Coca Cola Announces it's Spending Plan for Research on Obesity

In a series of events mirroring that of the 'Tobacco Wars" of the 1980s Coca Cola revealed it's funding of research studies into the causes of obesity. The research they are funding has a preordained outcome, as Coca-Cola has stated obesity is not due to high caloric intakes, but to lack of exercise.  

Although there was indisputable scientific evidence of the effects of tobacco smoking on lung cancer, big tobacco denied the causative effects of  tobacco.

Coke Tries to Sugarcoat the Truth on Calories

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD  NY Times

By paying experts who side with them, the company is trying to divert attention from products that contribute to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

During the past two years New York City placed a ban on containers of soda greater than 16 ounces.  Big tobacco,  feeling the heat, began a campaign to  defend it's huge profits based upon addictive drinking of high sugar content drinks.  Coca-cola was not the only target of the ban on 'super-size' drinks.

In an opinion article published online in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Muhtar Kent, chief executive of Coca-Cola, also said the company would assemble a panel of independent advisers on its financial support for academic research.

“As we continue to learn, it is my hope that our critics will receive us with an open mind,” Mr. Kent wrote. “At times we will agree and at times we will passionately disagree.”

A front-page article in The New York Times this month revealed the financial ties between Coke and the Global Energy Balance Network, a nonprofit advocacy group that contends people worry too much about what they eat and not enough about how much they exercise.

RELATED COVERAGE

• 
  

  Coca-Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity Away From Bad DietsAUG. 9, 2015

• F.D.A. Wants Food Labels to Quantify Added SugarsJULY 24, 2015

• 
  

  Coca-Cola to Cut Up to 1,800 JobsJAN. 8, 2015

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  Soda Makers Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Join in Effort to Cut Americans’ Drink CaloriesSEPT. 23, 2014

Coca-Cola provided seed money for the group, and its vice president, Steven Blair, appeared in a video in which he chastised “the media” for blaming overconsumption of fast food and sugary drinks for the country’s high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In the video, Dr. Blair said, “There’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.”

On Thursday, however, Dr. Blair posted a statement on Global Energy’s website, saying he had asked the group to remove his video. “I regret that a statement I made in this video has been used by some to brand G.E.B.N. as a network focusing only on physical activity,” the statement said. “This is not true and never has been true. From the beginning the mission of G.E.B.N. has been to study the science of energy balance, which involves both diet and physical activity.”

Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, said it often was hard to determine the origins of research funding, so the decision by Coke to increase disclosure of its investment would be helpful.

“But what he didn’t say was, ‘We’re going to stop fighting soda taxes and limits on soda sales,’” said Dr. Nestle, whose new book, “Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda and Winning,” will be published this fall. 

She noted that Coca-Cola had underwritten studies critical of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, known as Nhanes, a program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that uses information about what people are eating. The data is collected from 5,000 households around the country throughout the year and combined with information from physical examinations.

In 2013, a paper co-written by Dr. Blair was published on PLOS One, an online peer-reviewed scientific journal, that questioned the validity of the data collected in Nhanes. PLOS One later added a correction to the report, noting Coca-Cola’s financial support for the research.

“Nhanes is the basis of the epidemiological studies that demonstrate an association between consumption of soft drinks and obesity and diabetes,” Dr. Nestle said. “Coke has embarked on a systematic effort over the years to discredit Nhanes and therefore those studies.”

Consumers often look for alternative drinks  and turn to other brands, which imply lower caloric content and 'healthy'  Surprisingly many of them are high calorie drinks as well.

Marketing is slick, often false (euphemistically) and often downright fraudulent.

100 Calories

180 calories

233 Calories

200 calories

No One would argue the lowest calorie drink is

Coca-cola may receive unwarranted attention, because like tobacco (Marlboro, Camels, Virginia Slims, Lucky Strike, there are many other sugary brands, such as Starbucks ( a favorite for millenials)

References:

Consumption of Sugar Drinks in the United States, 2005–2008Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D., M.R.P.; Brian K. Kit, M.D., M.P.H.; Margaret D. Carroll, M.S.P.H.; and Sohyun Park, Ph.D., M.S

Fact Sheet: Sugary Drink Supersizing And The Obesity Epidemic

Trending: Coca-Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity Away From Bad Diets - gmlevinmd@gmail.com - Gmail

Five Drugs in the Polypill

Technology and the pressure of cost containment and improving patient compliance are resulting in an interest in developing a pill with 3,4, or even 5 drug combinations.  There are however some obstacles for this advance in poly-pharmacology.


