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Tag: American Medical Association

  • American Medical Association Calls For Ban On Vaping Products, E-Cigs

    American Medical Association Calls For Ban On Vaping Products, E-Cigs

    The AMA’s full-court press on vaping comes as a wave of illnesses continue to afflict vape users across the country.

    The American Medical Association has gone on the record against vaping and are calling for a total ban of all vaping products and e-cigarettes that are unapproved by the FDA to be used as “cessation tools.”

    On Monday, the organization published a press release announcing the call for a ban as well as new vaping-related policies.

    The new policies include:

    • Urgently advocate for regulatory, legislative, and/or legal action at the federal and/or state levels to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarette and vaping products, with the exception of those approved by the FDA for tobacco cessation purposes and made available by prescription only;
    • Advocate for research funding to study the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarette and vaping products for tobacco cessation purposes;
    • Call for immediate and thorough study of the use of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies for tobacco use disorder and nicotine dependence resulting from the use of non-combustible and combustible tobacco products in populations under the age of 18;
    • Actively collaborate with health care professionals, particularly pharmacists and other health care team members, to persuade retail pharmacies to immediately cease sales of tobacco products;
    • Advocate for diagnostic codes for e-cigarette and vaping associated illnesses, including pulmonary toxicity.

    “The recent lung illness outbreak has alarmed physicians and the broader public health community and shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short- and long-term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “It’s simple – we must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market. With the number of young people using e-cigarettes spiking it is not only critical that there is research into nicotine addiction treatments for this population, but it is imperative that we continue efforts to prevent youth from ever using nicotine.”

    The AMA’s full-court press on vaping comes as a wave of illnesses continue to afflict vape users across the country. The CDC announced in early November that vitamine e oil acetate has been found in a high number of  e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) cases. 

    Here is the CDC’s Latest Outbreak Information on vaping-related illnesses and deaths:

    • As of November 13, 2019, 2,172* cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).
    • Forty-two deaths have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia (as of November 13, 2019):
    • Alabama, California (4), Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois (4), Indiana (4), Kansas (2), Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, and Virginia
    • The median age of deceased patients was 52 years and ranged from 17 to 75 years (as of November 13, 2019).
    • CDC continues to work closely with FDA, states, public health partners, and clinicians on this investigation. 

    Youth Vaping Epidemic

    There is another vaping-related epidemic wreaking havoc across the country and it is affecting teens and adolescents at worrisome rates. Around 2.1 million adolescents were using e-cigarettes in 2017 alone. E-cigarette company Juul has been accused of creating the youth vaping epidemic by deceptively marketing their products to underage individuals. Juul denies these allegations.

    Government officials have reportedly been meeting behind the scenes to discuss new regulations, potential bans on vaping products, specifically flavored ones. This week Trump is set to meet with the vaping industry executives and public health advocates as he decides whether or not to ban flavoring products. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Americans Are Drinking And Spending More On Alcohol

    Americans Are Drinking And Spending More On Alcohol

    Researchers found that drinking increased in all subgroups of the population, and most steeply among women, the elderly and minorities.

    Americans are spending more on alcohol than ever before and are also reporting higher rates of alcohol use disorder, all while beverage companies are increasing their budgets for alcohol advertising. 

    Surprisingly, more than a quarter of Americans don’t drink at all, according to a study reported by 24/7 Wall Street. However, the percentage of Americans who said they have imbibed during the last year has risen steadily, from 65.4% in 2001-2002 to 72.7% in 2012-2013, according to data from the American Medical Association.

    The increase wasn’t just among social drinkers—high-risk drinking increased 30% over that period as well, while alcohol use disorder increased nearly 50%. 

    Researchers found that drinking increased in all subgroups of the population, and most steeply among women, the elderly and minorities. Authors noted the need for attention to problem drinking. 

    “Most important, the findings herein highlight the urgency of educating the public, policymakers, and health care professionals about high-risk drinking and AUD, destigmatizing these conditions and encouraging those who cannot reduce their alcohol consumption on their own, despite substantial harm to themselves and others, to seek treatment,” they wrote.

    Research on spending indicates that rates might have continued to rise. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Americans spent more on alcohol in 2017 than they did in 2016.

    Overall, spending on alcohol has increased 56.6% since 1996, even though the price of booze has not increased substantially during that time. The increase in spending has been sharpest among baby boomers, while millennials spend the least on alcohol. 

    “Our findings suggest that older Americans increased their alcohol spending dramatically, which resonates with growing public health concerns pertaining to Baby Boomers and booze,” the authors wrote. “In a related finding, retired professionals spent 186% more money on alcohol. Conversely, those younger than 25 spent less in 2016 than in 1996, attesting to a trend in millennials choosing to live sober.”

    With so much spending at play, it’s no wonder that alcohol advertising is a massive industry, especially when it comes to sports. Each year the top 30 alcohol brands spend $764.5 million on sports sponsorship, according to industry data.

    Most of that spending is by beer brands, with Bud Light alone spending approximately $250 million per year, more than one-third of the money spent globally on alcoholic beverage sports sponsorship. Heineken spends $118.3 million on sponsorships, while Budweiser spends $84.4 million. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Congress "Scared" To Take On American Medical Association Over Opioids

    Congress "Scared" To Take On American Medical Association Over Opioids

    A senator recently called out Congress for not standing up to the AMA for stalling progress on anti-opioid abuse regulations.

    A powerful physicians lobby is blocking efforts in Congress to regulate the way certain medications like opioid painkillers are prescribed, according to a new report.

    According to the Daily Beast, the American Medical Association has actively lobbied against certain measures that seek to limit the way that doctors give opioid prescriptions. And according to some members of Congress, fellow lawmakers are “too scared” to go up against the massive organization.

    This may have to do with the fact that in 2017, the AMA was the seventh highest lobbying spender ($21.5 million), and in 2016 gave nearly $2 million to members of Congress.

    The AMA has been forthright in its opposition to measures included in the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act 2.0 (a proposed update to the 2016 law by the same name) that would limit opioid prescriptions to a three-day supply, according to Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, a co-sponsor of the bill.

    The AMA also opposes mandatory opioid education for doctors, as well as the required use of prescription drug databases to check a patient’s history with certain drugs before prescribing a new medication.

    Members of Congress are “too scared to take on the AMA,” thus stalling progress on anti-opioid abuse regulation, said Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

    Many of the measures that the AMA is against appear on a list of guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2016.

    The guidelines—which do not apply to palliative care, end-of-life care, or cancer treatment—encourage physicians to “start low and go slow” when prescribing opioid painkillers for chronic pain, and to “prescribe no more than needed.”

    The CDC also advises physicians to discuss the risk factors of using opioid medication with all patients, and to review each patient’s prescription drug history via the prescription drug monitoring database before prescribing.   

    But the AMA does not see a solution in mandating these reforms through legislation.

    “Limits and one-size-fits-all approaches will not end this epidemic,” the organization said in a statement. “The AMA has urged Congress, statehouses, and payers to cover evidence-based treatment that works. Most patients with opioid use disorder have trouble accessing care as payers and others put up obstacle.”

    View the original article at thefix.com