P age A3
T he P ortland O bserver • A ugust 16, 1995
H E A LTH
Tobaco companies On The Defensive
by
L aurence M c Q uillan
President B ill Clinton Thursday
unleashed government regulators on
the powerful tobacco industry in an
attempt to curb smoking by young
people, prompting immediate oppo­
sition from the industry.
“ We should do everything we
possibly can to keep tobacco out o f
the hands o f our young people,”
Clinton said during a b rie f meeting
with young people in the Oval O f­
fice. He was to detail his plan at a
news conference later Thursday.
Tobacco companies immediate­
ly responded in the courts to try to
stop measures being proposed by the
Food and Drug Adm inistration to
carry out C linton’ s plan. A coalition
o f advertisers said it also planned to
file a lawsuit against proposed curbs
on tobacco advertising.
The FD A unveiled a set o f pro­
posed rules including a ban on ciga­
rette vending machines and strict new
lim its on advertising o f cigarettes
and smokeless tobacco products.
Sponsorship o f sporting events
by cigarette makers would be pro­
hibited, although the corporate par­
ents o f such firms would still be able
to underwrite athletic events.
In addition, the FDA called fo r a
$ 150 m illion education and advertis­
ing campaign funded by the tobacco
industry to discourage young people
from smoking. The agency proposed
a federal ban on tobacco sales to
those under 18, extending a ban al­
ready effective in many states.
The agency said nicotine was a
drug and thus can be regulated, but it
added that no outright ban on the sale
o f tobacco products was planned.
As the cumbersome, time-con­
suming regulatory process started
unfolding, the W hite House said
Clinton would prefer congressional
action to accomplish his goal o f cut­
ting teen smoking by 50 percent by
2000.
“ From the president’s point o f
view, the ideal outcome would be for
Congress to very quickly enact legis­
lation that codifies exactly these
measures that he proposes today,”
W h ite House spokesman M ik e
M cCurry told reporters.
McCurry said congressional ac­
tion would make it less likely that the
effort would get bogged down in court.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and
the other four major U.S. cigarette
manufacturers said Thursday they
had filed suit against the FDA and
David Kessler, the agency’ s com­
missioner, asking the courts to block
the F D A ’s move.
“ The FD A ’s attempt to exert ju ­
risdiction over cigarettes is an unprec­
edented and unlawful effort to extend
its regulatory reach far beyond its stat­
utory mandate and to usurp the legis­
lative authority o f Congress,” said
Charles Blixt, senior vice president
and general counsel o f R.J. Reynolds,
the maker o f Camel cigarettes.
“ Clearly, the F D A ’s intent to
regulate cigarettes indicates their true
goal is controlling adult choices and
adult behaviors — not youth access
to cigarettes,” he added in a state­
ment announcing the suit.
It said the suit was filed in feder­
al court in North Carolina, a key
tobacco-producing state.
C linton’s intitiative had poten­
tia lly vast economic and political
consequences. The FDA estimates
that its proposals w ill cost the tobac­
co industry $39 m illion in one-time
costs and $227 m illion in annual
operating expenses, includingthecost
o f the advertising campaign.
But it estimated that overall
health benefits to the U.S. popula­
tion could total as much as $43 b il­
lion a year i f smoking by young peo­
ple can be cut in half.
Politically, the tobacco crack­
down could be risky for Cl inton, who
faces an uphill re-election battle in
1996.
Tobacco production is a big el­
ement o f the economies o f several
Southern or border states, including
North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky
and M aryland and the measures
would indirectly touch other states
like South Carolina, which produces
tobacco-related products.
Big medical groups, briefed by
Clinton on Thursday, welcomed the
proposals.
“ The American Heart Associa­
tion views this as probably the most
important public health move by the
government in the last 30 years,” the
associatio n ’ s president, Sidney
Smith, told reporters.
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onri some cancers. Sn
strokes and
So the
the
economic and medical potential is
huge. But the research is still in very
early stages, and crucial questions
remain about whether the “ ob” gene
and the protein it produces, a hor­
mone Freidman called leptin fo r the
mice obese.
“ This is a clear demonstration
that the protein works in animals,”
said D r. J e ffre y F rie d m a n , a
Rockefeller University scientist who
was one o f the “ ob” gene discover­
ers.
The journal Science released the
studies early after news leaked on
Wall Street and started affecting stock
prices o f at least two companies in­
volved in the search fo r drugs to help
people lose weight and keep it off.
