| Obesity’s Hidden Cost: Billion dollars in lost productivity |
[Oct. 10th, 2010|12:28 pm] |
Loss of productivity due to obesity costs as much as medical expenditures for the condition, according to a new study that pegs the cost of obesity among full-time workers in the United States at $73.1 billion per year.
Using survey data from the 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the 2008 U.S. National Health and Wellness Survey, the Duke researchers estimated the extent to which obesity-related health problems affected absenteeism, work productivity and medical costs.
The study, published Friday in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, took into account medical expenses, sick days and health-related productivity costs associated with obesity.
Researchers found that "presenteeism," or the lost productivity incurred when employees try to work despite health problems, cost employers a whopping $12.1 billion per year, nearly twice as much as their medical costs. |
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| Abbott withdraws diet drug Meridia |
[Oct. 10th, 2010|12:16 pm] |
Food and Drug Administration requested Abbott laboratories to withdraw its obesity drug Meridia, or sibutramine, because of its association with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Abbott Laboratories has agreed to withdraw Meridia from the market, the FDA said. According to the Wall Street Journal, the drug company complied with the request reluctantly, because they said numerous studies have not shown an association between the drug and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to the FDA, the withdrawal leaves just one prescription weight-loss drug approved for long-term use: Roche Holding AG's Xenical. An over-the-counter version called Alli is available from GlaxoSmithKline PLC.
Pills targeting obesity have had trouble staying on the market, if they manage to win approval at all. Regulators have expressed concerns about the side-effects of obesity medicines, especially because millions of people could use the pills indefinitely. |
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| France cancels 50 million flu shot orders |
[Jan. 4th, 2010|05:26 pm] |
ccording to a Reuters report, France has canceled over half the flu vaccines it ordered to combat the H1N1 flu virus, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said on Monday, in an effort to head off criticism after reserving too many shots.
The government estimated 94 million individual shots were needed, thinking that everyone would need two jabs for immunity against the illness.
Doctors now say a single vaccination is sufficient, meaning that France, with a population of some 65 million has a massive oversupply and is already trying to sell on some of the surplus shots it has received.
The Health Ministry said it had originally bought the 94 vaccines at a cost of 869 million euros. Bachelot said the canceled order would save more than 350 million euros. |
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| FDA Cracks Down on Flavored Cigarettes Sales |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|12:57 pm] |
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has warned several companies to stop selling banned flavored cigarettes to U.S. consumers online.
FDA officials said the warning letters order the companies to stop marketing and selling the products. Failure to do so may result in additional regulatory actions such as seizure or injunction. In addition, FDA requested a written response from each of the companies within 15 days outlining the corrective actions taken.
The FDA banned candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes in September. Federal health authorities and regulators say those products appeal especially to young people and are thought to attract new smokers. |
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