Date Published: 13 November 2006
AMA policies on mercury pollution, hormone compounds and smoke-free meetings
The following new policies were adopted today at the American Medical Association's (AMA) semi-annual policy-making meeting. The AMA policy-making meetings bring together physician-leaders from state and specialty medical societies to help shape the voice of medicine.
Mercury pollution:
The AMA voted today to strengthen its mercury pollution
policy because of the global public health threat mercury causes in the environment.
This new policy calls on the U.S. to take a leadership role at both the state
and federal level to reduce national and global mercury emissions. Industrial
and manufacturing processes account for more than half of the annual global
mercury burden. The new policy also recognizes that the trading of air pollutants
is potentially harmful for vulnerable populations, and that the Clear Air
Mercury Rule is inconsistent with the AMA's health protective approach to
air pollution.
" More must be done to address the global public health threat of mercury emissions," said AMA Board Member Ardis Hoven, MD.
" As physicians, we call on the U.S. government to take a greater leadership role to reduce harmful mercury emissions. We also encourage manufacturers to reduce mercury use wherever possible, to take advantage of available and emerging technology to reduce mercury emissions, and to better track mercury's current use."
FDA oversight needed for hormone compounds:
The AMA adopted new policy today
to help patients and physicians become more aware of the safety and efficacy
of "bioidentical hormone" compounds often used by patients in place
of FDA-approved hormone preparations for replacement therapy. There is concern
that patients are receiving potentially misleading or flawed information about
custom-compounded bioidentical hormones, as post-market surveys have found
inconsistencies in dosage and quality. The new AMA policy calls on the FDA
to conduct surveys for purity and dosage accuracy. It calls for mandatory reporting
by drug manufacturers, including compounding pharmacies, of adverse events
to create a registry of such events from bioidentical hormone usage. The policy
also calls on the FDA to require standard patient information, such as warnings
and precautions, in packaging of compounded bioidentical hormone products,
and to prohibit the use of the term bioidentical unless the preparation has
been approved by the FDA.
" There is no scientific basis for claims that compounded hormone therapies have a different risk-benefit ratio than FDA-approved hormone replacement therapies," said AMA Board Member Ardis Hoven, MD.
" Confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the therapies patients take is absolutely essential for both patients and physicians. New FDA policies that would require manufacturers and compounding pharmacies to provide adverse event information on compounded bioidentical hormones – and share the warnings and precautions with patients on the drug label – will help patients and doctors make better informed decisions on the course of treatment."
Smoke-free AMA meetings:
The American Medical Association today adopted policy
that further strengthens its stand against exposure to second-hand smoke. The
new policy calls for all AMA meetings and conferences to be held in communities
and states that have enacted comprehensive legislation requiring smoke-free
worksites and public places, including restaurants and bars. The AMA also called
on other medical organization to adopt similar policies.
" Smoking continues to be one of the greatest threats to the health of the public," said AMA Board Chair Cecil Wilson, MD. "As a physician organization, we must set an example for our patients. We hope our action today will help convince states, counties and municipalities to adopt legislation protecting the public from the dangers of exposure to second-hand smoke."
Source: American Medical Association (AMA).