Americans spend some $30 b il­
lion a year on weight control. And
obesity is a vast public health prob­
lem linked to diabetes, heart disease.
Greek root for “ thin,” work the same
way in humans as they do in mice.
Although a genetic tendency to
fat seems likely, doctors stress that
diet, exercise and lifestyle are also
crucial for both slimness and overall
good health.
The Science papers report on
two different, but related, research
directions.
In one vein, Friedman and his
colleagues at Rockefeller and at the
California biotech company Amgen
are looking at leptin itself as a poten-
part­
LaRoche Inc. and its corporate part-
ner M illen ium are looking more
closely at how the protein acts on the
brain.
They are interested in seeing
whether the problem in humans is not
so much a lack o f the hormone itself
but a problem in the brain’s ability to
get the message the hormone is send­
ing about fat regulation and food
intake.
Friedman, a Howard Hughes
M edical Institute ihvestigator at
Rockefeller, found that mice who
lacked the ob gene and made no
leptin lost 30 percent o f their body
weight when treated with the hor­
mone for two weeks.
Amgen chief executive officer
Gordon Binder said the company
hopes to start preliminary clinical
tia l d ie t therapy. Am gen paid i trials in 1996 on humans to test for,
Rockefeller $20 m illion for a license safety. Under a “ best case scenario,”
to develop products based on the a drug could be available in three or
gene
four years, but he stressed that much
In the other, a team at Hoffman-
Jose Calva-Diaz, 4, receives a toy from nurse Marie Hensley of
Multnomah County after receiving an immunization at the
Neighborhood Health Clinic, 4945 N.E. 7th. Shots, to prevent
childhood diseases, were given free to children throughout the
Portland area Aug. 5 in a special campaign sponsored in part by
more Vitam in C than the average McDonalds Restaurants of Oregon and Southwest Washington.
work still has to be done.
Vitimin C Used As Sun Protector
A liq u id form ula containing
large amounts o f Vitam in C may
protect sun worshippers from skin
cancer even as it erases wrinkles and
encourages skin to rt^ n e ra te , a sci­
entist said.
Sheldon Pinnel, aderr.” J u g it
at Duke University Medical Centre,
said preliminary testing on mice and
on humans in Canada has shown the
concentrated liquid appears to con­
trol the skin’ s swelling reaction to
the sun’ s burning rays.
Extended use could promote the
production o f collagen by skin cells,
potentially ridding the skin o f w rin-
kles. It also protects for three days
after being absorbed.
“ Sunscreens block by absorbing
the rays o f the sun but no sun-screen
can block all the rays,” Pinnel said,
adding he would recommend use o f
both sunscreens and his product,
called Cellex.
“ Vitam in C causes a chemical
reaction to (ultraviolet) lig h t... act­
ing as a modest anti-inflammatory,
which is effective in treating sun­
burn,” he said at a meeting o f the
American Academy o f Dermatolo-
gy-
The fluid contains 20 to 40 times
person can ingest in a day. It causes
a chemical reaction w ithin the skin
cells and mitigates sunburn.
Norm ally, intense sun can tem­
porarily suppress the immune sys­
tem, which scientists believe can lat­
er lead to skin cancer.
C e lle x has been introduced
in Canada but not in the U nited
(Photo by Duane Lewis)
e e
. .
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• I
Chicago Medical Center.
•
• •
•
* 1 - — a — —. *
— —. —
“ The bottom line is that one can
nowbuildabetteraspirin. Itw o n 'tb e
more effective, but it would be safer
to take,” said Garavito, who together
with French scientists has shown how
aspirin and pain relievers like it stop
pain and inflammation.
Aspirin has been used by hu­
mans for thousands o f years. It was
free choice.
“ The procedures he is propos­
ing border on infringing on personal
freedom, people’ s right to make
choices for themselves,” said Sen.
John Warner, a Virginia Republican.
McCurry said Clinton was com­
pelled to act by irrefutable evidence
that smoking is harmful physically,
and is attracting young people in
rapidly growing numbers after a de­
cline in the 1970s and 1980s.
“ The main reason that we are
acting now is that the FDA has com­
pleted a study o f this issue that began
in February, 1994 ... The president
had no choice but to act on the sc ien-
tific determ ination made by the
FDA,” he said.
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o
immunise <
States,
although it would not require
government approval because its
combination o f ingredients have pre­
viously been apporved for other cos-
Because, immunizing
children on schedule is the
best protection against dangerous
childhood diseases. Along with
regular checkups at the doctor’s
office or local health clinic,
immunizations are the best way
to keep all children healthy.
metic uses.
