Texas Tobacco Prevention Funding in Jeopardy

The American Lung Association is asking concerned citizens to contact their legislators immediately requesting that funding for tobacco prevention and control services be fully restored in HB SB1.

"The Texas Legislature has proposed that funding for tobacco prevention and control be allocated towards the general revenue fund and eliminated entirely in the future," states a press release. "Funding for these services is generated from a $200 million dollar endowment created as a result of the $17.3 billion dollar Master Settlement Agreement against Big Tobacco in 1999."

The release went on to say that Big Tobacco spends nearly two million dollars a day marketing their tobacco products to potential smokers.

You can contact your legislators by clicking on https://secure3.convio.net/ala/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4918 online.

In unrelated health news, the Fifth Annual Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. takes place June 13 and 14 and there is less than a month left to register. Closing date to sign up is April 29th.

To register, access http://www.pancan.org/section_get_involved/advocate/advocacy_day_2011/index.html.

"At Advocacy Day, hundreds of volunteers just like you will gather in D.C. to meet with their Members of Congress and educate them about the urgent need for legislative action to spur true progress in fighting pancreatic cancer," states Megan Gordon Don, Director, Government Affairs & Advocacy of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) in a letter. "Advocacy Day is a powerful and empowering experience for all involved."

In other cancer news, recent research shows that leukemia patients taking Gleevec achieve a 'normal' death rate, according to an article on cancercompass.com.

"The death rate of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who took Gleevec and were in remission two years after treatment was similar to the death rate in the general population, a new study shows," the article states. "Italian researchers collected data on 832 patients who were taking Gleevec for up to eight years and found that 20 patients died during the follow-up period."

Only six deaths were related to chronic myeloid leukemia, the researchers noted.

"Serious adverse affects such as cardiovascular and digestive problems were reported in 139 patients, but only 27 cases were considered to be related to Gleevec, according to the study," the story stated. "The study authors disclosed no conflicts of interests, noting that their independence from pharmaceutical interests was a major strength of the study." (http://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/article/36203.htm?c=NL20110323).

A drug, Yervoy, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for late stage Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, according to Health Day News. The IV drug was evaluated in clinical studies of 676 people.