, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- SEAFOOD, PRODUCE TOP FOODBORNE ILLNESS LIST
Seafood tops the list when it comes to foodborne illness outbreaks but a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., says sloppy farm practices may be the reason fruits and vegetables make even more people sick. The nonprofit food-safety watchdog group says seafood caused the most outbreaks -- 539 with 6,781 cases of illness between 1990 and 2002. Produce came in second with 292 outbreaks but the most cases of illness -- 18,084. "While 'more is better' is the rule when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables, our research indicates that contaminated produce needs an urgent government response," said CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith Dewaal. CSPI recommends the 10 federal agencies that currently regulate food be united into a single, independent food-safety agency.
HYPERTENSION DRUG OK'D FOR DIABETICS
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug Avapro -- made by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. -- to treat diabetic nephropathy -- kidney disease in people who have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Some 50 million people in the United States have high blood pressure and 17 million diabetes. About one-third of diabetes patients will develop chronic kidney failure and need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Avapro is an angiotensin II receptor blocker or ARB originally approved in 1997 to treat high blood pressure. In clinical trials, patients treated with Avapro had a 20 percent reduction in the risk their kidney disease would progress or of death when compared to a placebo control group.
DRUGMAKER OFFERS FREE DRUGS
The Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation Inc. is offering to provide Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals' prescription medications free of charge to U.S. residents who cannot otherwise afford them. The program will be administered by the new foundation. To qualify, patients must lack prescription coverage under a private, government or employee insurance plan, be ineligible for Medicaid, and meet annual income restrictions equal to or lower than 200 percent of the federal poverty level -- $36,200 or less for a family of four. HIV/AIDS patients have slightly different income restrictions. The program does not include any co-pays or fees for participants. An application form is available by calling 800- 556-8317. Boehringer Ingelheim specializes in immunology and inflammatory disease research and its medications focus on cardiovascular diseases, such as acute coronary disease and hypertension; inflammation-related disorders, such as arthritis and enlarged prostate; diseases of the central nervous system, such as stroke; respiratory diseases, and HIV/AIDS.
UCLA SEEKS LUNG CANCER TRIAL PARTICIPANTS
The University of California Los Angeles is looking for 50,000 current and former smokers, ages 55 to 74, for a lung cancer screening trial. Researchers want to look at whether screening for lung cancer before symptoms appear, using either conventional X-rays or the latest in imaging technology, such as low-dose spiral computerized tomography, reduces lung cancer deaths. The National Lung Screening Trial is the largest clinical trial ever funded by the National Cancer Institute for lung cancer screening. Clinical trial sites are at UCLA and 29 other venues across the country. Low-dose spiral CT is a newer approach and some experts say it can better detect smaller lung lesions. Lung cancer is responsible for 28 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States. For more information call UCLA toll-free 888-798-0719 or the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 800-4-CANCER.
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(EDITORS: For more information about FOODBORNE ILLNESS, contact CSPI at 202-332-9110 or go to cspinet.org. For AVAPRO, contact Caroline Almeida at 609-252-4609 or go to bms.com. For DRUG OFFER, call Damon Thompson at the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation at 202-457-8100. For LUNG CANCER, contact Kim Irwin at UCLA at 310-206-2805 or e-mail [email protected])
