Have your say: HPV vaccine & health claims pseudoscience
If you live in the UK or Europe, it’s time to have your say and make your words count. There are two very key public consultations on the go at the moment and both are closing at the end of August. And yes, it’s not the first time that the powers that be have put out public consultations or slipped pieces of legislation through one or another parliament slap bang in the middle of the summer holidays. And yes, it’s usually on issues that engender vociferous public sentiment, yet be good for corporate profiteering! This year is no different.
Our first story this week is about a consultation by the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) on its draft guidance for the scientific requirements underpinning health claims related to antioxidants, oxidative damage and cardiovascular health. The EU saga around health claims has been going on a long time and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But please read our call to action, we can’t afford to turn down the heat for a moment.
Our second story is no less important, and whilst the consultation relates to the UK only, the information we share has global significance. The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) wants to find out what you think about the vaccination of teenage boys against HPV. We share key points from our consultation response so you can decide whether this is truly about cancer prevention or is more about Big Pharma’s profit protection.
As always, we share our top news bites for the week to fill up those ‘scrolling’ moments. Let’s cut through pseudoscience, the revolving door of conflicting interests, corporatocracy and cronyism together.
In health, authentically
Meleni Aldridge
Executive Coordinator