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Comment: The public wants more done to improve health and wellbeing – so why isn’t the government acting?
Writing in the Telegraph, Adam Briggs and Sally O’Brien from the Health Foundation discuss the high levels of public support for policies to improve health and wellbeing.
They describe a recent “government trend of unwinding public health policy”, highlighting the failure to publish a new tobacco control plan, delays to restrictions on junk food advertising and the decision to drop plans for a national approach to tackling health inequalities.
The authors point to new Ipsos polling 75% of the public think that “some of the responsibility for people staying healthy lies” with the government and “only a minority – just 13% – think that the government has the right policies in place to improve public health.” The authors also highlight strong support for public health interventions.
They identify smoking, poor diet and harmful alcohol use as the “leading causes of preventable ill health” and inequalities in life expectancy between rich and poor. The authors argue that “addressing these risk factors will not only improve an individual’s wellbeing and quality of life, but drive economic growth and tackle inequalities, and will help reverse the worrying rise in poor health amongst the economically inactive.”
The authors state that the public is most supportive of government intervention to tackle smoking and highlight the influence of “population-level policies, such as banning smoking in public places and advertising restrictions.” They cite polling finding that 78% of people “support introducing a tax on manufacturers to fund tobacco control measures” while 69% support increasing the age of sale for tobacco.
The authors highlight the publication of the independent Khan review in June 2022 which “set out how England can go smoke free by 2030” and criticise the government for failing “to respond or to update its recently expired tobacco control plan.”
Source: The Telegraph, 10 March 2023
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Revealed: experts who praised new ‘skinny jab’ received payments from drug maker
The drug giant behind weight loss injections newly approved for NHS use spent millions in just three years on an “orchestrated PR campaign” to boost its UK influence.
As part of its strategy, Novo Nordisk paid £21.7m to health organisations and professionals who in some cases went on to praise the treatment without always making clear their links to the firm, an Observer investigation has found.
The revelations come as the Danish drug giant is investigated by the UK’s pharmaceutical watchdog after it was found to have breached the industry code seven times in relation to a “disguised promotional campaign” of another of its weight loss drugs via online webinars for healthcare professionals.
There is no suggestion the payments broke any rules, and the company says it has never “deliberately acted” outside ethical or legal standards. Recipients of the funding say they were not influenced by it and they properly declared their interests.
While independent experts have described the recommendation to make the drug available on the NHS as “welcome news”, there is concern the public debate may be influenced by drugs industry funding.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said it had a “robust policy” for declaring interests and that openness around potential conflicts was “vital” so they could be properly managed. “We will review the information provided against our policy on declaring and managing interests for Nice advisory committees,” the watchdog said.
Source: The Guardian, 12 March 2023
Editorial note: The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) have released the following statement:
“This will be tremendous news to those at highest risk who are unable to control their weight due to many complex factors. Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition with many causes. Drugs alone will not be the answer to the UK’s extremely high levels of excess weight. We need to take action to ensure that as few people as possible reach the stage of needing pharmaceutical or surgical interventions. It is essential that we tackle the root cause of obesity, such as the flood of unhealthy food and drink that is constantly marketed and promoted to us, so we are not treating people and then sending them back into the conditions that made them sick.”
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Australia: Radical change coming to laws that dictate where you can smoke to how you buy cigarettes
One of Australia's biggest states has launched a major anti-smoking crackdown - introducing new laws making it harder to buy cigarettes at pubs and clubs and banning smoking near organised events for children.
New legislation will be introduced to Queensland parliament on Tuesday in a bid by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's government to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes outside stores.
The proposed laws will also include the introduction of a licensing scheme so that only 'fit and proper people' can sell cigarettes, and banning smoking from carparks near schools, outdoor markets and events organised specifically for children.
The state government will also introduce tougher restrictions on cigarette sales in licensed venues, such as pubs and clubs.
Cancer Council Queensland chief executive Andrew Donne said while the adult smoking rate had more than halved in the past two decades, smoking remained a leading cause of death.
"Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease, with one in five cancers attributable to tobacco use", he said.
Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said many in the community thought "tobacco control is done".
"It is not, and there is still more to do", he said.
Source: The Daily Mail, 13 March 2023
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Parliamentary questions
PQ1: Electronic Cigarettes: Packaging
Asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald, Scottish National Party, Glasgow South
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the forthcoming extended producer responsibility for packaging scheme on the amount of disposable vape packaging (a) used, (b) recycled and (c) going to landfill in each of the next five years.
Answered by Rebecca Pow, Conservative, Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We do not plan to make a specific assessment of the potential impact of the forthcoming Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme on disposable vape packaging. However, we expect EPR to both reduce household packaging waste and improve its recyclability, thereby reducing the amount of packaging that is sent to landfill.
Source: Hansard, 9 March 2023
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