to present evidence to the Codex Alimentarius commission and get levels standardized appropriately for industry. "The influence of Codex is huge - when governments are making regulations, they base them on Codex," David Pineda, director of regulatory affairs, IADSA

Vitamin D casts cancer prevention in new light

28 April 2007
For decades, researchers have puzzled over why rich northern countries have cancer rates many times higher than those in developing countries and many have laid the blame on dangerous pollutants spewed out by industry.

But research into vitamin D is suggesting both a plausible answer to this medical puzzle and a heretical notion: that cancers and other disorders in rich countries aren't caused mainly by pollutants but by a vitamin deficiency known to be less acute or even non-existent in poor nations.

Those trying to brand contaminants as the key factor behind cancer in the West are "looking for a bogeyman that doesn't exist," argues Reinhold Vieth, professor at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and one of the world's top vitamin D experts. Instead, he says, the critical factor "is more likely a lack of vitamin D."

Judge Anger at Ritalin Kids: A New South Wales judge has slammed doctors for creating a generation of Ritalin kids now committing violent crimes and coming before the courts.

26 April 2007
Judge Paul Conlon said attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was the most over-diagnosed condition in the community, with "naughty kids whacked" on to drugs like the powerful stimulant Ritalin. Last year there were more than 264,000 prescriptions for Ritalin issued in Australia – compared to just 11,114 prescriptions written in 1992. Judge Conlon said he was worried because the effect on the mental health of children who were given powerful drugs they didn't need was unknown.

EFSA approves new vitamins and minerals for foods and supplements

20 April 2007
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued favourable scientific opinions on calcium malate, magnesium malate, zinc malate, and magnesium potassium citrate for use in foods for particular nutritional uses, food supplements and foods intended for the general population. The FSA said it expected the European Commission (EC) to shortly make proposals for an amendment of the FSD to allow the inclusion of these substances and make them available in all 27 Member States.

WINHS Editor’s Note: Nearly 300 vitamins and minerals have been excluded by the EU Food Supplements Directives and will cease to be available legally unless they pass the inclusion to the “positive list” procedures noted in this article. Under the 2002 EU Food Supplements Directive, the European Food Standards Agency has the responsibility of assessing applications to be added to the positive list of permitted vitamins and minerals. There currently are fewer than 120 approved vitamin substances that can be included in food supplements and very few have passed through the EC / EFSA procedures for inclusion.

New Study Reveals Children who eat more good fats less likely to be overweight.

07 April 2007
In a study of 182 children, researchers measured the dietary habits and body mass index (BMI) of 4-year-olds recruited from pediatric health centers in Göteborg, Sweden. The study determined that young children who consume more unsaturated fat have a lower body weight. The researchers also found that, of the 182 children studied, 20 percent were classified as overweight and 2 percent as obese. A surprising quarter of these children's total energy intake came from junk food (candy, ice cream, cookies, and sweet beverages). In addition, most of these children had a higher intake of saturated fat and sucrose—and a lower intake of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and iron—than recommended.

Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) pledges scrutiny and pressure over EC positive list

19 March 2007
The Alliance for Natural Health has informed the European Commission that it is scrutinising its procedures on food supplements and those of European Food Standards Agency (EFSA), and may launch a legal challenge if any of its 15 'test' submissions to the positive list for vitamins and minerals are denied.

WINHS Editor's Note: There currently are around 120 approved vitamin substances that can be included in food supplements and very few have passed through the EC / EFSA procedures for inclusion. Nearly 300 vitamins have already been banned by the EU Food Supplements Directives and will cease to be available legally unless they pass the inclusion to the "positive list" procedures noted in this article.

BBC News: Drug Company Intentionally 'Hid' Suicide Link to their Anti-Depressant, Seroxat.

18 February 2007
Secret internal e-mails reveal that the UK's biggest drug company distorted trial results of an anti-depressant, covering up a direct link with suicide in teenagers. Panorama television series revealed that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) attempted to show that Seroxat worked for depressed children despite failed and even deadly clinical trials. The Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) revealed that GSK's own studies showed the drug actually trebles the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in depressed children.

Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Children's Common Bath Products: Many Women's Shampoos and Body Wash also Contaminated

08 February 2007
WASHINGTON — A hidden cancer-causing petrochemical has been found in dozens of common children's bath and adults' personal care products, and in some cases, at levels that are more than twice the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's lenient recommended maximum. Recent laboratory tests revealed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson's Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame Street Bubble Bath. The tests also found the carcinogen in Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo, Olay Complete Body Wash and many other personal care products.

Britains largest pharmaceutical company concealed clinical test results that suggested Paxil unsafe, says BBC

31 January 2007
BBC's television series, Panorama, has accused pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline this week of covering test results that link their antidepressant, Paxil, with increased suicidal tendencies in teens. Once Glaxo SmithKline's most profitable product, grossing $1.9 billion in 2005 alone, Paxil, (Seroxat or Paroxetine, as the drug is generically known), faced with numerous class-action lawsuits in the both Europe and the United States on behalf of parents and children who claimed that the pharmaceutical company covered up evidence from clinical trials that suggested that Paxil was ineffective and even unsafe for juvenile use. As a result of a single lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, Glaxo SmithKline agreed to release all clinical data pertaining to the antidepressant and pay $2.5 million in restitution.

Legislative Bill in New Mexico Could Ban Aspartame from the State

30 January 2007
A new bill proposed by Albuquerque, N.M. senator, Gerald Ortiz y Pino,if passed, will ban foods with aspartame from beingsold, manufactured or delivered in theStateof New Mexico as early asJuly 2007. Aspartame is a chemically created sweetener that has replaced sugar and corn syrup on a widespread level for many products, including diet soda.Mike Adams, author of "Grocery Warning, noted that aspartame causes cancer, birth defects, obesity, blindness, seizures, headaches and other dangerous health conditions." TheNew Mexico banproposal will alsoinclude sugar substitutes like Equal and NutraSweet.

Pharmaceutical Television Advertising Labeled a Grand Hoax by Medical Journal

30 January 2007
Television drug ads engage in such blatant deceptions and exaggerations that even medical journals are starting to condemn the practice. This week, the Annals of Family Medicine published an analysis of popular drug advertisements that concluded the ads essentially lie to the public about the benefits of pharmaceuticals while utterly ignoring alternative health strategies like dietary or lifestyle changes. The advertising practices of drug companies are so outrageous that even David Kessler, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, penned an editorial condemning them. In fact, Kessler says television ads never should have been allowed by the FDA in the first place (the FDA legalized drug ads in late 1997, after Kessler left his position there). Today, the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world to allow drug ads on television.

Eli Lilly Attempts Downplay of $500 Million Settlement for Failing to Warn Consumers of Heightened Diabetes Risk from their Anti- psychotic Medication - Zyprexa.

04 January 2007
The Associated Press Reports that drug maker, Eli Lilly and Co. said Thursday it will settle more liability lawsuits for its anti-psychotic medication Zyprexa for less than $500 million. The settlement covers more than 18,000 claims that the company did not adequately warn patients taking the medication of a heightened diabetes risk. In June 2005, Lilly settled more than 8,000 similar claims for a little less than $700 million. About 1,200 claims are still outstanding after this, the latest round of settlements, and the first of those could go to trial this spring. Zyprexa sales accounted for 28 percent of Lilly's $3.86 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter; however analysts report that Lilly shares slipped 6 cents to $52.19 in early trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Johnson & Johnson Sued over Texas Medication Scam

16 Decmeber 2006
Leading Pharmaceutical Company, Johnson and Johnson and Several Subsidiaries Misrepresented the Safety and Effectiveness of Anti-Psychotic Drug (Risperdal) – Then Influenced State Officials into Making the Suspect Drug a Standard Treatment in Public Mental Programs. Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott joined the suit and alleges State's mental facilities were duped into using the drug. A lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company claims State official pushed the drug and was rewarded with money.

Folic acid recommended to protect against heart disease, say British scientists

27 November 2006
British Medical Journal Reports that despite some controversy in reports of the benefits of folate consumption on cardiovascular disease risk, the evidence is now strong enough to publicly recommend the vitamin for heart health.

UK ministers not giving up over EU vitamin, mineral levels

24 November 2006
The setting of maximum vitamin and mineral levels across the EU is still a hot topic in the UK House of Commons, with a new motion put down this week down by opposition shadow health minister, Stephen O’Brien MP called on ministers to do all they can to protect the natural health products industry and consumers. The motion was intended to “remind the Prime Minister of his own observation that this legislation is ‘wholly out of proportion' and of his commitment to ensure that United Kingdom consumers do not lose their access to safe and popular higher potency food supplements”.