Patients often are not compliant with treatment recommendations, even for one medication.  As more medications are prescribed compliance deteriorates further.

If a safe, inexpensive, once-a-day pill could substantially reduce the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, would people want it? Most would probably say yes because MI and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death, respectively, in the United States.1 It is likely that many employers, health plans, and payers would also say yes because MI and stroke cost the US economy more than $300 billion annually in health care expenditures and lost productivity.2

Improving adherence by simplifying drug regimens and reducing their cost could have far-reaching consequences. In 2003, Wald and Law3 proposed to combine 3 half-dose antihypertensive agents, an intermediate-dose statin, low-dose aspirin, and folic acid into a once per day polypill for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Based on epidemiological models, they estimated that daily use by individuals aged 55 years or older could reduce the incidence of MI and stroke by more than 80%.3

The 4 drugs in the current version of the polypill have long histories of safe use. Although all 4 are frequently prescribed in the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved combining them in a single pill. It has, however, authorized approximately 50 two-drug pills for hypertension.4 Recently, an FDA advisory committee expressed cautious support for using the polypill for secondary prevention of MI and stroke in patients who are unlikely to be closely monitored by a physician. It did not address the larger question of primary prevention.5

Although the polypill could produce substantial public health benefits, people in the United States are unlikely to find out anytime soon. This is because the pill’s price is so low (≤$1 per tablet) and the cost of the large clinical trials required for FDA approval is so high, it is unattractive to investors. The inventor’s dilemma is that creating a product that improves health is not enough; the product must also be able to generate a healthy return on investment. In the United States, the surest way to generate a healthy return on investment is to increase health care spending, not reduce it.

In reality advances in drug delivery systems will be very important for pubic health reasons, compliance and cost reduction.  It will require some creative and innovative for financing drug development costs.  The technology is ready, can we afford it ?  We need innovative venture capitalists.  It is doubtful whether the Affordable Care Act will nourish this embryonic technology.  What can be done?

First, to inspire innovators, federal agencies and philanthropies should commit a larger share of their research budgets to high-risk, high-reward science. Second, to entice inventors to address challenging problems, there could be greater use of prizes (eg, cash for the first inventor who creates a drug or device that meets a specific need).

Third, to ensure that low-cost, high-value discoveries reach the market, patent buyouts could be offered. This could increase the likelihood that these products are commercialized and offered at prices sufficiently low to encourage widespread adoption.

Fourth, to give inventors access to the capital required to bring a cost-lowering technology to market, a public-interest investment fund could be established. The public-interest investment fund would seek out promising products that are not attractive to conventional investors, and replenish its coffers with shared savings from successful inventions.

Fifth, to streamline the regulatory approval process, the FDA could be authorized to use existing mechanisms, such as fast-track or breakthrough therapy authority, to expedite review of cost-lowering technologies. This would require expanding the FDA’s mission beyond safety and efficacy to address costs.

What is the actual cost to develop a new medication ? The California Biomedical Research Association outlines the process

Surveys from different sources reveal estimates between $800 M and 5.0 B. That is a substantial range as reported by Tuft's

The studies are spread out from 2010 to 2015 and the increases have been substantial during this period. Keep in mind that reports from pharma are used to justify the high costs of drugs.

In addition the costs vary greatly among disease categories and the category of the drug.  Some drugs are a variation of one already approved, while others are in new classes such as oncology drugs designed as antibodies to cancer cells.  Variations in cost estimates suggest that policymakers should not use a single number to characterize drug costs. It is important to also be aware that different drug types might have substantially different actual costs of clinical trials. Therefore, the estimated variation in drug costs could be higher or lower, depending on whether the correlation between actual costs, success probabilities, and durations is positive or negative. As discussed below, recent work suggests that HIV/AIDS drugs have high clinical costs.


