In The News

OxyContin and Foreign Sales: New York Times

Matthew Goldstein, Danny Hakim and Jan Hoffman September 10, 2019
The United States strives to bring an end to the opioids crisis, preventing addition and punishing pharmaceutical companies, distributors and physicians that doled out pills in alarming numbers. Purdue Pharma is in negotiations with litigators, but the owners “want to keep selling OxyContin and other drugs abroad for as many as seven more years, through another company they own, Mundipharma,...

Gambling Dilemma: Rappler

Bob Herrera-Lim August 28, 2019
The global gambling industry is worth about $500 billion, with online gaming on the rise. China has asked the Philippines to shut down its online gambling sites that target mainland Chinese players. The Philippines president is expected to support the POGOs – operations that hire Chinese speakers and target the mainland. “[T]he rise of the POGOs is also a lesson for the Philippine government and...

Death of Pigs in Luzon: Rappler

Ralf Rivas August 21, 2019
Refusing to acknowledge a health problem can contribute to its spread. Pig farmers in Luzon, the biggest and most populated island of the Philippines, report pigs falling ill with loss of appetite, vomiting and sudden death, reports Ralf Rivas for Rappler. The Department of Agriculture reports that a number of government units “vigorously conduct joint monitoring of the movement of pigs, pork,...

Drinking Habits Change Worldwide: Financial Times

Michael Skapinker August 13, 2019
Businesses and societies depend on economic growth for jobs, investment and savings. Globalization – including the flow of images of personal behavior, cultural diversity and emphasis on healthy lifestyles – may be pushing the alcohol industry into decline with as much as half the world reporting not drinking at all for religious, cultural or economic reasons in 2018. Drinking alcohol starts...

UK-US Trade Deal Not Easy: JD Supra

Sophie Berner-Eyde July 29, 2019
US President Donald Trump has suggested that he and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have plans for a “very substantial” trade deal. The UK cannot negotiate a trade deal until after it leaves the European Union, scheduled for October 31. “UK-U.S. preliminary talks on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) spanning the last two years, however, have failed to show any meaningful progress and are...

Heatwaves Are Killing People: The Economist

July 26, 2019
Europe and the United States are contending with record temperatures. The Economist argues that governments should prepare populations for heat waves which can exacerbate illnesses and produce death tolls equal or greater to floods or storms, albeit over the course of a few days. Fortunately, with accurate and early forecasts, governments can alert people to people to stay indoors, seek cool...

Vaping More Dangerous Than First Realized: Vox

Julia Belluz July 12, 2019
Using smokeless tobacco use is healthier than smoked tobacco, and marketing relies on that premise. But that does not mean smokeless tobacco carries no risk, and public health experts express concerns that the products include a range of additives and aerosol particles, with marketing that targets youth: “[R]esearchers around the world are now scrambling to figure out what impact this new habit...