New Study Links Vitamin E Levels to Lowered Mortality Risk

23 November 2006
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A large new study suggests vitamin E may help prevent death from cancer and heart disease in middle-aged men who smoke, contradicting the findings of some previous studies on the subject. Men with the highest levels of vitamin E in their blood were 18 percent less likely to die than those with the lowest levels, the researchers found. They also had a 21-percent lower risk of death from cancer, a 19-percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, and a 30-percent lower risk of death from other causes.

The New England Journal of Medicine Report: Dangerous Deception - Hiding the Evidence of Adverse Drug Effects

23 November 2006
September 30 is becoming a day of infamy for drug safety. On that date in 2004, Merck announced that rofecoxib (Vioxx) doubled the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and the company withdrew the drug from the market after 5 years of use in more than 20 million patients. On September 30, 2006, a front-page article in the New York Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued a warning that the antifibrinolytic drug aprotinin, widely used to reduce perioperative bleeding in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, could cause renal failure, congestive heart failure, stroke, and death.

New Study: US Food Supplements To Reach $6 Billion by 2011 - Supplements Targeting Specific Ailments Contributing to Explosive Growth

16 November 2006
According to a new study, food supplement sales are set to grow upwards of $6 billion by 2011. Products geared towards specific ailments account for a significantly large share of this growth. The report, entitled "Nutritional Supplements in the US" projects the supplement market will reach $4.7 billion by the year's end - a one percent increase over 2005. While bad press may have contributed to a nearly three percent loss in 2005, according to the report, overall market growth has been more than respectable and sales from 2002 to 2006 have increased by more than six percent.

Rice Industry: Keep Genetically Engineered Varieties in the Lab

01 October 2006
Biotech PR firms want the rice industry and others to believe that gene inserted crops are catching on around the world. In reality, studies show that the more people learn about GM food, the less they want to put it in their mouth. The main reason why most US consumers appear to be complacent is that they don’t know about the issue. Sixty percent say they have never eaten a GM food in their lives. In truth, most eat it everyday—usually in the form of soy and corn derivatives in processed foods.

28th Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses Conference Scheduled for October 3 through November 3, 2006 in Thailand.

16 September 2006
BANGKOK - Thailand and Germany will co-host an international conference on food safety and nutrition in late October to forge new international food standards, a senior Thai official said on Friday. Around 350 government officials and representatives from more than 100 countries and 38 international organizations are expected to take part in the conference.

Eat To Live: Hot dog with virus, please!

30 August 2006
On Friday, August 18, 2006, the FDA approved a “viral cocktail” to be sprayed on foods that we actually eat. This is the first time viruses have been approved for use as “food additives.” According to Byron Richards, a Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist, the FDA wants you to believe it will be safe to consume these viruses every day for the rest of your life with no adverse health effects. Not surprisingly, the FDA doesn’t want you to know which foods are adulterated in this manner, for fear you may not buy them; thus, no labeling will be required. This is a monumental announcement by the FDA, indicating they are throwing all caution to the wind regarding the safety of our food supply.

Pharma Giant Schering-Plough Pleads Guilty to Criminal Conspiracy

30 August 2006
International pharmaceutical company, Schering-Plough, has paid $435 million in fines and pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy charges to settle U.S. Justice Department accusations that it lied to the government about drug prices and improperly marketed drugs for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. One of Schering-Plough’s divisions also pled guilty to criminal wrongdoing. A criminal conviction can be a death knell for even the largest of companies, so what is the material impact of this lawsuit going to be on Schering?

News Target – FDA poised to change the health & wellbeing of all Americans

24 August 2006
According to an article issued on NewsTarget.Com, the FDA is now poised to dramatically change the health and well being of all Americans. Unfortunately, they are headed in the wrong direction--straight over a cliff. The FDA is supposed to make sure drugs are safe and effective; they are mandated to protect the public. However, the top two positions at the FDA are now headed by Big Pharma representatives.