Poly drug combinations are made of already approved drugs for single use, and development costs may be far less. 





JAMA Network | JAMA | Effects of a Fixed-Dose Combination Strategy on Adherence and Risk Factors in Patients With or at High Risk of CVD:  The UMPIRE Randomized Clinical Trial

Meaningful Use....What the AMA has to say about Meaningful Use

October 1, 2015 is fast approaching. That is the deadline for providers to adopt ICD-10.  In addition to that requirement Meaningful Use continues to be a bane on providers.  Physicians perceive meaningful use as less than meaningful when resources could be better used to improve EHR usability rather than  some bureaucratic bloat/.

Meaningful Use (MU) isn't working, and now the government wants to move forward with Stage 3 implementation. But if it's not fixed, that could lead to less time with patients, less innovation and costly penalties if physicians are unable to comply. Currently physician participation in MU Stage 2 sits at less than 10 percent, compared to the 80 percent adoption of EHRs.

Recently Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., introduced H.R. 3309, the "Flex IT 2 Act." This legislation would provide much needed flexibility in the MU program and enhance electronic health records (EHRs) to improve patient care and access to health information. The bill also addresses key interoperability challenges by ensuring certified EHR systems are capable of sending, receiving and seamlessly incorporating patient data.

At a recent AMA town hall meeting on EHRs and MU, the response from physicians was overwhelming: MU is not working, and physicians cannot move to a learning health system unless they have the tools to do so. They need state-of-the-art technology that can interoperate with other systems and providers.

In Washington, D.C., August means one thing—congressional recess. 

Some of the reflections spoken about at the AMA meeting:

     80% of physicians are using EHR

     Rather than improving efficient patient care, the current state of EHR design interferes with the

     goal of improving patient relationships. 

     The current administration continues to push forward with more meaningful use requirements instead

     of correcting what does not contribute to patient care.

     The proposals to change from procedural based reimbursement to value will require EHR modification

     to integrate with the proposed changes of health reform.

     The AMA's goals are to have physicians play a key role in improving patient care, improve                            interoperability, and eliminate the digital silos that have replaced paper silos.

     

     Please take advantage of this time when your members of Congress are back at home: Email or call (888) 434-6200 to be connected with their district offices, and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 3309 today!

To learn more about MU and to share your story, please visit: breaktheredtape.org

https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BUyuPAqYACVOKAjpVYN7FAA

Oliver Sacks: My Periodic Table - The New York Times

I received an email from Oliver Sacks this morning (or rather from his staff at the Oliver Sack's Foundation.)

So what does this post have to do with health care ?  Nothing, or everything. Oliver  is a neurologist who has terminal cancer. He was diagnosed with ocular melanoma  He has had a rich productive life, not just as a physician but as an accomplished writer, admired by all.  And when he was young this man loved motorcycles, weight lifting and swimming,  several of which he still pursued.

The news was that Dr. Sack's has terminal cancer at age 82. He explains it in his genius and quirky sense of humor that those who know him will recognize by his commentary about dying.

"Bismuth is element 83. I do not think I will see my 83rd birthday, but I feel there is something hopeful, something encouraging, about having “83” around. Moreover, I have a soft spot for bismuth, a modest gray metal, often unregarded, ignored, even by metal lovers. My feeling as a doctor for the mistreated or marginalized extends into the inorganic world and finds a parallel in my feeling for bismuth.  I almost certainly will not see my polonium (84th) birthday, nor would I want any polonium around, with its intense, murderous radioactivity. But then, at the other end of my table — my periodic table — I have a beautifully machined piece of beryllium (element 4) to remind me of my childhood, and of how long ago my soon-to-end life began."

Sack's early years were not easy, as he describes his diversions from emotional pain with numbers and equations, as he eloquently states,

"I have tended since early boyhood to deal with loss — losing people dear to me — by turning to the nonhuman. When I was sent away to a boarding school as a child of 6, at the outset of the Second World War, numbers became my friends; when I returned to London at 10, the elements and the periodic table became my companions. Times of stress throughout my life have led me to turn, or return, to the physical sciences, a world where there is no life, but also no death."

