Tuesday 10 August 2021

 

Bayer loses another appeal against Roundup cancer verdict

An appeals court in San Francisco upheld the 2019 ruling in favor of a couple who claimed they got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after using Roundup for years.

Bayer loses another appeal against Roundup cancer verdictSan Francisco: German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer on Monday lost another appeal against a verdict that found its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, the latest setback in its bid to end thousands of lawsuits over the product.

An appeals court in San Francisco upheld the 2019 ruling in favor of a couple who claimed they got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after using Roundup for years.

The court also upheld a judge's decision to reduce the jury's compensation award to Alva and Alberta Pilliod from $2 billion to $86.7 million.

Bayer has been plagued by problems since it bought Monsanto, which owns Roundup, in 2018 for $63 billion and inherited its legal woes.

The German firm says it has not committed any wrongdoing, and maintains that scientific studies and regulatory approvals show Roundup's main ingredient glyphosate is safe.

Glyphosate is nonetheless classified as a "probable carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the latest ruling, the appeals court said Monsanto displayed an "intransigent unwillingness to inform the public about the carcinogenic dangers of a product it made abundantly available at hardware stores and garden shops across the country."

"Monsanto knew that studies supporting the safety of Roundup were invalid when the Pilliods began spraying Roundup in their yards, wearing no gloves or protective gear, spurred on by television commercials."

"We respectfully disagree with the Court's ruling as the verdict is not supported by the evidence at trial or the law," a Bayer spokesperson said. "Monsanto will consider its legal options in this case."

"We continue to stand strongly behind the safety of Roundup, a position supported by four decades of extensive science and the assessments of leading health regulators worldwide that support its safe use."

Bayer has set aside more than $15 billion to deal with a wave of US lawsuits linked to the weedkiller.

After allotting its latest tranche of $4.5 billion for potential costs, the German company posted huge losses for its second quarter last week.

In February, it said it had settled some 90,000 cases.

In May, a San Francisco court upheld a damages award of $25 million against Bayer and in favor of California resident Edwin Hardeman.

Bayer has said it will petition the US Supreme Court to review the Hardeman case this month.

Friday 30 July 2021

 

Asymptomatic diabetes the new concern for Hyderabad

Majority of new patients do not have any of the typical symptoms of diabetes like frequent urination, fatigue, excessive thirst or hunger, weight loss and blurry vision. Nutritionists and diabetologists say it could be linked to the change in food intake and limited or no exercise during the pandemic.


Asymptomatic diabetes the new concern for HyderabadHYDERABAD: In a worrying trend that has left health experts baffled, hundreds of asymptomatic diabetes cases are coming to light during routine health checks across Hyderabad with no tell-tale symptoms of blood sugar increase, said doctors.

Majority of new patients do not have any of the typical symptoms of diabetes like frequent urination, fatigue, excessive thirst or hunger, weight loss and blurry vision. Nutritionists and diabetologists say it could be linked to the change in food intake and limited or no exercise during the pandemic.
Take the case of 47-year-old Suhasini Kumar, who had a blackout at home for 45 seconds and her family insisted on a master health check-up the next day. “During the check-up, my blood sugar levels were higher. Since I don’t have a family history of diabetes, the doctors decided to go for a more fool-proof test which proved that I indeed have moderately high blood sugar,” Kumar who lives in Banjara hills said.

“It was a jolt for me as I never had the usual signs diabetes symptoms and had I not gone for tests, I would not have known that I am asymptomatic diabetic. Thankfully with change in food and lifestyle, I can reverse it, I am told,” she added.

Doctors say more and more people during the lockdown have developed higher blood sugar and are completely in the dark about it. Even overweight children as young as 12 years old are testing positive to asymptomatic diabetes and pre-diabetes.

“In the last one and a half year with restricted physical activity and same amount of calorie intake leading to drastic weight gain, we are seeing many people who come for regular check-ups and have a chance discovery of diabetes,” said K Sunitha Premalatha, chief dietician, Yashoda hospitals. She gave an example of chance discovery of pre-diabetes in a 23-year-old who came with leg swelling on Thursday. The boy’s mother too was detected to be diabetic during the check-up.

“When we ask for typical symptoms, they don’t have any but the common thing is restricted physical activity. Weight gain of 6-8 kg in a span of one year is seen in these patients,” she added. While a lot of importance is laid on weight gain, increase in waist size for keeping a check on diabetes, the awareness about pre-diabetes is also equally important, say doctors. Higher levels of stress during the pandemic have also played their role, believe doctors.

“The number one reason for diabetes is stress. Diabetes can be stress-induced, drug-induced or even Covid-induced. Whenever high levels of stress remain unaddressed in time, it brings out hidden diabetes and hypertension,” said Dr Ashish Chauhan, senior consultant diabetologist at Apollo Hospitals, who has seen 100 new cases since the pandemic. “Many patients also have vague symptoms like depression, irritation, drowsiness, insomnia and sexual dysfunction but they don’t know that it can be a symptom due to less awareness,” he added

 

US CDC internal report calls Delta variant as contagious as chickenpox

The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu, and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, the newspaper added, citing the document.

reuters
reuters
The Delta variant is much more contagious, more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines, and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus, according to an internal presentation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu, and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, the newspaper added, citing the document.