Omega-3, fiber, vitamin E linked to lower Lymphoma risk

12 July 2006
American Journal of Epidemiology: Study finds a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, beta-carotene and vitamin E offers significant protection against non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The study of 591 participants also found that consuming certain antioxidant vitamins, commonly found in some fruits and vegetables, was associated with lower risk of overall NHL and some common subtypes. Additional Note: According to the American Cancer Society, over 50,000 new cases are diagnosed in the US alone every year.

L.A. Times – Study Reveals Significant Conflicts on FDA Panels Detailed: More than 25% of experts on FDA advisory committees have financial links to the drug industry

26 April 2006
WASHINGTON — More than a quarter of the scientific committee members who advise the Food and Drug Administration on crucial decisions affecting such products as cancer drugs and breast implants have financial ties to the drug industry, a study published Tuesday found. An advisory committee vote can seal the fate of billions of dollars in potential revenue for drug companies because the FDA generally follows a panel's recommendation.

BBC News - Pharmaceutical firms are inventing diseases to sell more drugs, researchers have warned.

11 April 2006
Disease-mongering promotes non-existent diseases and exaggerates mild problems to boost profits, the Public Library of Science Medicine reported. Researchers at Newcastle University in Australia said firms were putting healthy people at risk by medicalising conditions such as menopause.

Wall Street Journal Attacks High Dose Vitamins

31 March 2006
The Wall Street Journal launched an all out attack against high-dose vitamin supplements in a March 20, 2006 smear campaign article, Health Journal; The case against vitamins, written by Tara Parker-Pope. Depending on misleading and unchallenged pseudoscience as the basis for her report, the writer further misleads by sidestepping even basic journalistic objectivity avoiding contrary expert opinions and omitting any of the abundantly available scientific research. Something can be done: We urge industry professionals and consumers alike to send a ‘Letter to the Editor’ giving their professional opinions, credible research report references or their own personal successes with vitamin regimens. Send to: wsj.ltrs@wsj.com.

(US) Protect Your Health Freedom: Put an end to Codex and Support the Health Freedom Protection Act

15 March 2006
The United States has come to a decision point on nutritional supplements. Choice A is to continue participating in the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which could be hazardous to public health by setting limitations on supplements, and Choice B is to pass the Health Freedom Protection Act (HFPA), which could revolutionize the health supplement industry and greatly benefit public health, in part by no longer allowing the FDA to prohibit disease treatment claims for foods and supplements.

Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) New Online Database

03 March 2006
The Codex Alimentarius Commission has recently launched a searchable web-based version of the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA). This online database provides, in a searchable format, all the provisions for food additives that have been adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Provisions are searchable by food additive (name, synonym, INS number), by functional class, as defined in the Codex Class Names and the International Numbering System for Food Additives (CAC/GL 36-1989), and by food category, as described in Annex B of the Codex GSFA. The GSFA Online helps regulatory authorities, consumers and the food industry get the latest up-to date information on Codex food additives provisions. The Codex General Standard for Food Additives sets forth the conditions under which food additives may be used in different food products. “GSFA Online” allows users to search the Standard by food additive, such as name or synonym, by functional class of additives, and by food category. And, while the GSFA is currently under development, it will be regularly updated to include additional food additive provisions adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

EU FOOD SUPPLEMENT BAN STILL A TICKING TIME BOMB – Alliance for Natural Health keeps the ball rolling in landmark lawsuits

14 February 2006
Alliance for Natural Health - The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), the not-for-profit campaign organization that pioneered a landmark legal action against a proposed EU ban on thousands of food supplements, has informed the UK government and High Court in London of its intention to continue its legal action. The ANH hopes to bring about a Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act 1994 (DSHEA) type regime for Europe.

Low-Fat Diet Does Not Cut Health Risks, Study Finds

08 February 2006
New York Times - The largest study ever to ask whether a low-fat diet reduces the risk of getting cancer or heart disease has found that the diet has no effect. The $415 million federal study involved nearly 49,000 women ages 50 to 79 who were followed for eight years. In the end, those assigned to a low-fat diet had the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attacks and strokes as those who ate whatever they pleased, researchers are reporting today.

WILL CODEX ‘DUMB DOWN’ OUR SUPPLEMENTS?

27 January 2006
International debate rages on as to whether the new guidelines being developed through the Codex Alimentarius Commission will one day kill-off all therapeutic supplements that many Americans have come to rely on as essential tools in the management of their health. Dr. Robert Verkerk, executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health, www.alliance-natural-health.org, provides details on the three main platforms of the debate and their revealing characteristics.

