After losing my father to smoking at a very young age, I am fully aware of the devastating impact that premature death from smoking can have on a family.  As the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., tobacco use shortens the life span of a smoker by more than ten years, according to CDC statistics. What's more, 1,000 children become regular smokers each day, adding to this horrible statistic. 

As we approach the Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society,   and the quit season that continues through the arrival of the New Year, we are reminded that nearly 70 percent of smokers nationwide want to quit. We know that quitting is not an easy task and few smokers are successful on the first try.  It often takes several times for a smoker to quit for good and many don't realize they are battling both a physical and psychological addiction.  There is no time like the present to address their needs and focus on helping those interested in overcoming their addiction to cigarettes.

Highlighting access and availability to resources and tools that help smokers quit needs to be a primary focus for the tobacco control community.  Luckily, tools do exist including state quit lines, online services, telephone counseling, and over-the-counter cessation medications, such as therapeutic nicotine, available at retail outlets across the country.  Smokers should seek help from products, programs, and services that are proven to boost one's chances of succeeding.  It is also beneficial for smokers to talk with their doctor to track their progress and develop a personalized plan.  Finally, it is up to us to continue to expand and develop new, innovative ways that are safe and effective in helping smokers quit. 

Friends and family play such a crucial role in helping a loved one quit.  It is important for smokers to find a support system in their lives - people who provide encouragement and praise along the journey, and people to celebrate with when they have successfully quit.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't regret the lost years with my father.  But, in my current role, I am privileged to help in this fight against the tobacco epidemic each day.  There is much that we can do for those who want to quit and it is my hope that we can achieve the goal of reducing and eventually eliminating the death and disease that is caused by tobacco in this country.

Today is World COPD Day and though many people may not know what COPD is, more than 12 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the disease and it is the fourth leading cause of death.  COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease--a progressive, life-threatening lung disease that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

People with COPD have airflow obstruction, which leads to the hallmark symptoms of COPD:

·         Chronic cough

·         Chest tightness

·         Shortness of breath

·         Increased effort to breathe

·         Increased mucus production

Over time patients with COPD suffer from shortness of breath so severe that it interferes with their most basic daily activities including sleeping, talking, and even dressing.

The gradual loss of lung function, coupled with other symptoms and exacerbations, which are episodes when a patient's symptoms are markedly worse, often leads to hospitalization and can be disabling and life-threatening.

COPD can be treated.  While there is no cure for COPD, there are treatments available that help patients reduce symptoms of the disease. By enabling better management of COPD symptoms, treatments can improve lung function, increase quality of life, reduce exacerbations and slow disease progression. The earlier a diagnosis is made, the more effective the treatment will be.

Doctors generally advocate lifestyle changes first to slow the progression of COPD. If you are a smoker, quitting smoking is the best way to prevent COPD or stop its progression.  It is never too late to quit smoking!

Many people have COPD and have not been diagnosed--it's estimated that another 12 million people have the disease and don't even know it.  Yet, it is a life-threatening disease that will get worse if not treated.  A simple breathing test called spirometry can help diagnose COPD.  The test is quick, painless, and can often be performed in your doctor's office.

GSK is proud to support World COPD day helping raise awareness of COPD and the need for better patient care. For helpful resources on COPD visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's website  or the >American Lung Association website.

That is the question:  At least when it comes to regularly screening men for prostate cancer, a disease that strikes one in six US men.  Some critics of screenings argue that too many men are being diagnosed with less than life-threatening cancers that are being treated as if they are a mortal threat; overtreatment, in turn, may unnecessarily lead to some serious side effects.           

But let's not lose sight in this debate that far too many men--some 27,000 in the US this year alone - will die from prostate cancer.  That's why we agree with the American Urological Association, which recommends education, risk assessment and detection of prostate cancer be offered to men 40 years of age or older.  It's true that not all medical bodies are this proactive when it comes to prostate cancer.  Where most do agree, however, is that men should talk to their doctors about the appropriateness of prostate-cancer screening and that they have access to such screening.

GSK has an ongoing focus on men's health concerns, and we're proud to support a new prostate-cancer education collaboration of five major advocacy organizations.   Because when it comes to cancer, the importance of continued research and education are beyond debate.

A piece in this weekend's New York Post ("Shutting off the miracle-drug spigot") reminds us of the extraordinary stakes at play in the current healthcare debate, particularly when it comes to continued investment in pharmaceutical innovation.

Suggesting that some in Washington "are out to cut health-care costs at the expense of the research-intensive (as opposed to generic) pharmaceutical industry," it rightly points out:

 

.... Yet drugs often improve the span and quality of life in a remarkably cost-effective way. Innovative new drugs have helped many patients avoid costly hospitalization, for example. From 1980 to 2000, the number of days in the hospital per 100 people fell from 129.7 to 56.6, a drop of 56 percent--so that Americans avoided 206 million days of hospital care in 2000 alone, according to Medtap International, which provides health economics and outcomes-research services.

Our industry's promise to provide patients with the best care and therapies possible is built on a huge investment in innovation--$65 billion in 2008.  We recognize that this innovation is meaningless unless we are equally committed to ensuring access to our medicines.  So just as health care reform must broaden that access, it must also reflect the fact that our medicines help people 'do more, feel better and live longer,' as echoed in our corporate mission.  That is, they are implicitly part of the solution, and that critical piece is only made available through continued investment in cutting edge scientific research.  