Research May Lead To Safer Aspirin
A safer aspirin w ith fewer side-
effects may be marketed in years
ahead now that researchers have
unlocked the ancient mystery o f how
the pain reliever works.
“ The drug companies are al­
ready hot on this,” said Dr. Michael
Garavito, o f the University o f
cans but also some Democrats —
called it a possible infringement on
Pain may be
eliminated
for millions
Experimental Drug Disolves Fat
■
1__
A newly discovered protein has
helped fat mice get thin, raising hopes
that it could lead to a new weapon in
the never-ending human war on flab.
Three separate research papers
appearing on Friday in the journal
Science describe advances made
since a team last December identi­
fied the “ ob” gene believed to make
Democrats in Congress general­
ly applauded the plan but tobacco-
state lawmakers — mostly Republi­
l/r tM
n k s sa t-k x o l m - i t r t c
first l / i taken
as - i an
herbal preparation
made from w illo w tree bark and
then synthesized in pure form a cen­
tury ago.
Its chem ical dynam ics re­
mained a mystery until recently.
They have now been explained by
G aravito and colleagues at the
Institut o f Biology in Paris.
H£R£*5 TH£ SCH£DU£
Scientist Discover Alzheimer Gene
A newly-discovered risk gene
for Alzheim er’s disease may help
doctors better understand the dis­
ease and may lead to more effective
drug treatment.
Research published in the A u­
gust issue o f Nature Genetics
showed the new gene, called AC T,
interacts w ith a well-known risk
gene called Apo Lipo Protein E4.
Dr. Steven DeKosky, co-au­
thor o f the article and director ofthe
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Cen­
ter at the University o f Pittsburgh
Medical Center, said the interac­
tion ofthe two genes is linked to the
progression o f Alzheimer's disease.
The discovery o f the second
gene categorizes Alzheim er’ s dis­
ease as a p o ly g e n ic disease,
DeKosky said. U ntil its discovery,
the disease was classified as a sin­
gular disease because only one gene
was linked to its cause.
"T his w ill be a major finding,”
he said. “ It helps us understand
Alzheim er’ s as a disease that is prob­
ably influenced in a variety o f ways,
and therefore we can influence it in a
variety o f ways with drugs. We think
it’ s a breakthrough.”
DeKosky said the second gene
w ill help doctors better understand
the genetic mechanisms that cause
A lz h e im e r’ s disease to e ith e r
progress or slow down.
“ Basically, it puts the geneti­
cists ahead o f the therapists,” he said.
“ We’ 11 probably leam something
about Alzheim er’s that can be treat­
ed with a drug,” he said.
N eil Buckholtz, acting associ­
ate director o f the National Institute
on Aging program that funded the
research, said the finding’ s signifi­
cance lies in the future.
“ This isn’t a quantum leap for­
ward, it’s first in a series o f devel-.
ojlments toward a treatment o f
Alzheim er’ s,” Buckholtz said in a
telephone interview. “ It w ill pro­
vide target genes for drugs devel­
oped in the future.”
He said the new finding makes
diagnosis o f the disease more reli­
able. The institute estimates that 4
m illio n Americans suffer from
Alzheim er’ s at a cost o f about $ 100
b illion annually.
Alzheim er's disease is a de­
generative, neurological disorder
with symptoms usually beginning
between the ages o f 60 and 70.
Symptoms include short-term
memory loss, impaired judgment
and personality changes. People
suffering from the disease ultimate­
ly lose all reasoning abilities and
are unable to care for themselves.
Shadad b*f» in d K IIs tança ol accaptabta ages lot vaccination T n .s e racotnmandad agas should not be t h o u g h t of as absolute V a ccin ,
schadulas ate c h a n g e d as new vaccines combinations ol eunent vaccines and indications are licensed (■ ) Previously ununmunized
praadolasants/adoiescenis shoUd ba immunized (■)" Those who have not had a documented case ol chicken po< or have not been immunized
should receive the vaccine For more specific information parents are encouraged lo contact ibeir pediatrician or local p t * f < health ofliciai
y
If you don’t have a pediatrician, or don’t know where to go in your
community for your child’s vaccinations, the following toll-free
Immunization Hotline can help you. Call 1-800-232-2522.
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© 1 9 9 5 McDonald's Corporation FC«M CDC-321 Pnnted in the United States of America
These materials have been reviewed by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the National Medical Association