News in brief - April 10, 2000

Huge verdict raises fear of tobacco bankruptcies - Both consumer- and physician-oriented drug promotion booming - Government agencies to coordinate cancer tracking, prevention - Advocates call for more research on Alzheimer's disease

Huge verdict raises fear of tobacco bankruptcies

San Francisco -- A jury ordered Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds to pay $20 million dollars in punitive damages to a former smoker now dying of lung cancer. The state court verdict of $10 million against each company was announced March 27.

Leslie Whitehead, the plaintiff, began smoking in 1972 at the age of 13. Her case marks the first winning case brought against the tobacco industry by a person who started smoking after government-mandated labels first appeared on cigarette packs in 1969.

Meanwhile, in other action, state attorneys general moved to protect the funds they secured as part of the landmark $246 billion settlement agreement with the tobacco industry. With cigarette makers facing the threat of more and more damaging verdicts, the attorneys general fear the industry will end up in bankruptcy court. As a result, they have moved to hire bankruptcy lawyers to protect their settlement interests in case they become creditors in the proceedings.

Both consumer- and physician-oriented drug promotion booming

Spending on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs between January and October 1999 increased 32% over the same period in 1998. Total spending reached $1.48 billion, according to consulting firm Scott-Levin.

During the first 10 months of 1999, pharmaceutical companies launched 22 new DTC campaigns for brand-name drugs and 10 new nonproduct-specific promotions highlighting such diseases as breast cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes. These trends will continue in 2000, as companies target consumers with ads for medicines to treat everything from allergies to social anxiety.

At the same time, Scott-Levin noted more promotional spending aimed at physicians. In 1999, the industry spent more than $6.2 billion to detail products to physicians and nearly $1.6 billion on promotional meetings and events, gains of 8% and 29%, respectively, over 1998. Also, there were more drug detailers from both large and small companies calling on physicians in 1999. But in 2000 -- as companies cope with a wave of merger activity -- sales force growth is likely to be limited to second-tier firms.

Government agencies to coordinate cancer tracking, prevention

Bethesda, Md. --The National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last month a major collaboration to develop a comprehensive, federally integrated cancer surveillance and cancer control research system.

The joint effort will allow the two agencies to coordinate training, technical assistance, methodology development and other aspects of cancer registry management, as well as allow for the coordination of major cancer information.

"This joint effort is critical to moving forward with a national cancer surveillance plan," said Nancy Lee, MD, director of CDC's division of cancer prevention and control. The two agencies will begin to use pooled data from selected registries that meet national standards of quality, she added. "This information will also help direct effective cancer prevention and control programs by giving us data to determine cancer patterns among various groups of people, monitor cancer trends and identify where cancer screening efforts need to be enhanced."

Advocates call for more research on Alzheimer's disease

Washington -- A new analysis of national census data released late last month projects that at current rates, the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease will grow by 350% by mid-century -- even higher in states with large numbers of baby boomers. Four million Americans have the disease today, but that will grow to 8 million by 2030 and 14 million by 2050.

After age 65, one in every 10 Americans has the disease, but after age 85 half do.

The only way to avoid the epidemic is to accelerate the search for a way to delay, prevent or cure the disease, research scientists say. Brain cells begin to change at least 10 years before the symptoms of Alzheimer's appear, said Steven DeKosky, MD, chair of the Alzheimer's Assn.'s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council. "We do not have enough time left to do [traditional, lengthy] five-year trials one at a time," he said. "Scientists have many more good ideas for effective treatments than they can test with current funding."