Oliver Sacks Books










Oliver Sacks: My Periodic Table - The New York Times

Euthanasia: Has it's time come ? Do you have an Advanced Directive?

Health Reform has led to more openness and transparency. Along with preparing financially for death, how many plan how to die ?  Will you have choices ? Who should decide ?  Should relatives or children  be a part of the decision? What if you are unable to make a decision toward the end?

Physicians and patients struggle watching loved ones dwindle, suffer pain and lose any quality of life.Whether it is from incurable cancer Alzheimer's disease or chronic wasting disease,  it presents enormous conflict for loved ones.

Humans like answers that are black and white rather than shades of grey.  Our society is firmly in the grip of the ten commandments, "thou shalt not murder'.

Should we let life run it's course without interference?  Religious people would hypothesize that the process of dying is much like the act of childbirth, with gradual change leading up to the pain and ecstasy of birth.  Could it be dying is the same ?  Does the process of dying prepare us to enter a new realm, or does it all just end and go blank ?  Is suffering an important process of dying.  One might ask about people who are suddenly killed by accident, or intent?

Some would argue that with rapidly growing population and decreasing resources, and more expensive medical treatment that euthanasia is justified for some.

In Belgium and the Netherlands Euthanasia has been legalized beginning in 2007.

Comparison of the Expression and Granting of Requests for Euthanasia in Belgium in 2007 vs 2013

A Study of the First Year of the End-of-Life Clinic for Physician-Assisted Dying in the Netherlands

             Legalization of the right to die   ("Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act" from 2002.)  (Netherlands)

            Legalization of the right to die   The Belgian parliament legalised euthanasia on 28 May 2002.^[4][5]

As of June 2015, human euthanasia is legal only in the Netherlands,Belgium, Colombia^[1] and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Albania and in the US states ofWashington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana.


W A R N I N G   The following videos of euthanasia may  be very disturbing to some. The videos present real instances of euthanasia

The author offers no opinion on right or wrong regarding euthanasia, but states that death with dignity should outweigh other considerations and should be protected by law without penalty and only to be performed with the consent of a patient.  The patient's desires should be incorporated in an Advanced Directive.

And for those with hope, there is Dr. Steven Eisenberg

On a Slippery Slope?  Euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands

JAMA Network | JAMA Internal Medicine | Euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands:  On a Slippery Slope?

Legionairres Disease Outbreak in NYC...

A sign hangs outside Lincoln Medical Center where a cooling tower has been tested and disinfected following a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the South Bronx region, New York August 7, 2015.
REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON

The New York City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to pass legislation that mandates strict regulations of cooling towers, a move that comes in response to the current outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx. The Council voted 42-0 in favor of new regulations that will require all cooling towers be registered, tested and then disinfected if they’re found to contain Legionellabacteria. Cooling towers are used to regulate temperatures indoors and are part of ventilation systems in many modern residential buildings. Failure to comply with the law could cost a property owner as much as $25,000 in fines and a year in jail.

The current outbreak of the potentially fatal bacterial pneumonia has killed 12 people and sickened more than 100 in the South Bronx. The victims contracted the illness after breathing in contaminated water vaporized through cooling systems.

“We must do everything we can to proactively prevent outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease, which is why legislation requiring regular inspections and testing of cooling towers is extremely important,” Jumaane Williams, city council member and chair of the committee on housing and buildings, said in statement. “Without proper maintenance, cooling towers can accrue an overgrowth of Legionella,causing what has proven to be a fatal outcome for far too many New Yorkers.”

What is Legionnaires Disease?

The illness was originally called " Pontiac Disease",  named after an outbreak in Michigan. It was associated with steam cleaning of water turbines.

Microscopic view of Legionela pneumophila

The bacteria are the long cylindrical figures. The cells are leucocytes, macrophages (single nucleus) polymorphonucleophages (multilobed nucleus) The nucleus is the darkly stained structure near the center of each cell. It takes up the stain more intensely since the nucleus contains DNA.