A New Legal Weblog Devoted to Covering Litigation and Regulation of Dietary and Nutritional Supplements has Launched in the US.

23 January 2006
Intellectual property and technology attorney Joel B. Rothman of the law firm of Rutherford Mulhall, P.A. has launched a new informational legal weblog devoted to litigation and regulation of dietary and nutritional supplements. The Nutritional and Dietary Supplement Law Blog, a public service web resource, contains news and analysis on a wide variety of legal issues facing producers of vitamins, cosmetics, diet pills, herbal remedies, organic products and foods. is located at www.nutrisuplaw.com and www.dietsuplaw.com.

British Medical Journal - New US law aims to distance the FDA from the drug industry

01 January 2006
American Legislation aimed at ending the close relationship and financial conflicts of interest between the US Food and Drug Administration and the drug industry was introduced last week in the House of Representatives by Congressman Maurice Hinchey (Democrat) of New York.

Medical Journal Says Merck Concealed Vioxx Data

08 November 2005
New York Times – Merck misrepresented the results of a crucial clinical trial of Vioxx to play down the drug's heart risks according to the New England Journal of Medicine. The Journal's allegation made today may play a critical role in the thousands of lawsuits that Merck faces over Vioxx, a once-popular painkiller that has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. More than 20 million Americans took Vioxx between 1999, when Merck began selling the drug, and 2004, when Merck withdrew it from the market after another clinical trial showed that it increased the risk of both heart attacks and strokes.

Merck to Cut Jobs, Close or Sell 5 Plants

28 November 2005
Associated Press – Embattled drugmaker Merck & Co. said Monday it will cut 7,000 jobs (11 percent of its work force) and close or sell five manufacturing plants in the first phase of reorganization meant to save up to $4 billion by the end of the decade. Its shares dropped more than 4 percent in afternoon trading. The announcement, anticipated by Wall Street, comes as Merck faces the loss of patent protection in June for its ‘blockbuster’ cholesterol drug Zocor and thousands of lawsuits and billions of dollars in potential liability from its recalled painkiller Vioxx.

Global Vitamin Guidelines One Step Closer To Restricting Consumer Health Freedom

25 November 2005
Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) & The National Health Federation (NHF) – Today sees the end of three days of meetings of delegations from some 70 countries and numerous non-governmental organizations, at the 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition & Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) in Bonn, Germany.

No progress on Codex health claims debate

25 November 2005
Nutra (USA) – The Codex nutrition committee made little headway on draft health claims recommendations this week. Additional discussion set to advance next year, with new input from member countries. Much of this week’s debate centered on questions about how to assess the scientific basis of health claims. The committee decided that the Codex Secretariat would send out a Circular Letter with these questions to member countries and observers calling for comment on them.

Misleading marketing coming to an end

20 November 2005
The Sunday Independent (UK) – Strict new food-labelling regulations will put an end to marketing gimmicks, with words like "healthy" and "nutritious" no longer allowed on products. The legislation also aims to close loopholes used for marketing products by limiting health claims and is in line with international Codex standards. General food labelling requirements on foods and nutritional supplements will include quantitative ingredient declaration, date markings and batch identification numbers.

On Medicine: Drugmakers expect hit from (US) Medicare drug plan

09 November 2005
Reuters – Top Drug manufacturers weigh in to express their long term financial concerns regarding the new prescription drug benefit for U.S. Medicare beneficiaries. While Drug makers had lobbied in favor of the addition to the government health-care program for the elderly, they also successfully convinced Congress not to include government-imposed prices.

Some fear vitamin guidelines will interfere with purchases

06 November 2005
The Clovis News Journal – Some (US) dietary supplement companies and customers were put in a tailspin when the international food and drug commission, Codex Alimentarius, adopted guidelines for vitamin and mineral food supplements in July. The following news story demonstrates the continued misinformation and confusion regarding Codex and its potential impact on the natural health industry in the Americas.

Natural Health Awareness Day to Focus on Health Freedom

25 October 2005
On Saturday, November 12, 2005, natural health freedom advocates at health food stores and public areas across the country will actively defend health freedom in the United States as part of the nation's second "Natural Health Awareness Day."