The article continues, "even after drugs are approved for marketing, only about three in 10 now recoup their development costs."  This means, we make a lot of bets--smart, informed bets, but there is risk nonetheless.  As the Senate takes up consideration of their healthcare reform legislation, when it comes to innovation, patients deserve the best. We cannot afford to roll the dice.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)

I'm particularly excited because today we're launching ViiV Healthcare, a worldwide HIV specialist company resulting from a combined effort by GSK and Pfizer.  

In my various roles at GSK, I've had some very interesting windows through which I've been able to view our HIV business.   In the beginning--before I worked in HIV--I looked at the disease as so many people do.   I only knew what I read in newspapers and had a very third-person, far removed perspective. 

But that changed a year ago when I joined GSK's HIV communications team and learned about the real impact of this disease.  I became much more passionate about disease prevention, awareness, education, and treatment.  Soon I was attending HIV congresses and meetings, and learning more directly about how this disease affects people.

I could see the sense of urgency in their eyes when they talked about HIV treatments, and their hopes for ever-better treatments in the future.  Suddenly, HIV was a whole lot more real to me, and I was more passionate than ever about working in this arena. 

Now GSK and Pfizer are launching ViiV Healthcare, which seeks to address important issues such as the need for innovative research and improved access for patients. 

The central proposition behind ViiV Healthcare is extremely exciting:  a robust HIV company with a solid pipeline and deep expertise, but structured to be a smaller and more nimble organization that can respond faster to the changing needs of HIV patients. 

I wish everyone at ViiV Healthcare the very best in their new venture.  They're doing something that I believe will have a significant impact on how we deal with HIV across the globe.  And how can you not be excited by something like that?

More than two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese.

That statistic still amazes me even though I am confronted by it daily in my role leading the U.S. Consumer Healthcare Behavioral Sciences business. So I was anxious to arrive in Washington, DC, this week for Obesity 2009, to hear the latest news and research from the obesity field's most eminent researchers, physicians, nutritionists and other experts. And I wasn't disappointed.

Hosted by the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, this annual conference is recognized as the largest and most comprehensive program in the field of obesity. I joined more than 2,500 people from a variety of backgrounds who shared an extreme passion to help reverse the growing obesity epidemic.

The sharing of information began with an insightful keynote address on how learnings from smoking cessation can be applied to weight control by Dr. William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity for the Centers for Disease Control. This confirms the opportunity for cross pollination that we've recognized at GSK for many years and was the basis for aligning both weight control and smoking cessation under the Behavioral Sciences businesses I manage.

Discussions continued around the need for a surround-sound approach to support consumers as they lose weight. This includes new technology, new food labels and restaurant policies to educate consumers about nutrition, the importance of changing food habits and other support programs and tools.

Researchers, including GSK, also highlighted findings about the different types of fat and the concept of good fat/bad fat and how to maintain the good and reduce the bad--not unlike what we saw years ago as the understanding of cholesterol advanced.

Obesity 2009 made clear that consumers who want to lose weight are not alone in their journey.

(Image courtesy of The Endocrine Society.)

In Philadelphia during the month of October, you cannot help but notice the pink tones everywhere you go. The Philadelphia skyline is awash in pink lights, the stores are packed with pink consumer goods, commercial airplanes are painted with pink underbellies, and even pro football teams are donned with pink wristbands and sneakers.

In October, pink stands for Breast Cancer Awareness.  GSK is a wholehearted supporter of this cause--and we have been for many years.  Our partner here in Philadelphia, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliate, has witnessed it every day for the past 19 years and it can be summed up by three words: responsibility, dedication, caring.

GlaxoSmithKline has been a committed supporter of the Race for a Cure on Mother's Day in Philly, and we have recently extended our Race support to the Komen affiliate in Research Triangle Park, NC.  GSK also has a keen perception of the plight of underserved communities in the breast cancer movement.  Not everyone realizes that the playing field on which populations survive breast cancer needs to be level--but we certainly do--and we're working hard to make a difference. 

This past weekend, Deirdre Connelly, GSK President, NA Pharmaceuticals, accepted the Friend in the Fight Award on behalf of GSK.  Although the company was extremely honored and humbled to receive such an award, it was Deirdre who brought it all home:

"Let's not forget HER, "she said, "the woman who relies on Komen--and all of us--to give hope when she can't find it, a shoulder to lean on when she needs to it, and an embrace to honor her courage."

(Photo courtesy of Susan G. Komen for the Cure--Philadelphia.)

Last night the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the National League East Division title--for the third time in a row! 

The players celebrated in the clubhouse by dousing each other with champagne and beer, but after a few minutes they returned to the field, jogged to left field, and paid tribute to long-time announcer Harry Kalas--by sharing their champagne and dousing the tribute banner.   

Harry Kalas  died last year from heart disease but he called the final out in the 2008 World Series game--a moment Phillies fans will not ever forget.  It seemed to be a bittersweet moment for players and fans, celebrating the victory and remembering Harry, wishing he could have called the game.  

The post-season is ahead of us and it should be an exciting one.  And, if these players and fans have anything to say about it, Harry will be getting doused with champagne again!

Love Park, Philadelphia, October 1, 2009, 12.30 PM.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins today.  I would venture to say that almost everyone knows someone affected by this disease.  Early detection is key.  Spread the word.