heart disease

A study published in the journal Health Affairs finds that spending on illnesses linked to obesity has increased more than tenfold since 1987. The study is among the first to look extensively at how spending on diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and other weight-related illnesses has been impacted by the obesity epidemic. Researchers found that spending on those diseases was $36.5 billion in 2002, a rather hefty jump from an inflation-adjusted $3.6 billion in …

Responding to criticism that articles and research they publish are frequently biased in favor of corporate sponsors, several leading academic publishers are backing a website designed to help consumers make sense of conflicting claims. When patientINFORM.org officially launches later this month, it will have the help of powerhouses like the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.

The site will run abstracts of research …

Merck is launching a $20 million ad campaign in an effort to improve its public image after last year's Vioxx safety fiasco. The campaign, which was developed by New York's Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, uses several different approaches to attempt to repair the company's damaged ties with consumers. One spot promotes the company's discount program. Another talks about the role Merck had in eliminating once-common childhood diseases such as the mumps, chicken pox and …