Support and advice groups for parents of children with so-called behavioral disorders secretly funded by pharmaceutical firms

10 October 2005
Independent Scientists review faulty Codex / Eu Commission Risk Assessment Guidelines Against "Risk / Benefit " model in an effort to stave off dramatic reductions of vitamin dosages.

US Legislative Bill Seeks to End Health Claim Delays

10 October 2005
Members of the Liberty Committee, (US Congress), are planning to co-sponsor a bill aimed at making accurate disease-nutrient information more visible in the US marketplace.

Codex Alimentarius Guidelines on Food Supplements

05 October 2005
Independent Scientists review faulty Codex / Eu Commission Risk Assessment Guidelines Against "Risk / Benefit " model in an effort to stave off dramatic reductions of vitamin dosages.

UK drugs industry tries to downplay the Vioxx case

25 August 2005
UK drug industry quickly moves to downplay the US ‘Vioxx’ case. Meanwhile, Merck’s $253 million in damages follows on the heels of Ely Lilly’s recent $690 million in ‘Zyprexa’ lawsuit settlements and appear to set trend for more Pharma stock plunges….

Vioxx jurors sought to send a message

20 August 2005
Pharmaceutical Corp (Merck) Stock Slumps Following Quarter Billion Dollar Damages Verdict Against it's Former Best Selling Drug, Vioxx. Analysts put the company's total liability between $4-$50 billion over the next decade.

$253 million awarded as Merck loses first Vioxx suit

20 August 2005
In the first verdict of a Vioxx-related personal-injury lawsuit, a Texas jury on Friday found the drug's maker, Merck, liable and awarded $253.5 million to the widow of Robert Ernst, who died in 2001 after taking the painkiller and arthritis medicine.

Merck ordered to pay $250m to widow of Vioxx victim

19 August 2005
Jurors who found Merck & Co. liable Friday for the death of a Texas man said they expected pharmaceutical companies to get the message from their $253.4 million verdict that consumers need safe drugs.

Verdict Could Open Door for More Suits Against Merck

19 August 2005
A Texas jury found Merck & Co. liable Friday in the death of a 59-year-old marathon runner who took the once-popular pain reliever Vioxx, and awarded his widow $253.4 million.

Chronology of events surrounding Vioxx and other painkillers

19 August 2005
Key events involving the safety of Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex and other painkillers

Troubles Just Beginning For Merck

19 August 2005
The huge jury award to a plaintiff in the nation's first Vioxx case is likely to inspire thousands more suits on top of the 4,200 already filed against the drug's maker, Merck & Co., and push liability estimates that reach $18 billion even higher, analysts said.

UPDATE: European food supplement ban avoided

04 August 2005
Legal challenge and cooperation between industry and government avert wide-scale food supplement ban previously anticipated today.

We Become Silent — A New Documentary — Exposes Grave Dangers Posed by European and Global Regulation to Medical Freedom of Choice

25 July 2005
International award-winning filmmaker Kevin P. Miller of Well TV announced the release of a new documentary about the threat to freedom of choice in health care.

Not Every EU Member Nation Plans to Follow the EU Food Supplements Directive

20 July 2005
Tony Blair; "It is important that any control regime is extremely light touch, and we are doing our level best to make sure that this is the case. In addition, there is the issue of maximum dosages, which it is also important for us to handle in a way that accords with common sense rather than a somewhat exaggerated view of the dangers.”

Landmark Legal Challenge — The Verdict!

12 July 2005
The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg today announced that it is upholding most aspects of the controversial EU Food Supplements Directive, after a landmark legal challenge by the Alliance for Natural Health.

Codex Ratified

07 July 2005
Joint commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), has moved to enforce higher global food standards.

Vitamin E Safety Confirmed by New JAMA Study.

07 July 2005
Several studies have pointed to increased risk of death from vitamin E, although such studies have used purified or synthetic vitamin E and involved diseased persons. This new study in JAMA fills several information gaps.

Major Independent Scientific Study Launched to Shed Light on EU's 'Black Box' Regulation Of Food Supplements

27 June 2005
On 5 April 2005, the European Court of Justice's Advocate General, Leendert Geelhoed, provided his Opinion on a legal challenge filed by the Alliance for Natural Health, which concluded that the EU Food Supplements Directive was invalid under EU law. The Advocate General stated that the procedure for admitting ingredients to a 'positive list' had the "transparency of a black box".